Response of the Jews to Crusader Attacks

Response of the Jews to Crusader Attacks

When Pope Urban II gave a rousing speech at the Council of Clermont in 1095 that urged western Christians to aid their Byzantine brothers in the East and to retake the Holy Land, it is safe to say that the Jewish communities at Speyer, Worms, and Mainz were unconcerned. These communities in the Rhineland were not terribly close to Clermont, France, but news of the planned Pilgrimage probably did not take long to reach the Jew's ears. They undoubtedly knew of the plan for the pilgrimage, but were probably indifferent. Why would it concern them? First of all, they were Jews, not Christians, and did not answer to the Pope. Although, for them also Jerusalem was a holy city, they would not have felt roused by Urban II's call. Nor would the Jews likely have felt threatened by the pending crusade. Why would they? Pope Urban II had said nothing about Jews in his speech, (1) so why would crusaders attack Jews? It probably never crossed the Jews' minds. Even if some Jews had the amazing foresight to realize that a large band of unrestrained, armed Christians was bad news, they would not have been concerned with their own well being. They were not even on the way to the Holy Land; the army would not even pass near them. On top of all that, the communities at Speyer, Worms, and Mainz were on good terms with their Christian neighbors and knew that they had nothing to fear from them. Those Jews could not know how wrong they were. Their knowledge of Council at Clermont could not alert them that within a year the beginnings of a Pilgrimage would march off course, attack their cities, and turn their neighbors against them. Even warnings from their brethren in France did not alert them to the seriousness of their impending fate. (2) In deed, these communities could not know to respond not with indifference and unconcern, but vigilance. So by responding such, they now had to react in many varying ways to the crusaders' cruel attacks.

The most detailed account that we have of the Jews reaction to the crusaders' attacks is that of the Anonymous of Mainz. The author was possibly present at Mainz during the attacks, and he or she at least used firsthand descriptions from survivors. (3) This source seems to be quite reputable. It was written soon after the attacks took place. (4) Its accounts are often reinforced by the Christian literature of the time. Albert of Aachen's version, which was a compilation of accounts from "surviving witnesses and other literary sources" written less than half a century later, clearly corroborates the Anonymous of Mainz story several times, and never contradicts it. (5) While it is plausible that Jews would have fabricated atrocities done to them by the Christians, it is highly unlikely that the Christians would have made up matching unflattering stories about themselves. In addition to confirming these atrocities, Albert of Achen's account does also match that of the Anonymous of Mainz in its portrayal of the Jews reaction to the attacks. Another version written by Solomon ben Simson that was written later in the 12th century also lends credence to the Anonymous of Mainz account. (6) It was also written in the Jewish community and incorporates large chunks of Anonymous of Mainz's account as well as other sources. This indicates that the Jews in the decades following the attacks considered Anonymous's account valid. If other Jewish authors were working with it and using it in their own accounts, it was probably an accepted, reliable source. Lastly, all the sources use a lot of exact names and details. This indicates reliability because the contemporary readers of the accounts would have recognized the names and situations and rejected the accounts if they were inaccurate.

The people of the Popular, People's, or Peasant's Crusade first attacked Speyer, then WormsÐ'--twice, then Mainz. As they progressed through the countryside, the attacks became more and more severe. Accordingly, the Jews reactions intensified in proportion to their suffering, but common themes run through all the communities.

In Speyer, Worms, and Mainz the Jews fasted hoping that God would show mercy on them. "All the [Jewish] communities have decreed a fast. We have done our part. May God save usÐ'...]" the elders at Mainz in a letter replied to their French brethren. (7) Solomon ben Simson accounts that they "afflicted themselves with fasting" until "their skin shriveled on their bones and became as dry as wood." (8) Another commonality in the three communities is that the Jews took refuge in areas secured by the Christian Bishop. Bishop John was mostly able to protect the Christians of Speyer, but still eleven were slain. (9) In Worms about half of the Jews fled to the bishop's quarters. These survived the first attack, but after about two weeks the crusaders besieged the bishop's quarters and many more were killed. (10) Once more in Mainz the archbishop attempted to save the Jews; "For at the outset it was his desire to save us, but ultimately he failed." (11)

The most compelling common thread to run through the communities was the idea that what was befalling them was God's will. We see this over and over in the account of the Anonymous of Mainz. "[Then] they accepted divine judgment and expressed faith in their Creator and Ð''offered up true sacrifices.'" (12) "[For] they saw that this was the decree of the king of kings." (13) "Ultimately one must not question the ways of the Holy One blessed be he and blessed be his Name, who gave us his Torah and commanded us to put to death and to kill ourselves for the unity of his holy Name." (14) It is clear from these quotes and the many others in this account that the Jews saw this as some sort of divine punishment. (15)

Probably the most striking image in these accounts is that of the Jews slaughtering their own children. "They took their children and slaughtered them unreservedlyÐ'...]" (16) Fathers and mothers killed their own children to save them from the filthy hands of the "uncircumcised." (17)The children wept for mercy and tried to run and even hide under the furniture. But the adults sacrificed them all. However, the adults were not without sadness. One mother who killed all four of her children held them to her and wept until the crusaders broke down the door and killed her too. (18) It is extreme times when parents kill their children to keep them from the hands of barbarians.

The Jews did not just sacrifice their children; they also killed each other and allowed themselves to be killed by the crusaders without struggling. Albert of Aachen confirms that the Jews "fell upon one another,