Medieval World: The Persecution of Jews

PowerPoint and two worksheets that consider why Jewish people were persecuted in Medieval England. The lesson focuses on the persecution of Jews in England between their arrival with William the Conqueror and their expulsion in 1290 with specific examples including the murder of William of Norwich, the massacre of the Jews of York in 1190 and the treatment of Jewish coin cutters by the authorities. The lesson also considers the economic, cultural and religious causes of Jewish persecution.

Activities include

• Starter activity in which pupils discuss the strength of the evidence that William of Norwich was murdered by Jews in 1144.
• Reading and comprehension exercise in which pupils identify/highlight the different ways Jews were discriminated against from a passage of text. These examples are then added to a spider-diagram.
• Activity in which pupils complete a table of cultural, economic and religious causes for the discrimination shown to Jewish people.
• Source analysis extension activity on what an anti-semitic illustration from a Norwich tax document tells us about official attitudes to Jewish people.

Designed for teaching an academically able Key Stage 3 class covering the Medieval World.
Lesson Length: 1 hour depending on pace.