Daily life of the Jews in the Middle Ages

Ch. 9 (pp. 173-198), "The Dangers of Being Jewish", deals with massive attacks on Jews, like during the Crusades, and on dangers to Jews as individuals. Asserts that it is a mistake to blame anti-Jewish sentiments on Christianity, since written anti-Jewish polemics had extremely limited circulation and the Christian population was largely illiterate. The charge that Jews were deicides was also very rare. In the early 11th century, peace and harmony yielded to several anti-Jewish attacks, but accounts of these have been exaggerated; Church officials in a number of locations attempted to protect Jews. Decries the misconception that Jews were constantly persecuted in the Middle Ages. Concludes that, in general, Christian-Jewish relations were normal until the eve of the expulsion from Spain. In the 15th century, expulsions occurred on an unprecedented scale. Mass conversions were partly forced, but many were voluntary. In regard to personal safety, discusses robbery, murder, ransom, ritual murder accusations, and blood libels. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)