Yesterday was the 930 aniversary of the Shapiro family massacre
Yesterday, the 8th of Iyar was the 930th anniversary of the Shapiro massacre in Speyer Germany which occurred on May 3, 1096. Many of us have the name or descend from people with the last name Shapiro. This is one of the oldest last names amidst Ashkenazic Jewry and its origins come from the town of Speyer where our ancestors lived and thus took on the last name.
There is an oral tradition that the survivors of the massacre took on the name of the city as their last name since they were very proud that the people of their city sanctified God’s name and did not convert even under great duress. There is a piyut that we say on Tisha Baav that mentions this event ( pg 270 in the Artscroll kinos) and the prayer we say every Shabbos, Av Harachamim, was also instituted in wake of this difficult period of time.
Jews came to Speyer about 1,200 years ago from Italy. The Jewish community was started by the Kalonymus family from Italy who were descendants of King David. Amazingly, there are still many Jewish sights in Speyer that still remain, including the mikvah ( which still has water!) and a shul. Attached is a link which contains info and pictures of the city where our ancestors served Hashem in their life and death. May we merit to learn from their dedication and bring glory to Hashem and the Jewish people with life and blessing!
https://jguideeurope.org/en/
