The Jews were the men in the middle. Unfortunate in that their livelihoods depended on the making of money. Shylock being the stereotype. They were bused and abused by both sides in this long war. However, driven from Europe, they gravitated to the Muslim side, where they had a little more security. But the point to remember is that there was a war from the 7th to the 19th Century between Christianity and Islam, of which few Westerners seem aware. Especially do they seem not to know that during much of this time, Christendom was in mortal peril. Ask the average Ivy League graduate what the name Lepanto” signifies, and observe the blank look. This would include Bill Clinton, I guess, and Barack Obama.
Actually, this was the time of separation between the European “Ashkenazi” Jews and the Jews from Muslim lands (Sefaradim). Limited interaction resulted in distinct differences between the two groups.
Lending money, by the way, was many times a precondition for Jews being allowed to live in Christian lands.