The evolution of ‘Aleinu’: Atonement, acknowledgment, and an apostate
The Aleinu prayer has also been associated with martyrdom, especially of the Jews of Blois, who in 1171 were accused of ritual murder and offered their lives in exchange for baptism.
JEWISH SOLDIERS in the German Prussian army take part in a Yom Kippur service prior to the 1870 Siege of Metz, during the Franco-Prussian War.(photo credit: Culture Club/Getty Images)ByRONALD EISENBERG