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Lesson 4 of 8·The Jewish Meaning of Memory

1171—The Killings in Blois and Their Aftermath

In 1171, roughly 30 Jews were burned alive in the French city of Blois. Accusations of ritual murder had occurred in England in recent years, and this was the first time this anti-Semitic calumny came to continental Europe. Jews in France then had a debate: how should we remember what happened to our neighbors? Ultimately, in contrast to what happened after the Crusades, Jews across Europe chose to commemorate the Jews of Blois in a national fast day on the 20th of Sivan.

Taught By

Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter
Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter is University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and senior scholar at the Center for the Jewish Future at Yeshiva University. From 2000 to 2005, he served as dean of the Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Institute in Boston, and from 1981 to 2000, he served as…

Memory-Ep1

1 of 8 Memory, Collective Memory, and Memory of Trauma—Understanding Parts of Jewish History

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2 of 8 The Fast of the Ninth of Av

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3 of 8 1096–The Crusades and their Aftermath

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4 of 8 1171—The Killings in Blois and Their Aftermath

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5 of 8 Other Medieval Persecutions and Their Commemorations

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7 of 8 The Holocaust, Part One—The Establishment of Yom HaShoah

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