Rebecca Of Salerno

Rebecca of Salerno: A Novel of Rogue Crusaders, a Jewish Female Physician, and a Murder by Esther Erman offers many facets. It’s the continuing story of Rebecca, the heroine of Ivanhoe. She ended that novel on her way to a new land, rejecting Ivanhoe’s Christian culture with all its persecutions and devoting herself to a life of celibacy.

While she and her father star, very little of the Ivanhoe story appears here. The only relevant part to them, in a new country, is King John’s persecution of the Jews, who increasingly flee England for safer homelands. (It also deconstructs the character’s insistence that she’ll devote herself to Judaism and the single life—contradictions in her culture of the time.) 

This is also the story of a medieval woman who has attended the medical school in Salerno, and the Kingdom of Sicily, which admits Jews, Christians, Muslims, women and men. Rebecca becomes a physician in such a culture and heals those around her, even as she deals with many forms of prejudice from outside her community and even inside it. Mostly, however, this is a murder mystery, as Rebecca investigates a crusader’s murder, apparently at the hands of a visiting Egyptian rabbi. It’s also a love story as she slowly falls for her fellow physician Rafael, though this tends to be relegated to the background and understated through Rebecca’s quest.

The mystery itself has surprises and unusual twists, as readers learn of the many people they shouldn’t discount. Rebecca investigates within the Jewish community, chatting with the women in synagogue and knocking on the doors of prominent families. As violence against the Jews rises even in this protected haven, there’s no need to discover who hates crusaders enough to murder them, only who would risk the safety of the entire Jewish community to do so. This adds a realistic level of politics, as Rebecca must negotiate with corrupt jailers, guards expecting bribes, and rulers who prefer expediency and scapegoating to any form of justice. The outrage these moments produce truly shares the history and culture of the time better than anything else could.

Of course, medicine at the time was medieval, even for Jews who had attended medical school. Rebecca relies on her understanding of humors, an interesting glimpse into history, but one she repeats painfully often. There are moments of great nobility and touching emotion from the characters. Jewish critics have disapproved before of having Jewish villains and selfish characters in books that portray some members of the community badly to the world. This book has many kind and sympathetic Jewish characters, including Rebecca’s father Isaac of York. Having one be corrupt and even greedy is understandable in such a detailed story. All in all, there isn’t much about Sir Walter Scott here, but it’s a charming historical murder mystery for those who enjoy such tales.

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Valerie Estelle Frankel is the author of over 80 books on pop culture, including Hunting for Meaning in The Mandalorian; Inside the Captain Marvel Film; and Who Tells Your Story? History, Pop Culture, and Hidden Meanings in the Musical Phenomenon Hamilton. Her Chelm for the Holidays (2019) was a PJ Library book, and now she’s the editor of Jewish Science Fiction and Fantasy, publishing an academic series that begins with Jewish Science Fiction and Fantasy through 1945. Jews in Popular Science Fiction is the latest release. Outside academia, she published the popular overview, Discovering Jewish Science Fiction: A Look at the Jewish Influences in Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, DC, Marvel, and so Many More. Once a lecturer at San Jose State University, she now teaches at Mission College and San Jose City College and speaks often at conferences. Come explore her research at www.vefrankel.com