History of Anti-Semitism

and the Roots of the Holocaust

What do you know about the following:

• Judaism

• Anti-Semitism

• Pogroms • Ghettos

• The Holocaust

Jewish Beliefs• Judaism predates Christianity• One God (same God as Christians & Muslims)• In prophets of old – especially Moses• In Torah (first five books of the Bible)

– no New Testament• Jews do not believe that Jesus was

anything more than a good and wise man who lived and died 2000 years ago

• Jews still await their messiah

Quick History of Judaism• In 1750 B.C.E -

The12 tribes of Israel settled in Egypt from Mesopotamia.

• In 1250 B.C.E , the Israelites led by Moses, escaped from Egypt and lived in the desert for 40 years.

Quick History of Judaism• Joshua and the

Israelites defeated the Philistines living in Canaan.

• Later, Saul was anointed the first King of Israel 1020- 1000 B.C.E

Quick History of Judaism• The kingdom of Israel

reached the height of its existence and included the most territory under the reign of King David (1000–961 B.C.E).

• Its borders stretched far beyond present-day Israeli borders and included parts of what is now Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt.

Conquests• Jerusalem was

conquered many times:– 605 B.C.E by

Nebuchadnezzar II – 320 B.C.E by

Alexander the Great

– 70 B.C.E. Pompey the Great

Death of Jesus• A hundred years later

the Romans still occupied Jerusalem and the situation was not much improved when, Jesus, a Jew from Nazareth, began his ministry and travels in Palestine.

• Although Jesus' death had been ordered and carried out by non-Jews, most Christians believed that the Jews and their priests were responsible.

Diaspora• Diaspora is a Greek word meaning

“sowing of seed” or “dispersal” which refers to Jewish population living outside of Israel

Heart of Anti-Semitism?

Diaspora+

Widespread Christianity +

Belief that Jews killed Jesus=

Widespread rumor and distrust

Anti-Judaism• St. Paul later proclaimed

that the Jews: "killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out, the Jews who are heedless of God's will and enemies of their fellow men..." (I Thessalonians 2:15-16)

• St. Augustine wrote that Jews were a "wicked sect" and should be subjected to permanent exile because of their evil ways.

• John the author of the book of Revelations even called them the children of Satan.

Anti-Judaism• Laws were passed

throughout the Christian world to "protect" the "faithful" from Jewish "contamination" by forbidding them to eat or do business with Jews,

• by the sixth century, Jews were not allowed to hold public office, employ Christian servants, or even show themselves in the streets during Holy Week

Church vs.. Synagogue

Anti-JudaismHost Desecration:

• It was claimed that Jews stole consecrated hosts (bread and wine) and desecrated them by stabbing or burning the host.

• by crucifying the host they were crucifying Jesus anew.

Anti-JudaismBlood Libel

• a myth that the Jews used the blood of Christian children in the preparation of their Passover bread (matzos).

• This "blood libel" was ironic in that the consumption of any blood is expressly prohibited by Jewish law.

Nazi portrayal of Blood Libel

Anti-Judaism• Simon of Trent was a boy who went missing

around Easter, 1475, his father decided that he must have been kidnapped and murdered by Jews.

• Town magistrates arrested 18 Jewish men and five Jewish women on the charge of ritual murder.

• In a series of interrogations that involved torture, the magistrates obtained “confessions”

• Eight were burned at the stake in late June, and another committed suicide in jail

The Crusades• The First Crusade was especially bloody. • Entire communities of Jews were forced

to choose between baptism or death resulting in nearly 10,000 Jews being slaughtered during the first six months alone.

• Godfrey Bouillon, leader of the First Crusade, vowed "to leave no single member of the Jewish race alive," and ordered the synagogue in Jerusalem burned to the ground with its entire Jewish congregation trapped inside.

The Black Death• The Black Death was

blamed on the Jews.• The Pope issued a

bull declaring that Jews were not responsible for the plague, but not before many Jews were burned alive or hanged by enraged mobs.

Jews condemned to hell

Martin Luther and the Jews• Once a supporter of the Jews, Martin

Luther became one of the most intensely bitter anti-Semites in history.

• His writings described Jews as: – the anti-Christ, worse than devils. – as ritual murderers and parasites– they should be expelled from Germany. – synagogues should all be burned to the

ground– all Jewish books should be seized.

Roots of the Holocaust• By the end of the

fifteenth century, some Jews were forcibly confined in ghettos.

• Ghettos were sections of cities that were enclosed by high, prison-like walls.

• No Jew was allowed to live anywhere in the city of Venice for more than 15 days per year

Roots of the Holocaust

Roots of the Holocaust• With forced segregation

came new myths and stereotypes. – Jews were portrayed as

agents of the devil. – They were blamed for

every catastrophe from random crime to plague and drought.

– Artists portrayed Jews as having horns, tails, and evil satanic faces.

– Christian priests and scholars often elaborated on the idea that Jews were evil creatures who were somehow less than human.

Roots of the Holocaust

Roots of the Holocaust• Jews were allowed to

become moneylenders only because the Catholic Church considered it (usury) a sin for Christians to do so.

• Because Jews had few other ways of earning a living, large numbers of them eventually became bankers.

• This resulted in a stereotyping of Jews as money-hungry exploiters.

Roots of the Holocaust

Roots of the Holocaust• By the thirteenth

century, church leaders in what is now Germany required all Jews to wear cone-shaped hats so that no one would mistake them from ordinary Germans.

• Jews were forced to sew yellow badges on their clothing as a means of instant identification.

Roots of the Holocaust

Roots of the Holocaust• Over time, most Jews

were driven from central Europe. Many of them settled in Poland and Russia.

• In 1648 and 1649, thousands of Polish Jews were slaughtered.

• During the late 1800's, in both Poland and Russia, Jews were murdered in organized mass killings called pogroms.

The Final Solution

The Final Solution

The Final Solution

Quick Write # 26

“Men are not born with hatred in their blood. The infection is usually acquired by contact; it

may be injected deliberately or even unconsciously by the parents, or by the

teachers...”

• Consider the quote above, what you have learned about the holocaust, and what you have learned in history class this year. Explain why it is important to learn about the past.