Brothers from Afar

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The book explores the evolving rabbinic views on apostasy and reversion among Jews in northern medieval Europe, particularly from the late twelfth century. Kanarfogel presents evidence that prominent rabbinic authorities mandated rituals, such as immersion, for returning apostates, countering the belief that they could rejoin without special rites. He argues that this shift was influenced by changing Christian attitudes towards Jews, highlighting the complex interplay between external societal pressures and internal religious practices during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.