The History of Antisemitism: The Crusades

When Pope Urban II gave a sermon in November 1095 about the "Holy Land," he began the almost two-century-long military campaigns that we now know as the Crusades. Many medieval popes sanctioned the Crusades against "enemies of Christendom." As they sought control and territory, Crusaders massacred Jewish communities in France and Germany. These actions and rhetoric fueled widespread antisemitism, including specific conspiracies like blood libel.

Suzanne M. Yeager, Professor of English and Medieval Studies at Fordham University, Nicholas Paul, Director of the Center for Medieval Studies at Fordham University, and Robert Chazan, S H and Helen Scheuer Professor of Modern Jewish History at New York University, will delve into the history of the Crusades and their impact on historical and modern antisemitism in discussion with Paola Tartakoff, Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Rutgers University.