8. Valentine’s Day has seen plenty of bloodshed, as well as love and romance, over the centuries
Valentine’s Day hasn’t always been a day or love and romance, however. Indeed, for French Jews, the day is particularly significant – and not for good reasons. Back in 1349, several hundred Jews living in the city of Strasbourg were attacked as part of a Europe-wide pogrom. While the exact number of innocent victims is not known, several hundred were undoubtedly burnt to death, with their fellow citizens watching on. Hundreds more were forcibly expelled from the city and their property was divided up among the killers.
