Anti-Semitism
Unit 1
Important Definitions
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Genocide: attempt to eliminate an entire
group of people
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Usually orchestrated by government
The Holocaust: Murder of approximately 6
million Jews (and approx. 6 million others)
by Nazis during World War II
Important Definitions

Anti-Semitism: prejudice against or hatred of
Jews
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Term was coined in late-1800’s
Anti-Semitism has been common throughout history
Pogrom: attacks against the Jewish community
Stereotype: assumption that all members of a
group all share a certain characteristic
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Oversimplification of facts about a certain group of
people
Often the result of ignorance
Judaism
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World’s oldest monotheistic faith
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Belief in one God
Torah= holy scripture for Jews
Saturday= Sabbath
Synagogue= Jewish house of worship
Judaism influenced the development of
Christianity and Islam
Anti-Semitism
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Jews have long been subject to
discrimination
Christians were taught that Jews were
responsible for the death of Christ
Other stereotypes and misconceptions
about Jews developed throughout the
Middle Ages
Anti-Semitism
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Ignorance fueled distrust and dislike of
Jews
Common Stereotypes:
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Greed: Jews practiced usury, which earned
them a reputation for being greedy
Lazy: Jews were forbidden from owning land
and joining guilds, which led to the
misconception that they were too lazy to farm
or perform physical labor
Anti-Semitism
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Common Stereotypes:
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Cowards: Jews were restricted in terms of
military service, which led others to believe
that they were too cowardly to go to war
Disloyal: placing loyalty to their culture above
loyalty caused others in the country distrust
them
Jews in European History
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Restrictions placed on Jews turned them into
outsiders
Often became the scapegoat for catastrophic
events
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Black Death
Stories of Blood Libel also emerged in the Middle
Ages
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Belief that Jews used the blood of Christian children
for rituals
Jews in European History
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Jewish economic life:
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Forbidden work in many professions
Heavily taxed
Were allowed to work in business and commerce
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Also focused on academics and specialized
professions
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Bankers, merchants
Law, medicine, sciences, etc.
Often invested in portable items and skills they could
take with them
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Easy to move if expelled from country
Jews in European History
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Distrust of Jews common in Christian
Europe
Many nations even expel the Jews
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1290:
1306:
1492:
1497:
England
France
Spain
Portugal
Jews in European History
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Following the expulsion, many Jews
moved into Eastern Europe
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Less complex government= less restrictions
Formed communities
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known as
Shtetle
Jews in European History
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The Enlightenment provided Jews with
new opportunities
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Nations allowed Jews back into their countries
Some even granted new rights and freedoms
1781: Austria abolished extra taxes on Jews
 1782: Austria allows Jewish children to attend
school with Christian children
 1787: Austria allowed Jews to join the military
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Jews in European History
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Napoleonic Code:
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Jews given more rights and freedom in
Napoleon’s empire
Equal access to all aspects of economy and
professions
 Equal rights
 Integrated Jews in to the rest of the society
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Jews in European History
The rise of Nationalism in the late-1800’s
caused Anti-Semitism to become popular once
again.
Nationalism
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Nationalism: intense pride and devotion to
one’s country OR group of people
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Became popular in the late-1800’s
Fueled by Imperialism
Ethnic and cultural differences begin to cause
conflict
Nationalism and Anti-Semitism
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Jews begin to be seen as an ethnic and/or
racial group, not just a religious group
Discrimination against Jews begins again
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Jews blamed for economic problems
Anti-Semitic political parties become popular
Politicians make their careers through AntiSemitism
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Karl Luger- role model for Hitler
Anti-Semitism in Russia
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Pogroms become common in Russia and Eastern
Europe
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1880’s- police stand by as Jewish property is looted
and destroyed
Tens of thousands killed
Russian government restricts Jews from schools
and professional occupations
Jews forced to leave Moscow in 1891-1892
Social Darwinism
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Social Darwinism: practice of applying
Darwin’s theories to society
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Survival of the fittest
Some human groups more “fit” than others
Used to explain the mistreatment or
subjugation of certain groups
Jews in Europe
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As violence increased, many Jews fled Europe
Thousands came to the U.S.
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1880: there were 85,000 Jews in NYC alone
Others attempt to flee to Palestine
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Movement known as Zionism develops
Zionism taught that Jews needed their own state and
should create a nation around Jerusalem
Jews in European History
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By the early 1900’s, Anti-Semitism was
part of the culture of many European
nations