ABSTRACT
By late July 1096, the Jews of the Rhineland had virtually ceased to exist. An army gathering at Speyer to take part in the First Crusade attacked the Jews there on May 3, 1096, but the bishop dispersed the Jews to the surrounding communities, and the incident was quickly put down. The crusaders then moved on to Worms (May 18) followed by Mainz (May 25–29) where the protests of those bishops fell on deaf ears and both Jewish communities were destroyed, with most of the Jews either being murdered or committing ritual suicide, although some accepted baptism in exchange for their lives. Emboldened by their success at Mainz, the army then moved north — deliberately away from the Holy Land. 2 Splitting up, one group arrived at Cologne in June and early July, whereas the others were directed toward the Moselle Valley and Trier and Metz, arriving in June and early July as well. According to the Hebrew chronicler Solomon bar Simson, only a few Jews were killed at Trier, whereas the majority were forcibly baptized. Twenty-two were killed, and the rest converted at Metz. 3 When the other half of the crusading army reached Cologne, they found that the bishop had dispersed the Jews from the city, much as the bishop of Speyer had done. Nevertheless, virtually all of the Jews in the surrounding villages were found and either were converted or killed. After Metz and Cologne, the two crusading armies turned finally toward the Holy Land. 4
