In 14th century Alsace, Jews were confined to ghettos and forced to take on roles that Christians found unsavory, such as moneylending. This naturally led to resentment, as Jewish communities held the debts on loans taken out, usually by nobles and the Church. This led to a simmering hatred and distrust of Jewish communities, which increasingly broke out into violence during the 1330s. A well-to-do innkeeper from the Upper Alsace, John Zimberlin, also claimed he’d received orders from God to wipe out the Jews. Eventually, the Jews who managed to survive the attacks gathered in Colmar, perhaps the largest and most well-defended town in the region.

Source: The Local February 20, 2019 16:18 UTC