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In the Year 1096
In 1996 the world commemorates the 900th anniversary of the First Crusade or, more precisely, of the pogroms unleashed by the crusade upon the Jews of the Rhineland. In the Year 1096... presents a clear, highly readable chronicle of the events of 1096. Noted teacher and historian Robert Chazan brings readers to critical moments in Jewish history, illuminating the events themselves, their antecedents, and their far-reaching consequences. Equally important, his book assesses the significance of the events of 1096 within the larger framework of Jewish history, including both the scope of persecution and the record of Jewish resistance. He has created a dramatic portrait of the clash between three conflicting forces in medieval the German crusaders, the Rhineland burghers, and the Rhineland Jews. His book provides an extensive look at the Christian assaults and the intense Jewish responses, with much material translated directly from remarkable Hebrew narratives which are admirable for both the vividness of their description and the complexity of the portrait they provide.
Chazan tells the story of 1096 in "grays," not blacks and whites; that is, he relates stories of Christian enemies, but also of Christian friends, and of Jewish martyrs, but also of Jewish negotiators and converts.
The author devotes the second half of In the Year 1096... to tracing these events through the intervening nine centuries of Jewish history. In the second part he surveys the Jewish perception of 1096 over the ages, including both the neglect of these events in some quarters and their emphasis in others; he places 1096 within the lengthy history of anti-Jewish actions and thinking, and examines the unusual behaviors of the Rhineland Jews within the context of historic Jewish responses to persecution.
Chazan tells the story of 1096 in "grays," not blacks and whites; that is, he relates stories of Christian enemies, but also of Christian friends, and of Jewish martyrs, but also of Jewish negotiators and converts.
The author devotes the second half of In the Year 1096... to tracing these events through the intervening nine centuries of Jewish history. In the second part he surveys the Jewish perception of 1096 over the ages, including both the neglect of these events in some quarters and their emphasis in others; he places 1096 within the lengthy history of anti-Jewish actions and thinking, and examines the unusual behaviors of the Rhineland Jews within the context of historic Jewish responses to persecution.
186 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1996
45 people want to read
About the author
Robert Chazan
23 books5 followersRobert Chazan is Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 19, 2018
A good (though somewhat basic) discussion of the 1096 massacres of German Jews by Crusaders. By and large, most of the book told me what I already knew, since I was already familiar with the basic story: a small minority of would-be Crusaders decided to massacre local Jews before heading off to the Holy Land, despite the opposition of Christian clergy and kings. Some Jews let themselves be massacred or accepted forced conversion; others decided to kill each other and their families, believing that their resistance to forced conversion would earn them the same eternal salvation that their murderers thought that they would earn by killing Jews. The massacres tended to occur in places where central authority was weak; in England and France, where kings were more powerful, there were no massacres in this time period.
However, I did learn a few interesting details: for example, Chazan points out that only about 3000 Jews were murdered, mostly in three cities (Worms, Mainz and Cologne). In other cities, local authorities were more successful in defending or hiding Jews. And because western European Jews continued to become more numerous over the following century or two, it is not clear that the First Crusade had much long-run impact. Indeed, medieval Jewish historians did not always mention these incidents. So why do people write more books about the 1096 massacres than about other anti-Jewish atrocities that were more lethal? Chazan seems to think that 1096 begins a pattern of murderousness.
However, I did learn a few interesting details: for example, Chazan points out that only about 3000 Jews were murdered, mostly in three cities (Worms, Mainz and Cologne). In other cities, local authorities were more successful in defending or hiding Jews. And because western European Jews continued to become more numerous over the following century or two, it is not clear that the First Crusade had much long-run impact. Indeed, medieval Jewish historians did not always mention these incidents. So why do people write more books about the 1096 massacres than about other anti-Jewish atrocities that were more lethal? Chazan seems to think that 1096 begins a pattern of murderousness.
December 17, 2019
More a long detailed essay than a history, the points remain quite salient today as they did when it was written.
October 17, 2011
Robert Chazan is particularly good at making thousand-year-old contemporaneous accounts of calamity digestible. I only wish this book gave greater context of the First Crusade itself. It is a perfect book, however, for anyone with foreknowledge of the First Crusade who is looking for a window into the Jewish experience, particularly in the Rhineland. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews