Combines medieval and modern historiography. First comprehensive work about Jewish life in medieval Prussia. Unique method for criticism of ideology combining biographic and semantic approach.

"Based on a meticulous analysis of various primary sources, she questions the existence of an anti-Jewish policy and concludes that the low profile of Jews in official documents may not in fact point to their physical absence but rather the absence of conflict between Gentiles and Jews, as peaceful relations were less likely to be recorded than blood libel cases and pogroms? Hess's attempt to recover Jewish experiences in light of the surviving evidence offers a useful introduction for English-speaking readers who are unfamiliar with the complexities of Prussian medieval history." ? Journal of Modern Jewish Studies