Transcript Slide 1

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-Judaism
Host 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-Judaism
Blood 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.