ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

IT IS MY PLEASANT obligation to acknowledge the influence and aid of a series of teachers and friends. Much of my graduate study at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America was devoted to Talmudic texts. It was my privilege to enjoy the instruction of Professors Saul Lieberman, Moses Zucker, and H. Z. Dimitrovsky. These distinguished scholars taught me more than Talmud; they imparted a strong sense of the methods of intensive textual analysis, which I have attempted to use on other materials as well. In my historical studies at Columbia University I was guided by Professors Salo Baron, John Mundy, Zvi Ankori, and Gerson Cohen. Professor Ankori supervised my masters essay, and Professor Cohen was the principal reader of my doctoral dissertation. I am deeply indebted to these gifted and concerned teachers, who gave so unstintingly of their time, energy, and funds of knowledge. During a year of research in France, I benefited greatly from extended conversations with two major students of medieval French Jewry, Bernhard Blumenkranz and Gérard Nahon. Over the years, a host of colleagues and students at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, at The Ohio State University, and elsewhere have enriched my understanding of medieval French Jewry. To all I owe deepest thanks.

The research for this project was sponsored by a variety of grants, including a Columbia University Travel Fellowship, a travel grant from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, grants-in-aid from The American Council of Learned Societies and The National Foundation for Jewish Culture, a summer study grant from The Ohio State University Development Fund, and continuing support from funds established as part of The Samuel and Esther Melton Chair of Jewish History and Studies at The Ohio State University. To all these institutions I extend my appreciation.

The staff at The Johns Hopkins University Press have been extremely cooperative. From our first contacts they have been uniformly interested, cordial, and efficient. I am particularly obliged to Kenneth Arnold and Joanne Allen for their deep concern for this book and their extensive efforts to produce it as quickly, accurately, and handsomely as possible. Special thanks also go to Mr. Terry Campbell of the Graphics Services Department of The Ohio State University for his careful preparation of the two maps and to Rabbi and Mrs. David Zisenwine for their painstaking and good-natured assistance in reading proofs.

Finally, dedication of the book to my wife indicates that my debt to her exceeds all others. She contributed to completion of the manuscript in innumerable ways—by aiding in preparation of the maps, compiling the bibliography, composing the index, and through scores of insightful suggestions. More important, she provided the rich and happy setting which made the entire enterprise meaningful.