Kevin's Watch

Can someone explain to me the reasons behind an incredible amount of people hating Jews throughout history?

This sounds like a loaded question but it's not.
I'm genuinely curious why the Jews have been persecuted throughout much of history.
It's never made any sense to me.
I've asked some Jewish relatives but they just give me a shrug.
Either they don't want to get into it or it's too long to talk about or they wonder what's the point talking to someone about it who isn't Jewish or a little of all of the above.

I can understand it happening at the very beginning.
Regional warfare with Egypt, Jewish defeat and enslavement.
All standard stuff in history for many peoples.

But what was the basis for Christianity to persecute the Jews?
Were the Jews at the very beginning hostile to the Apostles as they tried to convert them?
I've never heard that they were.
But Rome wholesale slaughtered the early Christians.
When Christanity "took over" Rome what caused the shift to persecuting the Jews instead (among others)?
Or did it happen at a later time?
When did Jews become "Jesus killers" instead of "Jesus' brothers"?
What was the point of the shift?
How did that help the Catholic Church?
Or was the Church at that time just a bunch of primitive thinking a-holes that had to shift the blame away from Rome to someone else?


I have more questions about the treatment of the Jews in the 20th century but I'll wait and see if this is a topic anyone wants to discuss.

Or if someone could point me to a good book about it I'd appriciate it.

www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=37407
ddickerson.igc.org/antisemitism.html

...Perhaps the answer is in the question.." Hate" and " Reason"..rather oxymoronic. .......MEL

Sylvanus wrote:www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=37407
ddickerson.igc.org/antisemitism.html

Good links.
Unfortunately the one that directly answered my question was a dead link.
Just my luck.
Still, I spent some time following others.
I guess I know now why my relatives rolled their eyes at my question.
The answers are all sad, long and stupid.

Lurch possibly has the right idea haters do not require reasons to hate.

Ok, I'm sure most will say this answer is wrong. As far as the Common era (everything since 0 CE aka 0AD) I think it all boils down to deicide and the fact that Judaism denies Christ.

Of course this premise leads to other bigotted and hateful ideas for example 'the blood libel'.

This answer does not say anything regarding the situation BCE.

Although I do agree with Lurch, (and I haven't read Syl's link), I think that the origin of christian persecution at least stemmed mainly from the interpretation of the bible by christians beginning at least in the early middle ages, if not before.

And that interpretation led them to the belief that it was the jews who had "killed" christ. At the very least, that they had caused him to be killed.

(Actually, I'm busy reading an interesting book on Nomads, and the author talks specifically about strict laws in place to punish jews for this imagined crime. For example, they weren't allowed to build anything, they couldn't even cut wood for fire, but had to gather fallen wood.)

Crazy, I know, but like Lurch said, those who hate don't need reasons. Not real ones anyway. They're satisfied with justification.

--A

Christian persecution of Jews stems from a conflict in the early days of the religion, when early Christians were just another Jewish Messianic sect. The original leaders of the movement were uncomfortable with Paul allowing gentiles into his sect and taking up some of their habits. (There are two versions of this story in the NT - a brief account from an unknown writer and a narrative by Paul which conflicts on several interesting points with the first.)

The Paulist sect eventually won out, and Paulist re-tellings of the Crucifixion became less accusatory towards Rome and more accusatory against "The Jews". From these re-tellings came the belief that the Jews alone killed Christ by forcing the hand of a weary Roman Governor.

As for the rest of Jewish persecution, most of it stems from them being immigrants in whatever country they were in, during some of the most xenophobic times in history (during plagues, witchhunts, famines, extreme Right-Wing rule, etc).

Good one Plissken

To complement, you might add a certain amount of envy from people that were not to well off. Since jews are known (at least thats what I've heard and what "Hollywood History" says) as good business people with a long tradition for running banks and for dealing in jewels, gold and other precious metals.

It is easy to see how someone who borrowed mony and went bankrupt would blame it all on the "insensitive" banker. Now, if most (or even many) of bankers were jews, it is not difficult to see how xenofobia might be turned towards them.

Artists have been aware of this phenomenon. To quote from Tom Lehrers "National Brotherhood Week":

All the catholics hate the protestats
all the protestants hate the catholics
and the hindus hate the moslems
and everybody hates the jews

And yet, interestingly enough, that "bent" toward finance was because ursury was the only profession that jews were allowed to follow according to laws enforced by the christians. (Because it was unchristian to charge interest to other christians.)

--A

Interesting Avatar. Now that you mention it, I think I have heard that before. So if they were the only people charging interest in the community no wonder people hated them

I wonder if anyone who build a successful business based on a jew loan (most probably the majority of loaners) ever defended them.

Occaisonally, a more enlightened ruler would prevent their persecution, but generally, it was in the interest of the debtors that they be attacked (as they often were).

Afterall, if the guy you owe money to isn't around anymore, then nobody could expect you to pay them back.

--A

Muslims aren't Christian, and they hate Jews. Also, how does a nation that doesn't have it's own country still stay a nation? Is there another example?

Israel is not a country, it is an idea. Many nations lack their own country.

And as for Islam's antipathy toward the Jews, I think that a lot of it stems from the same source as their antipathy to christianity.

When the Prophet recieved his revelation, he revealed it to the numerous friends among all the communities of the "People of the Book" (Adherents to the OT). There response was, almost without exception, one of mockery.

It was, IIRC, largely a reaction to this mockery from those he had imagined friends that led to the inclusion of the "derogatory" content regarding those other faiths in the Qu'ran.

--A

All hating stems from ignorance and fear of the unknown.

Avatar wrote:Israel is not a country, it is an idea. Many nations lack their own country.

Did you mean before the founding of present day Israel?

I'm familiar (and impressed) with the Jewish way of holding on the concept of Israel all those centuries.
But what other peoples have done so or are doing so like you mentioned.
I've never heard of any.

A people being scattered throughout the world yet all keeping that common bond?
Although that bond differs a bit depending on region.
The Jews like every other people have their own bias and caste-like systems, I believe.

High Lord Tolkien wrote: A people being scattered throughout the world yet all keeping that common bond?

Not just keeping a common bond, but growing in number. And yet for 2,000 years, having no place to call home. Why did they never assimiliate into each country they found themselves in?

Perhaps because they stubbornly clung to the biblical real estate division; anticipating a new exodus. To strongly religious jews it would have seemed like believing worked when the state of Israel was formed. This might seem a good argument for strong religious believes.

The tragedy is of course, that they got "their" land back as a gesture of goodwill (and to get rid of them, as the allies where above average anti-semitic) after the WWII pogrom. I am sure that this was not a part of the prayers.

The reasons I have heard that just aren't straight anti-semitism:

"Jews are greedy" - going back to the money lending bit I guess
"The Jews Killed JC" - uh, we all know about that one
"Jews are exclusionary" - well, we do turn a potential convert away three times before accepting them to sudy. After all, it's hard to be a Jew. If you're not persistant enough to ask again after being turned away well...

All of these are based on scapegoating, overgenaralization, and collective guilt.

More recently, people have blamed Jews for stirring up trouble in the Middle East, and dominting American business. While there is some merit to these claims, neither is fully the fault of Jews and both are exaggerated. Either way, there's no reason to hate us in general, IMO.

Cure: get to know a Jew!! Preferably one who isn't greedy, hasn't killed JC, and isn't responsible for stirring up trouble in the Middle East.

Prebe wrote:To strongly religious jews it would have seemed like believing worked when the state of Israel was formed. This might seem a good argument for strong religious believes.

Uh, actually, many religious Jews are not for the current State of Israel. Because it was not founded by the Messiah...