Anti-Semitism: What is it and how did it begin? Holocaust PowerPoint # 1

Prejudice against Jews Began way before the Holocaust Lateran Councils (1179—1215) put restrictions on all non-Catholics Required to wear yellow badges Supposed to live a part from Christians Forced to listen to sermons Books were censored Pope Alexander III, who presided over the third Lateran Council in 1179

Prejudice Continued England King Edward I seized the possessions of 16,000 Jews and expelled them France King Philip robbed his Jewish subjects Germany Jews sought help here, but not protected. They went to Poland or Italy King Edward I

19th Century France Austria Napoleon’s armies marched across Europe He asked for Jews to become part of French civilization Austria Really bad for Jews here Queen Maria Theresa (1760) Required all unbearded Jews to wear yellow badge Not allowed to buy vegetables until 9 a.m., or cattle before 11 a.m. Taxed 3 million florins each year for ten years to live in Austria Joseph II Abolished the tax Let Jews attend schools Serve in the army Francis II Put Maria Theresa’s restrictions back in place 1867 all rules removed

Russia 1790s had the largest Jewish population 1791 1882 Jews denied the right to attend universities and become officers in the army 1791 Jews forced to live in lands called “The Pale of Settlement” Pogroms were started to relieve public unrest A time when mobs attacked Jews or stole their property without punishment 1882 Czar Alexander III wanted Jews either exiled, converted, or killed

Germany Jews became isolated Could not speak or write in German Moses Mendelssohn Brilliant Jewish scholar Translated Torah into German so Jews could learn the language Jewish restrictions lifted in 1870 Gentile (non-Jewish) community reacted Jew was only “slightly” different and mostly accepted “Anti-Semites” saw Jews as a threat Used medieval accusations to support their theories Jews were Christ-killers Drew blood from Gentile children Plotted against Gentiles Looked to race theories to prove inferiority Moses Mendelssohn

Anti-Semitism Was first used in 19th century by Walter Marr, a German Used to mean “hatred of Jews and Judaism” Misused— Semitic actually refers to a group of languages (Arabic, Aramaic, Amharic, and Hebrew) Because Jews speak Hebrew, it somehow came to mean “anti-Jewish” Semite is any member of ancient and modern peoples speaking any of the Semitic languages

Race or Religion? In reaction to anti-Semitism based on race, many Jews insisted that Judaism was a religion. Stated they were as French, Russian, or German as any other citizen Jews were blamed for Germany’s defeat in WW I, even though they fought bravely for their country. Anti-Semitism later became the Nazi Party policy