That’s what’s so chilling. There was financial interest involved, but a lot of Christians will have thought that excising all Jewish people from Christian society was what ought to be done. They won’t have felt guilty, they’ll have felt virtuous. People on their deathbeds, when contemplating their interview at the pearly gates, will have been thinking, ‘I’m a bit worried all the wanking will get mentioned, but at least I was consistently horrible to Jews so that should count in my favour.’ Their certainty that they were right is worth remembering because it means there’s probably stuff we’re
...more
