Where Does Antisemitism Come From?

This is a short contribution on the history of European Anti-Semitism put together and sent to Facts For Working People by Karen Hammer. The first link below takes the reader to a short video from the US Holocaust Museum. The video doesn’t mention the forced conversions in Spain and the expulsion of the Jews who were welcomed by the Muslims of North Africa. My Yemeni Muslim friend refers to Jews as “our cousins”.  The massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower in York England occurred in 110. Many Jews committed suicide rather than forcibly convert. Christianity and Islam forced populations to convert or die. It's important to stress that it was not Palestinian Muslims or Muslims in general but Christian Europe that for centuries persecuted Jews leading to the Nazi Final Solution and the mass murder of some six million of Europe's Jewish population. R Mellor

 

Clifford's Tower in York. Read more here

Where Does Antisemitism Come From?

-reported by Karen Hammer

 

The history of the Holocaust shows that targeting an entire group has far-reaching consequences. It can lead to an increase in xenophobia, racism, and extremism throughout society, with potentially devastating consequences for individuals, communities, and nations. [Search: what is antisemitism, history of antisemitism]

 

https://www.ushmm.org/antisemitism/what-is-antisemitism/why-the-jews-history-of-antisemitism

Partial Summary:  Role of Roman Empire- Christianity emerged from Judaism. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew who preached a singular religious message. The first Christians were Jews who prayed in Hebrew and observed the customs and religious rituals of Judaism. The Last Supper was a Jewish religious meal, probably at Passover.

Jesus was killed by Roman authorities under Pontius Pilate in Judea, but gospel accounts were interpreted as blaming all Jews for the crucifixion. Soon after the crucifixion, Roman armies destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. Jews were exiled and scattered—to live as a dispersed minority. By the 5th century, Christianity had become the dominant religion in the Roman Empire.

Role of the church- The early Christian church portrayed Jews as unwilling to accept the word of God--visuals showed Satan binding the eyes of Jews. Some church leaders, intensifying the charge, condemned Jews as agents of the devil and murderers of God. The accusation was not renounced until the 1960s when the Second Vatican Council officially repudiated the ancient charge that Jews had murdered Christ.

Role of laws: For centuries, state and Church laws restricted Jews, preventing them from owning land and holding public office. Guilds excluded Jews from most occupations, forcing them into pursuits like moneylending, trade, & commerce-- promoting stereotypes. Excluded from Christian society, Jews maintained their religious and social customs.

In 1095, Pope Urban II called for the liberation of Jerusalem. Christian crusaders set off to ‘free the Holy Land’ from the Muslims. On the way, they slaughtered thousands of Jews. [note the unity of anti-Muslim and anti-Jew by crusaders]

Throughout the Middle Ages, Christians persecuted Jews. Portrayed as alien, Jews were seen as usurers. They were blamed for causing the Black Plague. Illustrations depicted Jews as the devil, and using the blood of Christian children in ritual sacrifices. These lies came to be taken as truth.

Religious, state, and legal discrimination against Jews gradually evolved to include a thriving secular, political, and social antisemitism.

Another form of antisemitism emerged from the 1850’s on. The theory at its core was-- Jews were not merely a religious group, but a separate “race”—Semites- because of ‘genetically inherited characteristics’. Antisemites said racial characteristics could not be overcome by assimilation or even conversion. They said Jews were dangerous and threatening because of their “Jewish blood.” Antisemitic racism united pseudoscientific theories with centuries old anti-Jewish stereotypes. These ideas became widely accepted.

Discussion Questions

• How have Jews been affected by antisemitism? What impact does antisemitism have on others?
• What is the meaning of “scapegoat”? What do people gain from scapegoating?
• What is the effect of hateful images and speech? Do images and words reflect existing attitudes or create them? 
• How has antisemitism changed throughout history? What are some differences among religious, political, and racial antisemitism?
• Why would political or religious leaders espouse antisemitic ideas?
• How is antisemitism similar to or different from other forms of group hatred?

 

In the aftermath of the Holocaust, some Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, are re-examining their teachings on the Jews and Judaism. Many denominations are continuing to address the role played by centuries of Christian antisemitism in contributing to circumstances that made the Holocaust possible. Antisemitism did not end with the Holocaust.  Antisemitism today is up world-wide, about 400% in the U.S. Efforts to minimize, deny, or even stop memorializing the Holocaust are among the many ways antisemitism endures. [Learn more at ushmm.org/antisemitism]

 The US Holocaust Memorial Museum teaches that the Holocaust was preventable. By heeding warning signs and taking early action, individuals and governments can save lives. They and others can: 1] alert the moral conscience, 2] work t influence policy makers, 3] stimulate worldwide action to prevent and/or work to halt acts of genocide or related crimes against humanity, and 4] advance justice and accountability.

Talk to your friends and family and neighbors about “uncomfortable” subjects such as this. Ask questions, Listen. Share ideas. Seek the truth in our various collective history, and in our collective future. Strengthen our role in making 2024 a year that pivots for 99% of us, the people.