Tombstone of Gerschom son of Jehuda

Among the medieval artefacts rediscovered within the city limits is the memorial stone of Gershom ben Jehuda. He is known by the honourific title ‘Our Teacher Gershom, Light of the Exile’ (Rabbenu Gershom Me’or Hagolah).  As one of the most influential rabbinical scholars in the Western world, Gerschom ben Jehuda taught at the Talmud school in Mainz around the turn of the millennium. Gershom ben Jehuda’s decrees on religious law (takkanot) were so groundbreaking that they were repeatedly reaffirmed in the centuries that followed. His Takkanot had a decisive influence on Ashkenazi Judaism, for example the decrees on the definitive abolition of polygamy and the introduction of the confidentiality of correspondence. He granted women a say in matters of divorce.