members can be documented in Spain from the thirteenth century onward at least in Spain as Nissim ben Gerondi and others reported." Emigres fleeing the Inquisition may have carried such organizations to the lands around the Mediterranean and eventually Germany . In any case, such organizations rapidly increased; the multiplicity of such societies in Italy led to an effort to combine them, for example, in Padua in 1580." By 1699 even the Jews of Bordeaux, precariously living openly as Jews , established an organization for tzedakah."” We should not discount the influence of such Christian organizations that can be dated much further back on their Jewish neighbors.”
We possess only fragmentary information about communal charitable efforts from takkanot, a few communal documents, as well as records of larger councils. There is virtually nothing in the responsa; no codifier dealt with it. As communities grew and as needs expanded, new ways of dealing with poverty beyond the collectors of kupa and tamhui that were insufficient must have been tried. A charitable gifts in connection with being honored by an aliyah to the Torah , which after a time also became compulsory as did gifts on special occasions such as weddings and funerals helped to raise funds (Or Zarua 130; Rokeah 217).*' Prayers could be interrupted to collect funds(Mahzor Vitri p. 5). At the same time every effort was made to eliminate begging on the street, in front of the synagogue, or house to house.” For those with at least small means, food was sold at its cost price.” In small communities synagogue space had been used to house and feed travelers, some of whom were poor(Pes. 101a). Parallel separate housing also existed(Sota 10a) as did much praised hospitality provided by individuals(Pirkei Avot 1:5).