` ::: Al-Andalus, I am sorry to note but it is the same story in almost every country of Galut. Just as the Mizrahim lived in Iraq and Iran before the arrival of Islam, the Ashkenazim lived in Europe since the Roman times. When life turned sour (from the Black Death to economic depressions to religious wars, to nationalism etc.), they were targeted.  ::: To the subject, in his A History of the Jews Paul Johnson describes a 1121 letter from Baghdad concerning decrees regulating Jewish clothes: ``two yellow badges, one on the headgear and one on the neck. Furthermore, each Jew must hang round his neck a piece of lead with the word dhimmi on it. He also has to wear a belt round his waist. The women have to wear one red and one black shoe and have a small bell on their necks or shoes.`` (1987 ed, p.204)  ::: Of course, at that time European Jews were mass murderewd by the Crusaders and of course there were times when it was not that bad, but let's not idealise history. Respectfully, ← `