138 Selected Reform Responsa

In the medieval period, vigorous charitable organizations looked after the feeding, housing, educational and dowry needs of the poor(M. Guedemann, Geschichte des Erziehungswesens und Kultur, 1. 50 ff A. Cronbach,“Me il Tzedakah,” Hebrew Union College Annual, Vols. 9-14). This was necessary as poverty was endemic in a sizable portion of the Jewish community during many centuries.

Hospitals are mentioned early in the literature, however, they were actually hostels for traders and poor travelers. The first reference to such a Jewish "hospital" is in 1210. A leper hospital existed in Heidelberg, in 1349, but this seems to have been an exception (Abraham Cronbach , Religion and Its Social Setting, p. 131). Few financial provisions were made for sick care, unless the sick were indigent. Every effort was made to assure that they were regularly visited(Or Zarua 2.51). In some cases, individuals unwilling to make such visits were fined(Abraham Cronbach , op. cit. p. 137).

Educational institutions were not recipients of charity, although wealthy individuals endowed them. In the talmudic and later medieval periods, it was the duty of each community to establish and support such institutions. Elementary schools were always provided for in conjunction with synagogues; parents of the children paid tuition according to their ability, while poor students were fed and housed by the community(Cronbach , op. cit., p. 128). Considerable sums were expanded on direct support for educational institutions but this was not considered charity. It was an obligation supported by taxes and tuition. Scholarships for poor students were provided in the form of food, lodging or books as a charitable contribution(7urei Zahav to Shulhan Arukh Yoreh Deah 249.2; S. Dubnow, Pinkas Hamedinah,#528 and#588). Institutions of higher learning were established and supported by patrons. Their future depended on this help, and when the economic conditions changed, they closed or moved to a new location.