Barzilay develops the understanding of Jews as a distinct minority balancing the dictums of tradition and the particular circumstances of their local environments. He aims to identify the transfer of cultural currents across vast geographical spans while noticing the imprint of local variance and particularity. His studies identify the mutual perceptions and transfer of ideas between Christians and Jews. They use visual sources and archival material to address the problems that changes to environmental conditions posed for Jews in the practice of rituals, everyday practices and contacts with their Christian neighbors. These studies demonstrate the dynamic change in Jewish-Christian relations in response to wider environmental and social shifts that characterize High and Late Medieval Europe.

 Image credit: Brussels, Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Ms. 5, f. 265r. (Grandes Chroniques de France). License: Public Domain