we may consider those women who left their children in order to enter a con-
vent as making a difficult choice in order to further their spirituality, rather than
women whose maternal instincts and compassion were impaired.^127
In Jewish society there was no equivalent to monastic life, and a spiritual life
lived outside of the framework of the family was not a viable option for either
women or men. As such, this case of Christian parental behavior has no clear
parallel. Nevertheless, the study of women who chose monastic life can pro-
vide us with a better understanding of medieval Jewish society. The Jewish
practice of sanctifying the name of God (Kiddush haShem), which included
the killing of children in order to prevent their baptism, serves as a compara-
tive case study. This practice became part of the Ashkenazic tradition in wake
of the First Crusade, when a number of communities chose death over bap-
tism. The chronicles that report these events, which were all written well after
PARENTS AND CHILDREN 179
Figure 8. “Felicitas cum septem filiis.” Schedel, Hartmann (1440–1514); Wolgemut
Michael (1434–1519); Pleydenwurff Wilhem (d.1493), Liber chronicarum—Nurem-
berg Chronicle(A. Koberger, 1493). Photo courtesy of Archives and Research Collec-
tions, William Ready Division, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.