In 1290, Jews were expelled from England and subsequently largely expunged from English historical memory. Yet for two centuries they occupied important roles in medieval English society. Protected by the Crown and granted the exclusive right to loan money with interest, Jews financed building projects, provided loans to students, and bought and rented out housing. Historical texts showed that they shared meals and beer, celebrated at weddings, and sometimes even had romantic relationships with Christians. However, Church authorities feared the consequences of Jewish contact with Christians and tried to limit it. Royal protection also proved to be a double-edged sword: when revolts broke out against the unpopular king Henry III, some of the rebels, in debt to Jewish creditors, killed Jews and destroyed loan records. Vicious rumors circulated that Jews secretly plotted against Christians and crucified Christian children. All of these factors led Edward I to expel the Jews from England. John Tolan’s book England’s Jews revisits this neglected chapter of English history and shows that thirteenth-century England was both the theater of fruitful interreligious exchange and a crucible of European antisemitism.

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Date: August 6

Time: 7:00 pm

Cost: $10

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Website:
https://mjhnyc.org/events/the-history-of-antisemitism-expulsion-of-jews-from-england/

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