preview

Essay on Holocaust

Better Essays

The most familiar act of anti-Semitism is the Holocaust, but anti-Semitism goes further back. The Holocaust began with the ideas of anti-Semitism, stereotypes, sinister cartoons, and the gradual spread of hate. Anti-Semitism is the prejudice and discrimination against or harassment of Jewish people. Martin Luther once wrote, “That next to the devil thou hast no enemy more cruel, more venomous and violent than a true Jew” (Dawidowicz, 23). Anti-Semitism is just like every other type of prejudice and discrimination, it represents a denial of human rights. Though violent Anti-Semitism acts are rare, there are still occurrences of anti-Semitism today.
The roots of anti-Semitism were …show more content…

66. A bloody war between the Jews and Romans would take place for four years. Christians began to bring a negative picture of Judaism in their writings. John Chrysostom, "Doctor of the Church", criticized and attacked Jews of his city. He called them ; "lustful, rapacious, greed, perfidious bandits . . . inveterate murderers, destroyers, men possessed by the devil" (Patterson, 9). Jews questioned if the Christians forgotten Jesus was a Jew?.
As the Medieval and Middle Ages approached Anti-Semitism did not end. Jews were denied citizenship and civil rights. The Crusades were a massive murder for the Jews. They were fighting over the Holy Land. “As many as ten thousand were killed, one third of the Jewish population in Germany” (Patterson, 12). This only led to the resentment of Jews and more alarm.
They were denied positions of authority in government and military, membership in guilds and professions, and from owning any land. After time they were cloistered to ghettos and had to wear hats or badges for identification purposes. Government restricted Jews to certain jobs as well. “Popular lore came to depict the Jew as having horns and a tail, like the devil, and a distinctive smell” (Patai 74). “When the Black Death (1347-1350) occurred Jews were accused for poisoning wells and food supplies” (Patia 75). This would put Jews at the lowest group in society and become harassed for every

Get Access