Discrimination In The Middle Ages

Religious conflict, diaspora, and death defined the Middle Ages. In spite of the constant changes societies faced, the Jewish people were at constant battle with Christian authority. Unjust treatment through political structures forced the Jewish people in low class positions. Majority of the time, Jews were only tolerated where needed. Despite this, the Jewish people believed these events to be the will of G/d. They did not fight back against their unfair rulings, but instead accepted their position as a people in exile. Therefore, although the Jewish people were able to carve out an existence for themselves during the Middle Ages, the discrimination they faced from Christian intolerance issued in a period of peril.

By the 10th century, most of Europe was under the rule of Christian monarchs who made Christianity the official religion of the land. This left an

However, instead of standing their ground, the Jewish people allowed their persecution to occur. “They did not care to flee into the chamber to save themselves for this temporal life, but out of love they received upon themselves the sentence of G/d. The enemy showered stones and arrows upon them, but they did not care to flee,” (130). The Jewish people accepted their fate to be the will of G/d, and therefore did not resist. During the next few decades, the Crusaders solidified their power by the reinstitution of the banning of Jews in Jerusalem and continuous bloody military victories. The Crusaders in Mayence were no different. “All the gentiles were gathered together against the Jews in the courtyard to blot out their name, and the strength of our people weakened...The bishop’s men, who had promised to help them, were the very first to flee, thus delivering the Jews into the hand of the enemy,” (129). Condemned for interfering in the matter, the Christian Church could no longer protect the Jewish