Citation

Graboïs A. Revue des Etudes Juives 2000; 159(1-2): 79-98.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000)

DOI

10.2143/rej.159.1.151

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The persecutions of the European Jewry in 1096, during the passage of the popular Crusaders in the Lotharigian, Rhenan and Danubian cities deeply affected the survivors of these massacres. The memory led to the production of Memorial Rolls preserved in the synagogues, together with some notices recording the circumstances of their death, would they have been killed by the Crusaders or had they committed the Kiddush hashem, by suicide and killing their families, in order to avoid their forced conversion to the Christian faith. These testimonies were followed by moral question such as why did God allow such an ordeal to His Chosen People. Thus, memory was the source for the compilation of the chronicles about these persecutions by their authors, around 1140. The process of editing the testimonies was characterized by a genuine narration of the violence against the Jews, their circumstances, as well as by telling the victims' reactions. Moreover, the chroniclers explained the victims' behaviour and they analyzed the behaviour of non-Jewish elements, such as the Church hierarchy, the lords of the cities, the Crusaders and the urban population.

Language: en