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Jewish-Christian Relations
Jews were seen to have strong, friendly relations with Christians. This could be seen through some Christians being attracted by and seeking conversion to Judaism. One such case would be Jacob ben Sullam, a Christian looking to become a part of Jewish society. He chose to “slaughter [himself]” of his Christian identity in the hopes of being accepted as a Jew in the Jewish community. Jacob ben Sullam “saw the attacks [on Jews] as an opportunity to demonstrate [his] loyalty to the [Jewish] community.” Jews encouraged Christians to convert to Judaism and to become part of their spiritual society. One high priest, Rabbi Moses, convinced the Christian converts that they would be highly respected, even going so far as comparing them to Abraham, the first recorded convert. He explained to them that if they were to become Jewish they would even be able to take part in and “sit with the rest of the saintly true converts in their circle”.

As Christians sought conversion to Judaism, a number of Jews similarly wanted to switch to Christianity. This could be seen though Herman, a Jew who adopted Christianity and completely ridded himself of his Jewish identity. Herman’s conversion startled the rabbis and caused them fear of losing Jews to Christianity.

The close bonds between Jewish and Christian neighbors led to Jewish communities thriving in Christian cities. Jews experienced wealth and prosperity in their communities even through constant threats of violence. Through strict restrictions placed on Jews in the thirteenth century by the French monarchy, Jews continued to experience a stable economic atmosphere. Although the French monarchy prohibited the creation of Jewish religious centers, friendly relations with Christians allowed for the construction of a new synagogue in 1278 in Béziers. After being expelled from certain areas in Europe, Jews regularly returned to where they had created a prosperous neighborhood and livelihood.