Research Seminar - 15.06.2026: Jordan Katz - Bodies of Knowledge: Jewish Women, Healthcare, and Community in Early Modern Europe

Monday, 15.06.2026, 16:15, Gilman 281

Jordan Katz, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Bodies of Knowledge: Jewish Women, Healthcare, and Community in Early Modern Europe

This talk explores the diverse roles that Jewish women played as healthcare practitioners in early modern Europe, challenging older models of medical culture by demonstrating that female medical work operated along a spectrum rather than a rigid professional hierarchy. Drawing on evidence from rabbinic responsa, communal registers (pinkassim), personal manuscripts, and municipal medical college records, this presentation traces the range of practitioners involved in healthcare—from neighborhood women who assisted in childbirth without formal training, to expert women who served as interlocutors in matters of halakha, to licensed midwives regulated by civic institutions. It argues that female healers offer an important lens for examining the nexus between Jewish community, gender, medicine knowledge, and early modern administrative developments.

Gathering for coffee and refreshments at 16:00

Chair: Ori Belkind

The public is invited