Sarah of Görlitz (fl. 1388)
Sarah of Görlitz (fl. 1388)
Jewish townswoman of Görlitz. Flourished around 1388 in Görlitz, Germany.
Sarah was a Jewish resident of Görlitz, a medium-sized German town with a fairly large Jewish population. In medieval times, Jews suffered under a variety of discriminatory laws and regulations, many of which were designed to minimize their ability to compete with Christians in business. Under these circumstances, urban Jewish communities could not expect much in the way of social services from the town governments, but had to rely on each other.
Sarah of Görlitz was one such woman who made an important contribution to her community. The only mention of her life is found in town records of 1388, when she, obviously already a wealthy woman, inherited a house from another Jew. Sarah used her money to convert the house into a school for Jewish children (who could not attend Christian schools). She believed in the value of educating both girls and boys, and did her community an important service by her generosity. The school remained in operation for many years.
sources:
Uitz, Erika. The Legend of Good Women: The Liberation of Women in Medieval Cities. Wakefield, RI: Moyer Bell, 1988.
Laura York , Riverside, California