Flashcards Key Terms in Jewish History, Anti-Semitism, and Medieval Europe

Anti-Zionism

Opposition to Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish national self-determination in the historic Land of Israel.

Xenophobia

Fear, dislike, or hostility toward foreigners or people from other countries/cultures

Oberammergau

A German village famous for its traditional Passion Play, a dramatization of the life and death of Jesus.

Canonist's

Jewish boys in the Russian Empire who were taken for military training and service, often under harsh conditions.

Venice

A major Italian city that historically had a significant Jewish community and a famous Jewish ghetto.

Tish B'Av

A Jewish day of mourning commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.

Anti-Judaism

Religious opposition or hostility toward Judaism and Jewish belief

Shylock

A Jewish moneylender in Venice

Protocols of the Elders of Zion

A forged antisemitic text that falsely claims Jews secretly planned to control the world.

Pope Urban II

The pope who called for the First Crusade in 1095.

Alexandria

An ancient Egyptian city and major center of Jewish life and scholarship in the ancient Mediterranean.

Bogdan Chmielnicki —

A 17th-century Ukrainian Cossack leader whose uprising against Polish rule was accompanied by massacres of Jewish communities.

Saint Augustine —

An influential Christian theologian (354-430) whose writings shaped Christian attitudes toward Judaism and Jews.

Conversos (Marranos)

Jews in Spain and Portugal who converted to Christianity, often under pressure; some secretly continued Jewish practices.

Antisemitism

Prejudice, hostility, or discrimination against Jews as a group.

Mel Gibson

American actor and filmmaker whose 2004 film The Passion of the Christ and personal controversies sparked discussions about antisemitism.

Von Treitschke

a German historian and nationalist who promoted antisemitic ideas in the late 19th century.

Apion

An ancient Greek-Egyptian writer who spread hostile claims about Jews in the 1st century CE.

Pale of Settlement

The area of the Russian Empire where most Jews were legally required to live, mainly in parts of modern Eastern Europe.

Czar Alexander III

Russian emperor (1881-1894) whose reign included anti-Jewish restrictions and pogroms.

The Merchant of Venice

Shakespeare play featuring Shylock; it contains both criticism of prejudice and antisemitic stereotypes.

The Netherlands, Poland, and Ottoman Empire —

Major regions/empires where Jewish communities lived and developed at different times, with varying degrees of tolerance and persecution.

Geoffrey Chaucer

Medieval English writer whose Canterbury Tales includes the antisemitic "Prioress's Tale."

Papal States

Territories in central Italy ruled directly by the pope from the 8th century until 1870.

Blood libel

A false antisemitic accusation that Jews murder Christians, especially children, to use their blood for religious purposes.

Martin Luther

Protestant Reformation leader whose later writings included extremely hostile and antisemitic attacks on Jews.

On the Jews and Their Lies

A 1543 antisemitic pamphlet by Martin Luther advocating harsh treatment of Jews.

Circumcision

The surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis; it is an important religious practice in Judaism.

Deicide

The killing of a god; historically, the term was wrongly used to accuse Jews collectively of killing Jesus.

Passion Play

A Christian drama depicting the suffering and death of Jesus; some historical versions promoted anti-Jewish stereotypes

The Inquisition

Catholic institutions established to investigate and punish perceived religious heresy, including among converted Jews and Muslims.

Bubonic Plague

A severe bacterial disease caused by Yersinia pestis, responsible for major medieval epidemics including the Black Death.

Host desecration

A false medieval accusation that Jews deliberately damaged or abused Christian communion wafers.

Alfred Dreyfus

French Jewish army officer falsely convicted of treason in the

Dreyfus Affair,

an important case involving antisemitism.

Alexander II

— Russian emperor (1855-1881) who introduced major reforms but was followed by increased restrictions on Jews after his assassination.

Usury

Historically, the charging of interest on loans; medieval Christian authorities often restricted it, while Jews were sometimes stereotyped as moneylenders.

Ottoman Empire

A large Muslim empire that ruled parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa; it was home to significant Jewish communities, including Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain.