ScholarStream: An Initiative of the RA, USCJ, JTS and Ziegler

When the crusaders marched across the Rhine in the eleventh century and decimated the region’s ancient and prosperous Jewish communities, there was little the Jews could do to resist. Some were forcibly baptised, some were killed, some committed suicide, some fled. Reflecting on the devastation, the survivors asked themselves why their generation had been chosen for such suffering, what it meant, and perhaps why they should even remain Jews. Their turmoil is recorded in chronicles and poems that deal with the emotional and intellectual upheaval of the times. The Hebrew Crusade literature that we will study is thus a monument of Jewish resilience in the face of disaster. 

Class taught by Dr. Raymond Scheindlin

No charge for Beth Tzedec members; pre-registration required. To register, click here>> and enter the code Thornhill21.