Antisemitism

Definition: prejudice, discrimination or hostility against Jewish people.

Origins of Antisemitism in Europe

• Religious Roots:

  • Early Christian teachings: Accusations of deicide (blaming Jews for the death of Jesus).

  • Church policies: Restrictions on Jewish livelihoods and forced conversions.

• Medieval Europe:

  • Blood libel: False accusations of Jews using Christian children’s blood for rituals.

  • Well poisoning: Jews blamed for the Black Death (14th century).

  • Expulsions: Jews expelled from England (1290), France (1306), and Spain (1492).

• Economic Factors:

  • Jews often worked as moneylenders (due to Christian prohibitions on usury), leading to stereotypes of greed and exploitation.

Early Church and Middle Ages

Antisemitism also known as the “longest hatred” has continued on for two thousand years. Early Christian Church developed:

• All Jews were responsible for the death of Christ

• Destruction of the Temple by the Romans and scattering of the Jewish people was a punishment for the transgressions and for continued failure to abandon their faith and converting to Christianity

10th and 11th centuries, these doctrines about Jews were hardened and unified:

• threat to Church from split between Roman Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy (1054)

• successive waves of Muslim conquest

• end of millennium fervour

• success converting the heathen ethnic group of Northern europe

• military spiritual zeal of the Crusades.

Judaism became a minority religion on a Christian continent of Europe.

Some countries welcome Jews.

• Christians offended Jews do not believe Jesus is the son of God. Jews refused to convert to Christianity

• church taught Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus.

• Jesus was executed by the Roman Government has a political threat viewed by historians.

• blood libel myth: Jews used Christian children’s blood for rituals

• another myth: Jewish people failed to convert to Christianity which shows a sign of anti-christ and innate disloyalty to Europeans.

• antisemitism was common in the middle ages.

antisemitism is thought to cause riots against Jews.

Early Modern Period

• Renaissance and Reformation:

  • Continuation of stereotypes and exclusion.

  • Martin Luther’s antisemitic writings (On the Jews and Their Lies).

• Ghettos:

  • Forced segregation of Jewish communities (e.g., Venice Ghetto, established in 1516).

• Witch Hunts:

  • Jewish people often targeted alongside other marginalised groups.

• during the early modern era: Jews invited to settle in central and eastern Europe. They were also allowed to return to western Europe after expulsion with permission and protection.

• under “protection” of the early modern rulers, Jews were encouraged to perform managerial and commerical tasks since the ruling class could not perform.

• catholic and orthodox church banned usury (lending money with interest)

• Jews came fill vital role of moneylenders to Christians.

• Jews permitted to commerce, supply, manufacturing, finance, handicraft manufacturing and free professions like art, music, literature, theatre.

• Jews were permitted to work as managers of estates and tax collectors.

• central and eastern Europe rulers forbade Jews to own land, serving as officers in military and holding positions in state service UNLESS they converted to Christianity.

• 16th to 18th century loyalty to the nation was important. Jews id not become associated with the noble professions

Stereotypes

• Jews did not work hard or produce goods with their hands;

• Jews chose to work with money and to trade in goods they did not produce because of their greed and their desire to manipulate and cheat Christians;

• Jews were cowards and avoided military service;

• Jews preferred study to hard work and;

• Jews were insincere and potentially disloyal in that they converted to Christianity to obtain material benefits.

Antisemitism in the 19th and 20th Centuries

• Racial Antisemitism:

  • Pseudoscientific theories (e.g., Aryan supremacy, Jewish inferiority).

  • The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: A fabricated text claiming a Jewish conspiracy to control the world.

• Political Antisemitism:

  • The Dreyfus Affair in France (1894): A Jewish army officer falsely accused of treason.
    

• The Holocaust:

  • Nazi ideology: Jews as the primary target of racial hatred.

  • Systematic genocide: 6 million Jews murdered during World War II.