Transcript Document

The History of Anti-Semitism:
Prejudice Against the Jews
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Introduction
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Anti-Semitism (prejudice against the Jews) goes
back to ancient times.
The seeds of misunderstanding can be traced to
the position of the Jews as a minority religious
group.
Often, in ancient times, when government
officials felt their authority was threatened, they
found a convenient scapegoat in the Jews.
Belief in one God (monotheism) and refusal to
accept the dominant religion set the Jews apart
from others.
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Christians Targets of
Persecution
Romans conquered Jerusalem 63 BC.
 Jews able to practice religion freely- at
first
 About 30 AD, the first targets of Roman
persecution were Christians; once
Christianity took hold and spread, Judaism
became the target, particularly after the
Great Jewish Revolt against Rome in the
first century A.D.
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Christianity Becomes State
Religion
Christians wanting to convert all
“nonbelievers.” They became angry with
Jews who were happy with their religion.
 Power of state made Jews outcasts when
they refused to renounce their faith- they
were denied citizenship and rights. By the
end of the 4th century, Jews were labeled
as “Christ-killers.”
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Religious Minorities Harshly
Treated in Middle Ages
(500AD-1450)
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All religious non-conformists treated harshly
during the Middle Ages.
“Heresy,” holding an opinion contrary to church
doctrine, was a crime punishable by death.
Jews were seen as a threat to established religion.
They were a conspicuous, non-conforming group
and easily attacked.
Sometimes the church aided the persecutions and
other times the church protected the Jews.
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New Laws Set Jews Apart
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The Justinian Code, complied by scholars for the Emperor Justinian (A.D.
527-565), excluded Jews from all public places, prohibited Jews from giving
evidence in lawsuits in which Christians took part, and forbade the reading
of the Bible in Hebrew.
Marriage between Christians and Jews was forbidden; Christians could not
convert to Judaism.
In 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council stamped the Jews as a people apart with
its decree that Jews were to wear special clothes and markings to distinguish
them from Christians.
It was up to individual states to impose the new decrees. Some rulers did,
and some did not.
The Council of Basel (1431-1443) established the concept of physical separation in
cities with ghettos. It decreed that Jews were to live in separate quarters, isolated from
Christians except for reasons of business. Jews were not allowed to go to universities
and were required to attend Christian church sermons.
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The Crusades
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Began in 1096 and resulted in the increased persecution
of Jews
Crusaders left Europe for the Holy Land
Anger originally focused on Muslims controlling
Palestine, but some anger was redirected toward
European Jewish communities.
Massacres of Jews occurred in many cities en route to
Jerusalem.
In one seven-month period from January to July in 1096,
approximately one-fourth to one-third of the Jewish
population on Germany and France (around 12, 000
people) were killed.
Many Jews in Western Europe left for safety of Eastern
Europe.
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Many Occupations Closed to
Jews
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Jews could not become farmers because they were
forbidden to own land.
Christians believed lending money and charging interest
was a sin (usury), so Jews were able to take on that
profession. It provided Jews with portable wealth if
expelled.
Roles of middlemen (money-lenders) expanded and they
bridged the gap between the wealthy and the poor.
Tax collecting- unpopular job- was given to the Jews,
causing deep hostility among the poor.
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Black Death Leads to
Scapegoating
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Black Death or Bubonic Plague led to intense religious scapegoating in Western
Europe between 1348-1350.
The epidemic killed one-third of Europe’s population (25 million people).
Many believed the plague a punishment from God for their sins.
Others thought the plague the work of demons. This group chose those in their
community who were already unpopular- the Jews.
Because Jews generally practiced better hygiene and rodent control, they suffered less
from the plague.
Rumors spread that the plague was caused by Jews who had poisoned their wells and
food.
The worst massacre of Jews in Europe (before Hitler) occurred during this time. Tens
of thousands of Jews were killed by their terrified neighbors.
Jews were also believed to murder Christians, especially children, and to use their
blood during religious ceremonies.
Jews were said to desecrate churches and be disloyal to rulers. All reasons for
persecution.
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Expelled from Western Europe
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By the end of the Middle Ages, fear and superstition had
created a deep rift between Christians and Jews.
Europeans began to think of themselves as belonging to a
nation; Jews became outsiders.
They were expelled from England in 1290; from France
in 1306 and 1394; from parts of Germany in the 14th and
15th centuries.
They were not legally allowed back into England until
the mid 1600s and in France until the French Revolution
(1792)
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