)Sometime in the post Biblical early medieval period, the Jews of central and south central Europe came to be called by the name "Ashkenazim", in conformity with the custom of designating areas of Jewish settlement with biblical names, Spain being identified as "Sefarad" (), France as "Tsarefat" (), and Bohemia as "Land of Canaan".By the high medieval period, Talmudic commentators like Rashi began to use "Ashkenaz/Eretz Ashkenaz" to designate Germany, earlier known as "Loter", where, especially in the Rhineland communities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz, the most important Jewish communities arose.