The Jewish Response to the Crusades
The Crusades were neither the first nor the most serious persecutions of Jewish people, being more a by-product of the CrusadersÕ zeal than a systematically organised attempt to destroy the Jewish people. Yet they have left an indelible impression on Jewish memory and identity, and have continued to be one of the main stumbling blocks in the minds of Jewish people as they consider the claims of Jesus.
From the time of the massacre of the Jewish community at Speyer during the First Crusade in 1095 to the random acts of brutality during the ShepherdÕs Crusade of 1320, the Crusades represented the Angel of Death to the Jewish people. The Crusaders, motivated by greed, millennial expectations, xenophobia and a 'desire to avenge the death of Christ', and with official backing of Church and State, were able to wreak havoc on the defenceless Jewish communities in their path.
Charges that would later be levelled at the Jews were first brought to prominence by the Crusaders. The anti-Jewish accusations of the blood-libel, that Jews used of blood of Christian children in the sacrifices, fuelled the CrusaderÕs zeal, as did the idea that the Jews were seeking world domination. The Crusades symbolised a change in attitudes towards the Jewish community that fore-shadowed the 'Final Solution' that would be proposed by Hitler. Rather than keep the Jews alive as a reluctant witness to their part in the death of Christ, and seeing their dispersion as a result of divine judgement upon them, the use of 'sanctified violence' was introduced as a way of furthering the cause of Christ, paving the way for authorised genocide.
In the face of such physical and ideological opposition, how did Jewish people respond? Several reactions can be noted, with a further reflection of the Jewish community was faced with the bleak choices of a martyrÕs death, forced baptism, feeble resistance or occasional protection by a local leader when the cry of the Crusaders reached their ears.
First there was the significance of martyrdom. In Judaism the preservation of life, pikuach nefesh, is incumbent of every Jew. Only in extreme circumstances was martyrdom an acceptable option, when Jews were faced with the alternatives of idolatry, murder or sexual immorality. Such was the case during the Crusades, where forced baptism was seen as an act not just of betrayal, but of desecration of the name of God (chillul Hashem) . It is from this time that veneration of martyrs takes on a significant role in the Synagogue liturgy and Jewish life. Martyrdom became the greatest test of faith, showing the piety of the individual and his submission to the will of God. Just as Abraham was willing to offer his son Isaac on the altar, so willingness to die rather than give in to the Crusaders demands was seen as one of the greatest virtues. A martyrÕs death was seen as victory, not defeat.
Secondly, renewed hopes for deliverance through the coming of the Messiah and a return to the Holy Land motivated many Jewish people to seek divine solutions to their human predicaments. As the teachings of Jewish mysticism became popular as a way of escaping the harsh realities of persecution, the Zohar, the main source-book of the Kabalah, a an occult and mystical form of Jewish gnosticism took firm hold in the Jewish communities. Several false Messiahs such as Abraham Abulafia (1284) appeared on the scene.
Others attempted to emigrate to Israel. The Crusader kingdoms between 1098 and 1489 were set up after the defeat of the Moslems and those Jews who had fought with them, but from 1100-1244 the Jews were more or less tolerated. The Jewish communities of Safed, Caesarea, Tiberias and Acre briefly flourished, and were seen as a haven of refuge for some of their co-religionists in Europe. In 1211 300 rabbis from Western Europe joined those already living in Palestine. Rabbi Nachmanides fled to Israel after his important debate with Paulo Christiani at the Disputation of Barcelona (1262). who had failed to resist
For those that remained in Europe, however, the Crusades re-inforced the Jewish will to survive. Realising that even Popes and monarchs were often powerless to prevent mob violence, the Jewish communities developed their own survival instincts, relying on good communications, quick wits and willingness to move on. The image of the Jewish moneylender was born of economic necessity, as a means of survival in a hostile community with no right to land, property or protection. Even the Crusaders came to rely on Jewish moneylenders for funds to equip their expeditions.
One final response should be noted. The memory of the Crusades was enshrined in the historical records that Jewish communities and individuals began to keep at this time. The events of the Crusades - the martyrdoms, massacres and persecutions - are described in vivid and unforgettable detail. For Christians to even begin to apologise for such atrocities, it is necessary to understand the trauma that was inflicted on the Jewish psyche, that would be added to in every generation. The models of Jewish suffering and survival during the Crusades contribute greatly to the sadly mistaken beliefs that you can not be truly Jewish and trule Christian, or that a true Christian would not act as the Crusaders did. Is Christians are to truly repent and seek reconciliation with the Jewish people, the love of Jesus for his own people must often be distinguished from the conduct of those who bear his name.
Bibliography:
Encyclopaedia Judaica vol.5 pp1136-46 "Crusades" Israel:Keter 1974
Dan Cohn-Sherbok "The Crucified Jew" UK: Harper Collins 1992
Paul Johnson "History of the Jews" ??
Graham Keith "Hatred without a cause?" Paternoster 1997
Steven Runciman "History of the Crusades" Penguin 1964