One of the more notorious chapters in the history of Jewish martyrdom was written during the First Crusade. Three well-studied Hebrew accounts captured the crusaders' massacres of Ashkenazic (German) Jews in the spring and summer of 1096 or of TATNU in Jewish historiography. Written in the first half of the twelfth century, these unique narratives are known today as: The Chronicle of Rabbi Solomon bar Simson, The Chronicle of Rabbi Eliezer bar Nathan, and The Mainz Anonymous. It is these accounts that have made medieval qiddush ha-Shem almost synonymous with Ashkenazic Jewry as they focus on the tragic events that unfolded along the Rhine River. In this chapter I continue to argue that French Jewry developed a martyrological legacy that not only preceded but also influenced the Ashkenazic tradition of martyrdom. Furthermore, although the Ashkenazic authors present their heroes as unprecedented martyrs, they build their claim on old symbols. These symbols will demonstrate a continuity with past Jewish literature and a hermeneutic relationship that existed between different martyrological literatures.

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Scarce references to France are made in these reports. They do so mainly to indicate the origins of the crusaders. A short reference to French Jewry reveals that it sent letters to the Rhineland Jews, forewarning them of the great approaching upheaval. Based on this information, the letters, which are lost, exhort Rhenish Jews to prepare for the worst, for a great danger was spreading throughout France. Ashkenazic Jews were advised to take the coming menace seriously.