Already in the Bible, the Hebrew word kahal refers to a gathering in general or to an assembly of Israelites specifically. In the Middle Ages and early modern period, in the Diaspora communities in Ashkenaz it served to denote the administration and council of the community, as well as the Jewish community itself. Generally speaking, the kahal was the leading institution of the kehillah, the community. As …
Kahal(3,539 words)
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Bartal, Israel, “Kahal”, in: Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture Online, Original German Language Edition: Enzyklopädie Jüdischer Geschichte und Kultur. Im Auftrag der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig herausgegeben von Dan Diner. © J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart/Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland 2011–2017. Consulted online on 01 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2468-8894_ejhc_COM_0389>
First published online: 2017
First print edition: 20200106
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