Antisemitism Midterm

Lectures & Readings (Later)

What is the longest hatred in history?

Antisemitism

* It has gotten worse in the past decades and is actually getting worse now

Adolf Eichmann

* He was the architect of the transportation of Jews during World War II
* Mass shootings - first stage of the Holocaust
* Sometimes buried alive when wounded

Adolf Eichmann Trial

* Educated the next generation
* Held in Israel

What type of unique oppression is Antisemitism?

It is a podium type of oppression

* “Jews are the problem for anything”

What were Jews blamed for in the 14th century, during the black plague?

* They were blamed for starting the black plague
* The conspiracy was that Jews had poisoned the wells of Christians
* Because of his there was a massacre of Jews by Christians

Who has accused the Jews of creating the aids virus or the hole in the ozone?

Some Islamic people

George Orwell

An ability to believe stories that could not possibly be true

The Holocaust or Shoah

* Unique among other genocides
* Nearly succeeds in annihilating the entire Jewish population in Europe
* 2/3 of the Jewish population will be killed in a few years - this was done by a vast number of collaborators not just Germans
* Carried out by Christians and was supported by priests
* Escapees would be killed by non Nazis if they were found

If the Germans would have succeeded then Jewish people would have been completely annihilated

True

What was the plan the Nazis had?

They wanted to kill all Jews.

Vanes Conference

* German leaders planned how to kill Jews
* Designated 6 annihilation camps in Poland since it had the largest Jewish community
* They made a list of how many Jews they will kill in other countries they have not yet conquered.

What drove Nazis to want to kill Jews?

* First step - interpretation from a Matthew passage
* Like there was original sin imbedded in Jews

What are the different types of Antisemitism?

* Christian Antisemitism
* Islamic Antisemitism
* Pagan Antisemitism

Christian Antisemitism

* Ever since the 4 Gospels, Jews have been blamed for Christ’s killing
* Called Jews “Christ killer”
* Catholic church was complecent during World War II
* The catholic pope at the time did not say anything
* The only interest was in protecting the rights of the church

Who finally allowed the Catholic church to break away from the view that all Jews were responsible for killing Jesus?

Pope John the Third

* Pope John 23rd - seen as too liberal

Jews are seen as having omnipotence and being capable of infecting and destroying other populations

True

Jews were seen as insects, rodents, and trash not only by the Nazis

True

To whom did Nazis subordinate their military objectives to?

They subordinated their military objectives to the annihilation of the Jews

* Firearms and bullets were diverted to be used on Jews and not to be used in the war of combat

Judea

Jewish Nation - present day Israel

When did the Romans conquer Judea and destroy the second temple?

* 70 C.E. or A.D.


* Killed massive numbers of Jews and enslaved them

Bar Kokhba Revolt

* 135 CE - final rebellion against the Romans
* Crushed after 3 years
* Ended in defeat of the Jews
* There was no longer a Jewish army until World War I (Jewish Legion)
* No army for 1800 years
* Also Called Second Jewish Revolt

What is Hamas?

Islamic Force

What does Hamas’ covenant in 1988 state?

* Jews controlled the British Empire
* Jews were behind World War I
* Jews were behind World War II
* Jews were behind the League of Nations
* Every war is started by Jews
* Jews caused the fall of the Ottoman Empire
* Jews control the world media, news agency, the publishing houses
* Jews are behind the French Revolution and the Communist Revolution
* They sabotage society

Ottoman Empire

Muslim Empire

Judaism is the first religion and Christianity and Islam are branched from it

True

Jews are referred to the synagogue of Satan

True

The name Judas is very similar to the name Jews therefore..

They say that Jews are cowards etc.

Antisemitism is deeply imbedded in Europe

True

Passion Play

* Play that reenacted Christ’s death
* After plays, people would go into Jewish ghettos and kill and mame them
* Easter is a terrible fear for Jews
* Adolf Hitler saw one - basically fueled his anger towards the Jews even more

Murderers of the prophets

Decapitated the daughter of the Jewish teacher

* Used her head as a soccer ball

Deeply entrenched in Eastern Europe that Jews killed Christ

True

Jews lived amongst Muslims since the 17th century

True

How did Islam distinguish Jews and Christians different pagans?

* Defined them as Dhimmi and people of the book

How were Jews treated in Islamic society?

* Often considered impure so there was sometimes segregation
* Jews would have to wear a collar of some sort
* Their clothes had to wear different clothes than Muslims
* Jews would have to wear a rope around their waist
* They don’t have equal rights in Islamic societies in traditional settings
* Permitted to practice their religion
* Permitted to have their own organizations
* Jizya

Where does Islamic anti Semitism come from?

The Quran

What does it say about the encounter Jews had with Muhammed in the Quran?

* Muhammed encounters the Jews early on 
* He first thought that the Jews would accept him but they didn’t and they did not accept him as the final prophet
* Muhammed comes into contact of 3 Jewish groups 
* He first expelled one of the Jewish tribe groupies
* Exterminated the 3rd Jewish tribe
* I think beat the second Jewish tribe 
* All Jewish women and girls were sold into slavery

There is no such thing as a Semite

True

The person who came up with the term anti-Semitic was in fact anti-Semitic himself

True

Is the word anti-Semitic racist?

Yes, but things have turned around and we have used it to say that there is a hatred against Jews

Muhammed was a great warrior

True

Martin Gilbert

* One of the many scholarly people of Islamic Antisemitism
* 65 year old Jewish man took impoverish woman and took her in
* The man was nailed to the ground and beaten to death for helping her

Which country is the most anti-Semitic country?

Russia

Yemen used to have a lot of Jews, but not anymore. Why?

* They were viewed as Pariahs
* There were humiliating customs
* Jews can’t ride horses
* Jews are forbidden to carry weapons
* They can’t be soldiers
* Jews cannot build houses higher than those of a Muslim
* A Jew’s words is nothing compared to a Muslim’s Word
* Jews are forced to clean toilets
* No Jews in the police or army

How did Greeks and Romans feel about other people?

They felt like they were superior to other people. Sometimes they would show hatred to Jews, but they did not single them out.

* Accusations that were thrown at Jews were as thrown to Egyptians, Sardinians, Germans, Britains, and Ghouls
* Often insulted each other

Religious Hostility is not seen until the Roman Empire becomes Christian

True

In the ancient world, what were economic issues like for Jews?

* They were not as singled out
* We do not see Jews as wealthy, we see them as poor artisans and poor people
* Some Jews were involved in finance but not enough for people to say something about it
* Greeks and Romans do not see Jews as financially manipulative or cunning

Monotheism doesn’t happen prior to Jews

True, polytheism was the main religion. They encountered other gods with different names

Juvenal

* Roman intellectual
* Monstrous ideology of the Egyptians

What is Pagan Antisemitism based on?

It is based on them trying to preserve their culture and religion

Jews being accused of Jesus shows that Jews have this power

True

What are the differences between Pagans and Jews?

* Monotheism (separation between God and people)
* Standards of Morality
* Pagans worship idols

What are the differences in cultural practices that Jews observe?

* Different Jewish holidays
* Observance of the Sabbath
* Strict Dietary Laws
* Circumcision

Jews are the first people to kind of show that there is one day in a week to take off of work

True

Jews have claim to Saturday, Muslims claim Friday, and Christians take Sunday

True

When was the first case of Jewish hatred recorded?

* 1250 BCE
* It happens in Exodus, when Pharaoh (Rameses II) put Jews into slavery
* They put Jews into slavery because the people of Israel were too big for them
* Pharaoh is concerned that Jews will not be loyal to him so he had the first born male children killed (anti-Semitic act)
* There is no specific theological factor there nor is it clear

Dual Loyalty happens throughout history

True, people have always tried to figure out whether or not Jews would be loyal to their government

Book of Esther

* The king calls for the destruction for all the Jews, old and young
* Haman wanting to slaughter the Jews

Manetho - the Egyptian

* He rewrites the exodus stories talking badly about the Jews
* Jews were seen as diseases and lepers
* Said that what the Jews had written in Exodus is wrong and they are just trying to cover up their issues
* He dictated that the Sabbath was because they could only travel for six days because of their diseases
* The seventh day represents their shameful condition
* Hitler even blamed Jews for the Exodus issue
* This is the __first anti-Semitic piece__ to come down from us to antiquity

Ass-cult

* Form of pagan anti-Semitism
* They claimed Jews worshipped asses

Rape of Europa

* An animal raping a woman
* The animal symbolized Jews

Pagans think Jews are atheists

True

Jews generally don’t seek converts

True, they just want to present themselves as moral examples

Jewish population grew from 150,000-8-10 million at the end of the second temple

True, this growth is probably from conversions

Judaism in the land of Israel is a position of strength and confidence 

* True, the pagan people feared that Judaism might succeed and over rule their culture and practices
* Because of this other barbarians were not viewed as dangerous as Jews were and then there became a demonization of Jews

Christian Theological Anti-Semitism

* Jews are viewed as the enemy of Christianity
* In Europe, you have really demonic views of Jews being presented in churches. This does not happen as much in the United States

What in the Christian Bible contributes to Jewish hate?

* The Bible says that the Jews killed Jesus, however the Roman people are responsible for killing Jesus
* Different books of the Bible recount this event differently
* They put the major blame on the Jews

How did Jews see the Messiah?

They saw the Messiah as a secular unit, fully human, acting in the natural world

Christianity builds upon a pagan base, such as Easter being in spring

True, however puritans will not celebrate Easter - they condemn it largely

Pilate is crucifixion happy

True

What is Theological Anti-Semitism and Racial Anti-Semitism rooted in?

Christianity

When and where is the first Jewish war?

* Year 66
* Uprising of the Jews who have been suppressed by the Romans
* Causes Diaspora
* There is a small permanent Jewish presence in Judea
* Barkovba uprising

Diaspora

The scattering of the Jews to many places begins

What are the 4 Gospels

* Mark
* Matthew
* Luke
* John

Mark is written first

True

Mark (Gospel)

* Literary originator
* What is written in the New Testament is not really correct in terms of how things would have worked

What are the Synoptic Gospels?

* Matthew, Mark, Luke
* Eve of the Sabbath

Where was Jesus tried for a political offense?

Site of Golgotha

Jewish courts back then had no say in things

True

Differences in how the Gospels dictate Jews

* In John, he says something about how Jews are spawns of Satan
* Luke is putting in Jews to designate that they killed Jesus

In the 3 CE, why did people think God rejected the Jewish people?

They thought God rejected the Jewish people because they rejected Jesus

Theology of Supersession

* Christianity is the new Israel, not Jews
* Christian writers continue to state that God has rejected the Jews because of a long list of Jewish crimes - the early church fathers
* The argument is that Jews are deserving of being seen as cursed because they murdered Jesus 
* They have been wrong about the Messiah, how to worship etc. 
* They basically say that both Christians and Jews cannot be chosen and Jews have no way to atone for their sins
* Saw the Jews as having a veil over their eyes
* Jews are seen as not suitable to be God’s people

St. Jerome

* Most important thing he did
* Connected Jews with Judas - finances
* Says that Christianity is spiritual and Judaism is materialistic
* Saw Jews as carnality and materialistic - said Jews were not spiritual

Judas is seen as an example of the Jews because “they will sell you out”

True

Only in Matthew does he state the exact amount of how much Jesus was betrayed for

True

What led to attacks on Synagogues and on Jews in general (related to the Gospels)?

* In the Bible, it says that they were Satan’s fortress’
* Equates Jews to animals

Women being raped by a Jewish octopus

Anti-semitic Drawing

Virginity became a Christian ideal

True

Thomas Aquinas

* Shaped the policies of popes
* Very influential 
* 415 CE- said that the misery of the Jews had persisted because they did it to themselves and their rejection of Jesus
* Church had become the new chosen people

Grotesque ideas of who Jews are still go around today

True

When do the crusades start?

1097

The Crusades

* Lead to massacres of Jews
* More than 10,000 Jews are murdered
* First massacres in Europe
* Ashkenazi Jews will be slaughtered during the crusades
* It is a holy war - logically people inspired by the teaching

What do Ashkenazi Jews speak?

Yiddish

When will Jews be expelled from Europe?

1500

Largest Jewish community?

* Located Spain
* Sephardi Jews
* Language is Ladino

Argued by scholars, after the fall of the second temple, Jews spread out going everywhere

True

During the time of the Crusades…

* Northern Europe is going to regress backwards economically
* Islam is spreading by the sword, conquering Jewish and Christian areas

What did St. Augustine argue?

* It was wrong to murder the Jews
* God wants Jews to wander in misery until a group of Jews accepts Christ
* You can persecute them but can’t kill them
* Some Christians think that Jews should be murdered
* People who reject Christ will always be miserable

Muslim and Christian warfare

* In 7 years the Muslim armies conquer Spain 
* It will take Christians 700 years to take Spain back 
* Muslims will not be pushed out until 1490s

Reconquista

* Holy war of reconquest
* Christians already have this thing to take back holy lands
* Eastern Orthodox churches emerge 


* Turning point where Christians pushed the Muslims back - in southern France

The 3 major Ashkenazi Jewish groups got knocked out in the Crusades

True