-
701 BCE
Assyrian Siege of Judah
Assyria had already conquered Samaria and turned their attention to Judah. During the siege of Jerusalem Sennacherib, the Assyrian leader taunted the Jewish people saying "who of all the Gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me" among other degrading things. In the end Jerusalem prevailed due to an angel killing 185 000 Assyrian soldiers overnight, so take that Sennacherib. -
Period: 701 BCE to
What is Anti-Semitism?
Before we begin, we need to understand what Anti-Semitism is and why it has been so prominent throughout history. Anti-Semitism is the persecution of Jews as a religious or ethnic group. It has been around for thousands of years, and a main reason persecution has endured so long is that Jews are often very different from the rest of society. They are a minority that won't be assimilated by cultural norms such as diet or fashion. This has caused a lot of persecution to this day. -
597 BCE
Babylonia Exile of Jews
Babylonia conquered Jerusalem under King Jehoiakim and deported most Jews, scattering them among the nations. Those included in the exile were Ezekiel as well as Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia destroyed the Jewish Temple which was a huge deal to the Jews. Also, taking them away from their promised land was very hard for the Jews, since they had such a legacy in reaching it. -
33
Jews hand Jesus Over to Pontius Pilate
This has been a subject of much scrutiny. Many Christians have remorse for the Jews because they wanted Jesus crucified. However, for the Christian faith it was essential that Jesus was crucified. In fact, this fulfilled the prophesies about the Messiah. In any case, this was the base for a lot of Anti-Semitism over the years. -
45
Jews Under Control of Julius Ceaser
Samaria fell to Pompey in 64 BCE, then Jerusalem followed in 63 BCE. Julius Ceaser defeated Pompey in 45 BCE and became ruler. He recognized Judaism as an official religion, and they were reasonably prosperous, with Judah being an official province of Rome. It was during the reign of Julius Ceaser that Jesus Christ lived his life. -
70
Destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans
In the year 66, the Jews revolted against their Roman leaders, and ended up feeling the full wrath of the Roman Empire. They destroyed the Temple, which was never rebuilt again. They killed thousands of Jews and enslaved many more in the Egyptian mines. -
119
Emperor Hadrian of Roman Empire Bans Circumcision
To try to limit Jewish expression he bans circumcision. According to Jewish law men must be circumcised eight days after birth but now they had abandon the practice or do it covertly. in the year 135 he continued to persecute the Jews and renamed Judea, Palestine. -
529
Persecution by Justinian the Great
There was enormous pressure during this time to convert to Christianity. Laws and regulations were introduced that limited the Jews power. Citizenship was for Christians only, and synagogues were converted into churches. The use of Hebrew was also banned in worship. -
Apr 1, 613
Persecution of Jews in Spain
Jews were exiled if they refused baptism. Their children had to have Christian education and Jews who remained and didn't comply with the rules lost all rights and property. -
Apr 1, 1096
Slaughter in the Crusades
Before fighting the Muslims for the promised land, the Christian crusaders attacked many Jewish communities and killed families. They demanded that the Jews convert or die, and most chose to die rather than abandon Judaism. The Crusades created a lot of unrest between not only Christians and Muslims, but between Christians and Jews as well. This is a dark time in the history of both religions. -
Apr 1, 1288
Inquisitions
The Inquisitions were a time when Christian rules were strongly enforced and those accused of breaking the rules could be imprisoned, tortured or even burned at the stake. In 1288 the first mass burning of Jews on stakes took place. The Spanish Inquisition had Jews needing to practice their faith covertly, and many were killed or forced to repent and convert to Christianity. -
Apr 1, 1290
Jews Banned From England
15 000 Jews needed to leave England because of a new law by King Edward I. They were forced out during the Inquisitions so there was little safety for many of these Jews. -
Apr 1, 1306
Jews Are Banned From France
100 000 Jewish people must leave France. In 1321 Jews are accused of poisoning wells, and 5 000 are burned to death. -
Apr 1, 1543
The Reformation
This was a time of Great change for the religious system in Europe. The Catholic church was split and the Protestant church was created by a German named Martin Luther. Luther tried to evangelize to the Jews but was unsuccessful. He then became very anti-Semitic, and published a book called, "On the Jews and Their Lives" in which he voiced strong anti-Semitic views. This fueled the hatred of Jews, especially in Germany. Jews were excluded and mistreated in many ways. -
Enlightenment and Emancipation
During the enlightenment Jews were recognized as citizens and were finally included in society despite the fact that they weren't Christian. However, there was still anti-Semitism but finally Jews made a step forward after years and years of persecution. The Emancipation saw progress in bettering relations between Christians and Muslims. -
Hep-Hep Riots
In response to the Emancipation of the Jews, there was resistance from those who didn't want change. Riots broke out in Germany, and many Jews were killed, along with their possessions, businesses and homes destroyed. Often the police were late in stopping the riots. -
Jews Forced to Serve in Russian Army
Jews needed to serve in the Russian Army for 25 years before they could get freedom. Jews under 18 were sent to military training camps so that they could spend their whole lives in the military as well. This caused many to leave their homes and flee. -
Post WW1 Anti-Semitism
Europe, especially Germany was in very bad shape after the First World War. Germany was forced to pay enormous war reparations to the Triple Entente and this crushed their economy. Their money became worthless and they needed someone to blame for their terrible circumstances. They turned on the Jews, despite the fact that the Jews had fought disproportionately well for them in World War 1. -
Kristallnacht
Meaning, "Night of the Broken Glass" this was when things went out of control in Germany leading up to WW2. Jewish synogogues were burned along with Jewish scriptures. Businesses owned by Jewish people were destroyed. There was no law and all the anti-Semitism that had been brewing was released. -
The Holocaust
During WW2, the Nazi Party implemented the "final solution to the Jewish question" and began the systematic mass murder of Jews. Six million Jews were killed at camps, mainly at gas chambers. Many of these camps were set up and the most well known would be Aushwitz. This was a terrible time in human history and the worst genocide against the Jews in history. -
Holocaust Denial
Since WW2, there has been groups that deny that the events of the holocaust really took place. This disbelief is most definitely stemmed from anti-Semitism. It is unfortunate because the holocaust ruined so many Jewish families and to not even have recognized is certainly a tough thing to grasp. -
Anti-Semitism Today
Unfortunately, the holocaust wasn't the end of anti-Semitism. There continues to be right wing extremists who denounce Jews. There are many crude jokes targeting Jews, and often Jews have difficulty because their customs are so different than that of the rest of societies. For example, Jews will run into trouble if they are asked to work on the Sabbath and cannot say no. This, and among other things continues to make life difficult for the Jews of the 21st century.
