York, 1190: A Time Of Dark Tragedy For The Jews

In the 11th century, York was an important northern English city. At this time, English Jews were subject to considerable religious prejudice and primarily worked from cities in which there was a local royal castle that could provide them with protection in the event of attacks from the majority Christian population. When Richard I was crowned King in 1189, there were rumours that the king had ordered that the English Jews be attacked. Shortly afterwards, in York, tensions broke out into violence and York became the location of one of the worst pogroms for Jews in England during the medieval period. In mid-March 1190, some 150 Jews of York sought protection in the royal castle, on the site known today as Clifford's Tower, from the anti-Jewish mob incited by Richard Malebisse and others. Rather than renounce their faith, these Jews died a martyr's death. Steven Schonberg, the author of 'York, 1190', documents in this historical novel, the circumstances that led up to this very dark tragedy for the Jews.The story ofYork 1190is memorialized yearly on Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av, when Kinot are read in synagogues around the world remembering the Jewish martyrs.Read more