The history of Jews in Speyer reaches back the last 1000 years ago. Most of preindustrial history, religious minorities were the victims of persecution. Violence against religious and ethnic minorities remains a major problem in many developing countries even today. Violence against the Jews mostly was caused by factors such as religiously motivated anti-Semitism. One of the reasons why the Jews were asked to settle in Speyer was their role in money and trading business especially with the distant regions. Money lenders were required on a large scale to aid in the construction of the cathedral. . In the seventeenth century agreement between the bishop of speyer and the Jews who settled there reflected social, economic, cultural and political
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The Jews had several advantages as well. In comparison to most of their Christian neighbors, the serfs, dukes and Persians were tied to a particular piece of land or even to a particular ruler. The Jews were free to move from place to place. Not every Jew was involved in buying and selling luxury goods. Most of them were also shoemakers, dyers, butchers, harness makers and blacksmiths while others were scribes, physicians and winemakers (Goldstein, 2011). Christians and Jews exchanged everyday goods and services, in the marketplace. As neighbors they also shared problems and faced many of the same risks such as floods, fires, and host of epidemics that affected both sides. Religious differences were one of the barriers that affected the Jews and Christians. The Christians were troubled by Jews refusal to accept Jesus as their …show more content…
The Muslims had conquered Jerusalem and their holy sites. Muslims were responsible for several invasions that weakened the Roman church and most of Europe. Crusades were formed and most of them involved fighting for their faith because of reform movement in the Catholic Church which changed the way Christians felt about their religion. A growing number of Christians now believed that Jews as a people were collectively guilty for the crucifixion of Jesus. The church reinforced that belief and it became the theme of many statutes and other art found in most of the churches. The crusaders gave the Jews of Mainz the same choice they had offered Jews which was death or Christianity. Most of them choose death while others tried to escape but were captured and
The Jews had several advantages as well. In comparison to most of their Christian neighbors, the serfs, dukes and Persians were tied to a particular piece of land or even to a particular ruler. The Jews were free to move from place to place. Not every Jew was involved in buying and selling luxury goods. Most of them were also shoemakers, dyers, butchers, harness makers and blacksmiths while others were scribes, physicians and winemakers (Goldstein, 2011). Christians and Jews exchanged everyday goods and services, in the marketplace. As neighbors they also shared problems and faced many of the same risks such as floods, fires, and host of epidemics that affected both sides. Religious differences were one of the barriers that affected the Jews and Christians. The Christians were troubled by Jews refusal to accept Jesus as their …show more content…
The Muslims had conquered Jerusalem and their holy sites. Muslims were responsible for several invasions that weakened the Roman church and most of Europe. Crusades were formed and most of them involved fighting for their faith because of reform movement in the Catholic Church which changed the way Christians felt about their religion. A growing number of Christians now believed that Jews as a people were collectively guilty for the crucifixion of Jesus. The church reinforced that belief and it became the theme of many statutes and other art found in most of the churches. The crusaders gave the Jews of Mainz the same choice they had offered Jews which was death or Christianity. Most of them choose death while others tried to escape but were captured and