ABSTRACT
The field of early modern studies has expanded dramatically over the past two generations. Once a placeholder between the perceived ills of a sullied Middle Ages and the imagined bounty of modernity, the early modern has asserted itself as a legitimate historical period, not simply a transit between well-established and well-trodden historical epochs. In the early modern period there was an exponential growth in both the number and size of Jewish communities across Eastern Europe, particularly within the borders of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Jewish population and settlement of the Ottoman Empire was diverse, based on migration patterns, forced movement of peoples by the Ottoman authorities within the Empire, and the local realities of areas that were conquered and absorbed into the Empire. The organization and management of Jewish communities could vary depending on the location, size, and context of the community. Still, some basic functions were maintained within larger Jewish communities and even in smaller settlements.
