Black Death In Germany Essay

Words: 435
Pages: 2

For centuries Jews have hailed themselves as God’s chosen flock. Seen as a shining beacon of hope in a world shrouded by darkness, the Jewish people carry with them a militant sense of purpose although it has been constantly perceived as an obnoxious air of self-righteousness. The Bible itself chronicles the rise and fall of the Jewish people and follows their ascension to supremacy (militarily or otherwise) and cultural humbling as Egyptians enslaved them for approximately 300 years for their loss of faith/favor with God. After their eventual freedom being granted during the more notable episodes depicted in the Bible, the tale of the Jewish people goes dormant since they reconciled themselves to live in and amongst the people their culture had taught them to abhor. Jewish …show more content…
Accusations of well poisoning during the Black Death (1346–53) led to mass slaughter of German Jews and their fleeing in large numbers to Poland (Benedictow 393-394). The Jewish communities (Benedictow 393-394) in the cities of Mainz, Speyer and Worms became the center of Jewish life during medieval times (History of Jews in Germany). "This was a golden age as area bishops protected the Jews resulting in increased trade and prosperity (History of Jews in Germany). The First Crusade began an era of persecution of Jews in Germany (Riley-Smith 1991). Entire communities, like those of Trier, Worms, Mainz, and Cologne, were murdered (History of Jews in Germany). During the war on the Hussite, heresy became the signal for the slaughter of the unbelievers (Riley-Smith 1991). The end of the 15th century was a period of religious hatred that ascribed to Jews all possible evils. The atrocities of Chmielnicki, in the Ukrainian part of southeastern Poland) and his Cossacks drove the Polish Jews back into western Germany (History of Jews in Germany). With Napoleon's fall in 1815, growing nationalism resulted in increasing