Struggling with Tradition: Reservations about Active Martyrdom in the Middle Ages

The phenomenon of active martyrdom, including the slaughter of children and suicide, was practiced, admired and hailed since the persecutions of the First Crusade and mainly in the Ashkenazic cultural sphere. We find it also in Iberia during the 14th-15th centuries. This monograph highlights the opposition to this practice within Jewish society, emphasizing its continuity from its inception in various social and rabbinical circles.