No. of Recommendations: 2
So - the Jews were a discrete religious minority that did not assimilate to local customs and did not acknowledge the religion upon which the legitimacy of the secular government was based, in a time when even the strongest Crowns had a somewhat tenuous grip on power and recurring need for funds, during a half-millennium where promoting the dominant religion was an important aim of the state, and when it was a widespread belief that Jews were responsible for the death of Christ. Usury ain't the half of it.
That makes more sense. I was surprised to learn of the recent hostility toward Catholicism - that Kennedy had to assure the clergy he wouldn't take orders from the Pope. And Op Eds by Ben Franklin that the Germans were not assimilating. I guess if my knowledge of history was better it would make more sense. Every time I read history how I look at the world changes.
