Judaism and the Mongol Empire

Abstract

In blood and fire, the kingdom of Judaea fell to the Babylonian sword, and its people were exiled to dwell in foreign lands. Centuries later, at the time of the Mongol advance, Jewish communities were to be found in the cities and countryside across the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Europe, in northern and eastern Africa, and on the maritime and land-based Silk Roads – also in India and China. The legal system of Judaism, the Halakhah embraces personal, social and religious practices. In certain places in Europe of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Jews observed their tradition at the peril of their lives. During the harsh conquests of Baghdad and Aleppo, surmised Ashtor, Jews were one of the groups that escaped the Mongol sword. If the Mongol position toward Buddhism, Islam or Christianity may be explained by hopes for political or military gain, Judaism stands apart.