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THIS WEEK
Rebecca Abrams on Licoricia of Winchester - the Most Important Jewish Woman in Medieval England
Rebecca Abrams
LICORICIA OF WINCHESTER
Twice married, twice divorced... murdered
FRIEND OF ROYALTY
HOW DID SHE AMASS HER F0RTUNE?
WHAT WAS THE SCANDAL INVOLVING THE BETH DIN?
WHO MURDERED LICORICIA?
Award-winning author, teacher & journalist REBECCA ABRAMS reveals the fascinating story of the medieval Jewish banker, Licoricia, her rise to power and subsequent fall. Rebecca is the author of many works of fiction and non-fiction, two plays including the topical The Pied Piper of Covid. Her debut novel,
Touching Distance was shortlisted for the McKitterick Prize for Literature and won the MJA Open Book Award for Medical Fiction. Her work, The Jewish Journey: 4000 years in 22 objects from the Ashmolean Museum, has been described as ‘a celebration of Jewish life in all its worldly immensity - a tribute to the cosmopolitan ideals of Stefan Zweig.’ She is also the co-editor of Jewish Treasures From Oxford Libraries, which was long-listed for the 2021 Wingate Literary Prize. Mother of
two and daughter of two historians, Rebecca serves on the Oxford Jewish Heritage Committee and the Board of the Jewish Historical Society of England. Her current book about Licoricia has been described by Simon Sebag Montefiore as “totally fascinating, tragic and unforgettable".
The Statue of Licoricia with her son Asher, completed and dedicated in Jewry Street, Winchester last year, bears the
poignant inscription in Hebrew and English “Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself”. Join us as Rebecca tells of the highs and lows in Licoricia’s dramatic life, played out against a backdrop of civil war, political turbulence and rising anti-Semitism, an inspiring tale of one woman’s courage, resilience and fearless determination to stand up to power.
