VIDEO

The Longest Hatred.  Videocassette.  © Thames Television plc 1991; © WGBH Educational Foundation 1993.  Running Time:  Approximately 150 minutes (on two videocassettes).

 

REVIEW

 

From the title sequence of the Jewish cemetery where the headstones are defaced with neo-Nazi graffiti it is evident that this film will be an impactful experience.  A survey of not only the history of antisemitism in Europe, but also the current state of Jewish affairs in the Middle East, The Longest Hatred is rife with elements for classroom discussion.  This is a film that can be shown in its entirety, but is perhaps better used by breaking it into smaller segments. 

 

From the VHS cover:

 

“They are the other.  They are not us.”  Throughout time, words such as these have been used to justify and vilify. This stunning documentary takes an unsparing look at the ways such words have shaped the experience of Jewish people, from the first century to the present – a revealing history of antisemitism with roots long before the Holocaust and branches that continue to sprout in surprising places.

 

Part One, “From the Cross to the Swastika,” traces an image that begins with the earliest writings of Christianity, which leveled the charge that Jews were responsible for Jesus’ death.  In this segment, historians show how demonizing dogmas has affected Jews through the centuries – in Italy, Spain, England, and Germany – reaching its zenith with the development of Nazi ideology.

 

Part Two, “Enemies of the People,” shows how antisemitic sentiment has accompanied a growing nationalism in Europe in recent decades, causing a mass exodus of Jews from Russia and even resurfacing in Poland and Austria, where few Jews remain.  In Germany, the remarkable collapse of the Berlin Wall has been followed by the rise of new-Nazism among German youth.

 

Part Three, “Between Moses and Muhammed,” takes a humanistic look at relations between Arabs and Israelis, once linked by pseudo-science under the degrading label “Semite” and now enmeshed in one of the world’s most violent conflicts.  Experts on both sides tell how Arabs and Jews, who for centuries lived in relative peace, have been drastically alienated by political turmoil – and how the anti-Jewish propaganda now disseminated in the Arab world is so eerily like that seen in Europe before World War II.

 

This video is actually a collection of three programs, all of which could prove useful in a Holocaust survey unit.  For the most part, however, I would suggest using the first two segments:  “From the Cross to the Swastika”, and then some elements of “Enemies of the People”.  These seem to be most appropriate for high school students of the Shoah.  I would, however, strongly encourage the use of Part Three, “Between Moses and Muhammed” for a course studying current issues, or if your Holocaust course has enough time at the end of the unit or semester to cover Arab/Israeli relations.  For my purposes here, I will summarize the material found in the first two segments (which are on the first of the two videocassettes).

 

The opening scene – Sander L. Gilman, Professor of Humanities at Cornell University, states: 

 

“All Jews are clannish; all Jews are loners. All Jews look like everybody else; all Jews look different from everybody else. All Jews are communists and anarchists; all Jews are bankers and capitalists – all Jews love money; all Jews despise worldly goods.  In other words, the image of the Jews is a protean one – it shifts.  That’s what’s so “nice” about this image – it isn’t just that the Jews are “X”; the Jews are everything you don’t want yourself to be, the Jews are everything that threatens you.”

 

Having said that, the film proceeds next with a series of human portraits, real people who when shown back-to-back-to-back really look nothing alike.  So as Gilman has stated the summary stereotypes, we are then immediately taken to the aforementioned visual that debunks the myths.  At this point the viewer should have some idea of the problem of the other – that is, the “other” is, like Gilman said, conjured up in the minds of those in power and dangerous to those on the “outside”, regardless of what they look like, how old they are, etc.

 

Christian antisemitism (sometimes called Christian anti-Judaism) is the first major topic examined, in a well-rounded fashion by both Jewish and non-Jewish scholars.  Some Jewish practices are examined and contrasted with those of Christians.  John Paul II is featured at mass, and a simple capsule of Christian beliefs is dealt with.  There is an almost too-smooth transition from speaking of Christian beliefs to pictures of Nazi Germany, with the statement that Nazism was a pseudo-religion based on Roman pagan rites.  The question is asked, in reference to Catholic-then-Lutheran Germany:  “How did the cross become twisted into the swastika?”  This leads into the first segment, “From the Cross to the Swastika”.

 

The first question asked is how so many Christians acted as perpetrators, collaborators, and bystanders while six million Jewish men, women, and children were slaughtered?  The filmmakers then construct a concise history of European antisemitism, from New Testament times (the crucifixion and interpretations thereof to the writings of the Gospels and the Pauline letters) through the Crusades, the Blood Libel, the Inquisition, the Emancipation, and on up to the Social Darwinism of the 19th century. 

 

Early in this “timeline”, many commentators attempt to hammer home the point that the early Christians were Jews – Jesus, his family, and his disciples were all Jews.  The Christian psalms, prayers, and festivals are all of Jewish origin.  John G. Gager of Princeton University tells that Christian anti-Judaism was really a by-product of the political climate of the day.  Since the Jews had had a revolt against Rome, and as the New Testament was being written in a Roman world, its writers did not want to also fall out of favor with the ruling state.  Blame for Jesus’ death was hence shifted away from the Romans and placed on the Jews.  As the gospels are published around the time of the rebellion in 70 CE, there comes an intense backlash within the Roman community against the Jews.  This was exacerbated by the Pauline letters (which predate the writing of the gospels), where Paul stated that the Jews were heedless of God’s will.  Abbe Laguerie, a Conservative Catholic, is interviewed and proclaims his disdain for the Jews for their lack of faith when they crucified Christ.  He adds,

 

One is either a Catholic or not a Catholic.  If you are, you use the same terms as Paul.  The Jews prevented the preaching of the gospel for fear of losing their power in the world.

 

The film next explores early antisemitism and uses excerpts from sermons by John Chrysostum, who claimed that the synagogue was a “brothel, a theater, and a den of robbers”.  The Crusades are covered in often grisly detail, with the Jews compared to the Muslims in the eyes of the popes and Crusaders.  Pope Innocent III’s 1215 order for the Jews to wear the yellow badge shows up, and the first blood libel accusation is detailed.  While the film says that through time that charge was embraced by some popes and rejected by others, there is a clip of a Catholic church with the alleged remains of a small child who was sacrificed by Jews so that his blood could allegedly be used to bake their Passover matzo.  Many scholars give testimony to rebuke the claim.  As this rapid-fire history moves past the Middle Ages, we are shown a torture device used during the Spanish Inquisition and are told that Germany and Italy ghettoized their Jews.  The next major stop is in 1519, with Martin Luther.  Originally seeking the Jews as his allies against the pope, Luther turned virulently against them when it became clear that they would not join him in his beliefs.  Scholars then discuss some of Luther’s positions on the “Jewish question” of his day, such as his belief that they should be removed from the ghettos and put into labor camps.  Of course, the tie-in to what the Germans under Hitler actually did is prominent.

 

Arthur Hertzberg, Professor of History at Columbia University, feels that the Jews’ mere presence as Jews’ served as an irritant to Christians in Europe.  He believes the New Testament’s validity was continually challenged by the fact that there remained Jews in Europe, praying to God in Hebrew, following His law, etc.  Had the Jew not existed, Christians surely would have felt more secure in their ways.  Of consequence later was the Jews’ leap to the front of some professional ranks following their emancipation in the 18th-19th centuries.  Hatred in this period, though, took an even more dangerous evolution, as it became racial.  As promoted by such names as Richard Wagner and Wilhelm Marr, this “modern” antisemitism would serve to birth the ideology of the Nazi party in Germany.

 

Hitler’s Germany is surveyed, as it is in countless other videos.  Of note here, however, is a discussion of the role of the German churches, both Catholic and Protestant.  As much of this first portion of the program has dealt with the church, this becomes an important issue right in the middle of the Holocaust.  From the outside one might have wondered if humanitarianism might have won out – by and large, it didn’t.  We are told that because some German church leaders took a leading role in the Nazi movement, Christians weren’t always willing to stand up for any persecuted minorities.  Likewise, when Pius XII is shown, we are told how he was torn between the atheism of the Soviets and the paganism of the Nazis – as he felt those were his choices, he adopted a position of neutrality.  There is an account that when the pope heard of the scope of the Holocaust, he wept like a baby.

 

In Part II, “Enemies of the State”, the filmmakers survey antisemitism as it exists in the four major centers of former Holocaust activity:  Germany, Austria, Poland, and the former Soviet Union.  Early in this portion of the film, the former president of the Federal Republic of Germany is quoted in a speech on March 8 1985:

 

There is no such thing as the guilt or innocence of an entire nation…  Whoever refuses to remember is prone to new risks of infection.

 

While this sounds like a positive move toward reconciliation, the film however now turns to a new popular hatred, hatred for Jews as well as all foreigners.  Neo-Nazis are shown and interviewed. See below for a usable quote from this part of the program.  We see young German men watching The Eternal Jew, and we know that old ways of thinking die hard.  We are told that the coming down of the Berlin Wall, so heralded in the United States as a victory for capitalism and democracy, has instead spurred a new wave of highly intense ultra-nationalism among some young Germans. 

 

Austria is no different.  Long burying their antisemitic past, the fall-out from the campaign for president of Kurt Waldheim in 1986 brought old attitudes again to light.  Having served as UN Secretary General for ten years, Waldheim was certainly a lock for election in his own country – until Jewish groups unearthed his past as an intelligence agent for the German Wehrmacht in the war.  Of note in this segment is videotape of Waldheim exiting a car, and struck in the face by an older man who had moved forward out of the crowd.  The tape ends this portion with the feeling that Austria today is not too much different from the Austria of Karl Luger.

 

Poland lives under a banner that might read, “It was stupid that the Germans killed the Jews in such a grotesque way, but good nonetheless.”  The pogrom at Krelce in 1946, where 52 Jews were murdered is mentioned, and desecrated tombstones of the victims are shown.  The desecration, we find, is recently perpetrated.  At one time, ¾ of the world’s Jews lived in Poland in an uncomfortable symbiosis with their neighbors.  After the war, only 250,000 of the 3 ½ million remained, and today there are less than 10,000.  Yet still antisemitism is present.  The Catholic Church is again taken to task; Alan Dershowitz of the Harvard Law School states that many Poles learn antisemitism from the pulpit.  Of note in this part of the program is the discussion of the cross at Auschwitz, discussed also in James Carroll’s bestseller, Constantine’s Sword.  The erection of the cross prompted a protest from American Orthodox Jews at a convent of Carmelite nuns.  They felt that the cross was an attempt to Christianize the Shoah.

 

As the traditional Christian antisemitic teachings seem to prop up the new antisemitism in Poland, so we are told do the beliefs of the Orthodox Christian Church in Russia.  There is deep-seeded resentment toward the Jews, some of whom had joined the communist party as a way to escape the persecution of the tsars.  Lenin had been somewhat sympathetic to them, but his successor was brutal.  In fact, it was Stalin’s aim to deport all of the USSR’s Jews to Siberia, a task left unfulfilled only by his death in 1953.  Due to the harshness of this sociocultural climate, Russian Jews are emigrating to places such as Israel by the thousands.

 

Overall, this film is most worthwhile.  It would be perhaps best if your students have some background on the long-term causes of the Holocaust before viewing.  This film is full of useful (yet disturbing) information, but it is delivered rapid-fire.  If you were to ask students to take notes on the film, I’m sure that would become somewhat of an ordeal.  Watching short segments, and then pausing for discussion is probably best.  As stated earlier, this video can be used before your unit gets to Hitler, and then again after liberation and the creation of the state of Israel. 

 

PASSAGE/QUOTE FOR CLASSROOM USAGE

 

On Tape 1, in the segment entitled “Enemies of the State”, Michael Kuhnen of The National Alternative, a young neo-Nazi, makes the statement:

 

The Jews really won the war.  France is not a world power, Great Britain lost its empire, the Soviet Union is declining, the United States has inner problems – the Jews really won the war.

 

On Tape 2 of this program, a Muslim, within the context of Arab/Israeli relations (specifically regarding Zionists), makes the following statement:

 

The Jewish people should erect a monument to Hitler, because without him they never would have built the state of Israel.

 

Based on the knowledge gained from the viewing of this film (and any other resources to which they’ve been exposed), ask your students to respond to the statement in the following ways –

 

 

http://www.miff.no/images/jodehat/karikaturer/syrisk/sharon-hitler.jpg

(Accessed October 12 2005)

 

 

 

NOTE:  For further research/viewing on this subject as it relates to Jews/Arabs, I would recommend the ABC News special Peter Jennings:  Jerusalem Stories (2001), which is available on VHS.

 

RATIONALE FOR USAGE/UNIT RELEVANCE

 

As many will approach a study of the Shoah armed with the knowledge that “Hitler was the sole cause of the events of 1933-45”, this film will debunk that right away and illuminate for the viewer overall causes of antisemitism that seemingly allowed the Holocaust to be perpetrated by Hitler and his minions.  Whether this film is used or not, it is vital that such a discussion, of the many long-term causes that contributed to the Holocaust, takes place for your students.

 

CLASSROOM METHOD OF USAGE

 

The Longest Hatred is best used in a unit of study of the long-term causes of the Holocaust, or in a discussion of antisemitism throughout the ages to modern times.  As stated above, this video is actually a collection of three programs, all of which could prove useful in a Holocaust survey unit.  For the most part, however, I would suggest using the first two parts:  “From the Cross to the Swastika”, and then some elements of “Enemies of the People”.  These seem to be most appropriate for high school students of the Shoah.  I would, however, strongly encourage the use of Part Three, “Between Moses and Muhammed” for a course studying current issues, or if your Holocaust course has enough time at the end of the unit or semester to cover Arab/Israeli relations.

 

STUDY QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION GUIDE

 

NOTE:  What follows is an assignment intended for use in a world history or western civilization course that allows the teacher to cover an immense amount of Jewish history (leading up to the Holocaust) in a relatively short amount of time.  As the film The Longest Hatred is somewhat of a survey of events throughout time in regard to Jewish relations within their multicultural surroundings, I feel it would also be appropriate upon introduction or completion of this film.

 

 

The Longest Hatred:  A Look at Key Events In Jewish History

From Ancient Times To the Dawn of the 20th Century

 

Materials your students will need:

 

 

Pre-Teaching (about five minutes):  At the end of the class period prior to introduction of the film The Longest Hatred, assign the class to read the section in the text that covers the events of the Holocaust (in the absence of a textbook, the instructor may wish to photocopy a short history of the Holocaust as it would appear in a world history or western civilization text).  It will be very beneficial if students have been exposed to major events during the period 1933-45 as they prepare to move backwards and look to ages-old persecution of the Jews.

 

Procedure (up to four class periods – there is flexibility in this lesson plan.  Through work-at-home, assigned readings, etc. the teacher can dictate how much time is actually spent in the classroom.  Begin by asking for impressions from the reading.  Ask the students if they are familiar with the term “genocide”.  Explain it as a one-sided mass killing, which is sometimes preceded by forced conditions of deprivation, emigration, starvation, etc. NOTE:  This is very simplified – for a more complete definition, see Rafael Lemkin’s definition: 

 

Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups. Genocide is directed against the national group as an entity, and the actions involved are directed against individuals, not in their individual capacity, but as members of the national group. (http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/Lemkin.htm, accessed January 25, 2006)

 

In the 1930’s-‘40’s, it was the Jews of Europe who fell victim to perhaps the best-known genocide of the 20th Century, the Holocaust.  Students should know that the term “holocaust” is not exclusive to the Jews; it is actually an old word that means “wholly-burnt offering”.  The Jews often refer to this period as the Shoah, a Hebrew word meaning catastrophe. 

 

Explain to the class that historically Jews have been hated for the following reasons (there are many reasons – the following are the main ones, in no particular order):

 

  1. Economic factors – Jews were often forced out of agriculture or professional jobs and into occupations that required them to act as tax collectors and “loan sharks”.
  2. The need for scapegoats – someone to place blame upon for the bad things in life.
  3. Ethnic hatred – seeing the Jews as different culturally and despising them for their “separation”.
  4. Xenophobia -- dislike of foreigners, racism.
  5. Resentment of Jewish affluence (wealth) and professional success – this would deal mainly with the period after the Jewish emancipation (political and economic freedom) of the late 19th Century up to the Holocaust.  Sometimes it is prevalent today…
  6. Religious bigotry – hating the Jews because of Judaism.1

 

In fact, it can be said somewhat universally that at one time or another, nearly every one of the world’s greatest powers that has had a large Jewish population has regarded this group, which never constituted more than a small percentage of the total national population, as an enemy.2  Consider – antisemites (those who hate Jews because they are Jews) have not opposed Jews because Jews are affluent (poor Jews have also been hated) or strong (weak Jews also seem to invite antisemitic bullying) or have unpleasant personalities (kindly Jews are hated, too)…  Antisemites have hated Jews because Jews are Jewish.3

 

There are four basic causes for the Jewish challenge to the views of non-Jews:

 

  1. For thousands of years, Jews have cleaved to the idea of the one true God, of their law as set forth in the Torah, and of peoplehood, evidenced today in the form of the state of Israel.  All of these have caused separation from non-Jews whether religiously, socially, or politically.
  2. Jews have been charged with the task of spreading “ethical monotheism” to the world.  This has brought them into conflict with other religions and political entities.
  3. It was God who commissioned the Jews to do the above.  For those who don’t believe in God, or for those who feel that Christianity or Islam has superseded the Jews’ “choseness”, this is a problem.
  4. As a result of the Jews call to a higher standard, they have tended to live higher quality lives (economically, educationally, socially, relationally) than their non-Jewish contemporaries.4

 

If the above are true (or perceived as true) statements, then we can see how the seeds of the Holocaust might be planted, and indeed planted in any society at any time.  The most curious thing about antisemitism is that it even exists in areas where there are no Jews.5

 

Questions:

 

1.      Think of all the characteristics, both positive and negative, of people who play sports.  These characteristics can contradict each other, so for example someone could say “dumb jock”, but maybe one of the top-ranked seniors academically also happens to be a star on one of the school’s teams… (Generate a list on the chalkboard or overhead projector film)

 

2.      Do you feel that the entire list is true for everyone who plays sports?  Is it possible that there are people who play sports who only fit the smallest percentage of these attributes? 

 

3.      Is there a social group in your area or school, or that you know of, that you feel is generally disliked? 

 

4.      What qualities does this group possess, or seem to possess, that irritates the rest of society to the point where they would discriminate or cause emotional or physical duress?  Of the named qualities, which are real and which are ascribed (pinned on them by outsiders)?

 

5.      Is it easier to hate with the rest of the crowd or easier to stop hate by facing the crowd?  Does the number of people on either side of the issue influence you?

 

6.      Do you think people are influenced by hate/anti-hate as spread by celebrities (both in the political, religious, and/or entertainment arenas)?

 

Activity:  Make enough copies of the following timelines so that each student in the group (you will need 9 groups – the material has been broken down from its original form of one long timeline) has their own copy.  Distribute the poster board or butcher paper to the groups.  Students should read their timelines and transfer dates (in 10- or sometimes 25-year increments) to the board or paper.  Next, using a prearranged color-coding system, students should analyze the events on their timelines and note the particular dates (with a very short summary of what the event was).  Color codes might mimic the following example:

 

            Green:  the economic hatred of Jews

            Blue:  dislike of the unlike – cultural persecution

            Red:  hatred of Jews as Jews – religious persecution

            Purple:  scapegoats – Jews blamed for natural disasters, etc.

            Orange:  forced migrations, expulsions

            Light blue:  positive things that happened (political rights, etc.)

 

Groups will be: Classical Christianity/Byzantine period

                                    Medieval Period in the West

                                    Crusades Begin

                                    Later Middle Ages

                                    Reformation and Post-Reformation

                                    Jewish Modern Period

                                    19th Century

                                    After the American Civil War

 

At the conclusion of work time, the teacher should be able to hang several timelines at a time from the chalkboard to develop a continuum of Jewish history.  A representative (or representatives) from each group should discuss their timeline and take any questions from the class.

 

Evaluation:  The teacher should collect and grade any work assigned from the film (note taking, etc.).  In addition, timelines should be collected for a grade.  A summary essay, which would encompass both the film and the above timeline assignment, might look something like this:

 

The Jewish people have been persecuted since the time of God’s revelation of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, thousands of years ago.  This persecution reached its zenith in the first half of the 20th Century with the Holocaust, when almost six million Jews (and perhaps as many as six million non-Jews) lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators.  Based on your recent study, in your opinion was the Holocaust made possible by one, some, all, or none of the following causes (support your answer with specific examples from our class work):

 

                        Social stereotypes                                 Economics

                        Religion                                                Cultural differences

Political leaders

Consolidation & Dominance of Classical Christianity

(325-590)

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/dom.html

Christian First Ecumenical Council, at Nicea (Asia Minor), changes the date of Easter from

 

Passover and forbids Jews from owning Christian slaves or converting pagans to Judaism: 325

 

Jerusalem becomes part of Constantine's Byzantine Empire: 330

 

Constantine forbids intermarriage with Jews and the circumcision of heathen or Christian slaves, declaring death as the punishment: 339

 

Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire: 380/391

 

Rome sacked by Visigoths: 410

 

St. Cyril, the Bishop of Alexandria, champions violence against the city's Jews and incites the Greeks to kill or expel them. Some Jews return within a few years, but many return only after the Muslims conquer Egypt: 415

 

Theodosius enacts a code prohibiting Jews from holding important positions involving money.

He also reenacts a law forbidding the building of new synagogues: 439

 

After conquering Italy in 493, Ostrogoth king Theodoric issues an edict safeguarding the Jews and ensuring their right to determine civil disputes and freedom of worship: 500

 

After Ravenna residents burnt down local synagogues, Ostrogoth ruler Theodoric orders the Italian town to rebuild the synagogues at their own expense: 519

 

Recared of Spain adopts Catholicism, banning Jews from slave ownership, intermarriage and holding positions of authority. Recared also declares that children of mixed marriages be raised Christian: 587

 

Birth of Prophet Muhammad, Makkah: 570.

 

Pope Gregory the Great formulates the official Papal policy towards Jews, objecting to forced baptism and tolerating them according to the previous council's regulations: 590.

Byzantine Rule

(313-636)

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/byz.html

Sporadic persecution of Christianity by Rome: to 311

 

Emperor Caracalla enfranchises all Jews within Roman Empire, allowing them to become full citizens: 212

 

Roman emperor Alexander Severus's respect for Jews and lenient treatment towards them enables Judah II to successfully press for greater Jewish rights, including the right to visit Jerusalem: 222-235

 

Violent persecution of Christians by Emperor Diocletian: 303

 

One of the first Christian councils, the Council of Elvira, forbids intermarriage and social interaction with Jews: 306

 

Emperor Constantine embraces Christianity, announces Edict of Toleration: 312/313

 

Code of Constantine limits rights of non-Christians, is Constantine's first anti-Jewish act: 315

 

“Medieval” Period in the West, Including the Crusades

(ca. 600-1500)

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/med.html

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/islamtime.html

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/crusadetime.html

Visigothic ruler Sesbut prohibits Judaism after several anti-Jewish edicts are ignored. Exiled Jews return to Byzantine Spain under Sesbut's successor, Swintilla: 610

 

Persian General Romizanes captures Jerusalem and allows Jews to run the city. At this time, approximately 150,000 Jews are living in 43 settlements in Eretz-Israel: 614

 

The Persians renege on their promises and forbid Jews to settle within a three-mile radius of Jerusalem: 617

 

Muhammad attacks Jewish Arabian tribes for refusing to convert to Islam. Eventually the Southern Arabian tribes are destroyed: 624-7

 

While proselytizing Arabia, Muhammad captures the Banu Kurara tribe and forces the group of about 600 to chose between conversion and death. After spending all night praying, all but three or four Banu Kurarans are beheaded: 626

 

Emperor Heraclius breaks his promise of protection to Jews, massacring any he found and forbidding them from entering Jerusalem. Hundreds of Jews were killed and thousands exiled to Egypt, ending the Jewish towns in the Galilee and Judea. Heraclius' decree remained in effect until the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem: 627-629

 

Although Chintilla decrees that only Catholics are permitted to live in Visigothic Spain, many Jews continue to live there: 638

 

Visigoth King Erwig continues oppression of Jews, making it illegal to practice any Jewish rites and pressing for the conversion or emigration of the remaining Jews: 682

 

First account of Jews in England: 691

 

Jews help Muslim invaders capture Spain, ending Visigothic rule and beginning a 150-year period of relative peace, in which Jews were free to study and practice religion as they wished: 712

 

In the wake of a narrow military defeat over Muslim forces, Leo III of Constantinople decided his nation's weakness lay in its heterogeneous (people were different) population, and began the forcible conversion of the Jews, as well as the "New Christians." Most converted under Leo III clandestinely continued their Jewish practices: 722

 

Charlemagne, French Holy Roman Emperor, protected and helped develop Jewish culture in his kingdom, seeing Jews as an asset: 742-814

 

Harun Al Rashid, Caliph of the Abbasids forces Baghdad Jews to wear a yellow badge and Christians to wear a blue badge: 807

 

Charlemagne's son, Louis the Pious, who succeeded his father as king, expanded his father's positive policies towards the Jews, like changing "market day" from Saturday (Shabbat) to Sunday: 814-840

 

In the wake of the Norman conquest of England, Jews left Normandy and settled in London and later in York, Norwich, Oxford, Bristol and Lincoln: 1066

 

Pope Gregory VII prohibited Jews from holding offices in Christendom (western Europe): 1078

 

Iban Iashufin, King of the Almoravids, captured Granada (in Spain) and destroyed the Jewish community, the survivors fled to Toledo: 1090

 

Henry IV of Germany, who granted Jews favorable conditions whenever possible, issued a charter to the Jews and a decree against forced baptism: 1095

 

Crusades Begin

 

Participants in the First Crusade massacre Jews in several Central European cities, beginning centuries of pogroms linked to the Crusades: 1096

 

More than 5,000 Jews were murdered in Germany in several different attacks: 1096

 

Crusaders (European Christians) capture Jerusalem and massacre tens of thousands of the city's Jews: 1099

 

Germans, including German Jews, migrate to Poland. It is seen as "the land of opportunity": 1100

 

After reconquering Toledo, Spain from the Muslims, Alphonso I invited all Jews to return: 1115

 

Jews from Muslim countries begin to settle in Byzantium: 1120

 

Records of a Jewish gate in Kiev attest to the presence of a Jewish community there: 1124

 

Jews in Norwich, England, are accused of murdering a Christian child in what is believed to be the first ritual murder charge. The blood libel, as well as others in England that follow in the 12th century, incites anti-Jewish violence: 1144

 

Saladin (1138-1193) recaptures Jerusalem from Crusaders grants Jews permission to re-enter: 1187

 

Jews attacked, over 150 die after a six-day standoff in York, England: March 16, 1190

 

Approximately 2,500 Jews live in England, enjoying more rights than Jews on the continent: 1190

 

French King Phillip starts the Third Crusade, cancels debts to Jews, drives many Jews out of France, confiscates their property: 1191

 

Pope Innocent III (Christian): 1198-1216

 

First synagogue built in Vienna, a city where Jews enjoyed more freedom than in other areas of Austria: 1204

 

Fourth Lateran Council expands anti-Jewish decrees in Europe, forces Jews to wear the Yellow Patch, the "Badge of Shame”: 1215

 

Deacon Robert of Reading, England, was burned for converting to Judaism, setting a precedent for the burning of "heretics." 1222

 

Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury and a prime mover of the Lateran Council, forbids Jews from building new synagogues, owning slaves or mixing with Christians: 1222

 

King Henry III of England forced Jews to pay half the value of their property in taxes: 1229

 

Pope Gregory IX orders the kings of France, England, Spain and Portugal to confiscate Hebrew books, Following this edict, the Talmud is condemned and burned in France and Rome: 1239

 

First accusation of desecration of the Host (the wafers used is Christian Mass) - the blood libel - in Berlitz, Germany: 1243

 

Pope Innocent IV issued a Bull refuting blood libels and sent it throughout Germany and France: 1247

 

Later Middle Ages

 

King Henry III of England ordered Jewish worship in synagogue to be held quietly so that Christians passing by do not have to hear it. He also ordered that Jews may not employ Christian nurses or maids, nor may any Jew prevent another from converting to Christianity: 1253

 

French King Louis IX expelled the Jews from France, ending the Tosaphists period. Most Jews went to Germany and further east: 1254

 

Seeing himself as the "master of the Jews," King Henry II of England transferred his rights to the Jews to his brother, Richard, for 5,000 marks: 1255

 

In a special session, the Vienna city council forced Jews to wear the Pileum cornutum, a cone-shaped headdress prevalent in many medieval woodcuts illustrating Jews. This form of distinctive dress was an addition to badge Jews were forced to wear: 1267

 

King Edward of England banned usury (lending money at interest) and unsuccessfully encouraged Jews in agriculture, crafts and local trades. He also forced Jews over the age of seven to wear an identifying badge: 1275

 

The Archbishop of Canterbury, John Pectin, ordered all London synagogues to close and prohibited Jewish physicians from practicing on Christians: 1282

 

Blood libel, the belief that Jews kidnapped and ritually murdered children to mix their blood in the making of matzah bread for Passover, in Munich, Germany results in the death of 68 Jews. An additional 180 Jews are burned alive at the synagogue: 1285

 

A mob in Oberwesel, Germany kills 40 Jewish men, women and children after a ritual murder accusation: 1287

 

Bowing to political pressure, English King Edward I expels the Jews from England. They were only allowed to take what they could carry and most went to France, paying for their passage only to be robbed and cast overboard by the ship captains: 1290

 

Similar to accusations made during the Black Plague, Jews were accused of encouraging lepers to poison Christian wells in France. An estimated five thousand Jews were killed before the king, Philip the Tall, admitted the Jews were innocent: 1321

 

Henry II of Castile forces Jews to wear yellow badges: 1321

 

Charles IV of France expels all French Jews without the one-year period he had promised them: 1322

 

Much of Europe blames the Black Plague on the Jews and tortured to confess that they poisoned the wells. Despite the pleas of innocence of Pope Clement VI, the accusations resulted in the destruction of over 60 large and 150 small Jewish communities: 1348-1349

 

Basil burns 600 Jews at the stake and forcibly baptizes 140 children, expelling the city's other Jews. The city's Christian residents convert the synagogue into a church and destroy the Jewish cemetery: 1348

 

Pope Clement VI issues an edict repudiating the libel against Jews, saying that they too were suffering from the Plague: 1348

 

Pope Boniface continues the policy of Clement VI, forbidding the Christians to harm Jews, destroy their cemeteries or forcibly baptize them: 1389

 

Ferrand Martinez, archdeacon of Ecija, begins a campaign against Spanish Jewry, killing over 10,000 and destroying the Jewish quarter in Barcelona. The campaign quickly spreads throughout Spain, except for Granada, and destroys Jewish communities in Valencia and Palma De Majorca: 1391

 

King Pedro I orders Spain not to harm the remaining Jews and decrees that synagogues not be converted into churches. 1391

 

King Pedro I announces his compliance with the Bull of Pope Boniface IX, protecting Jews from baptism. He extends this edict to Spanish Jewish refugees: 1392

 

Benedict XIII bans the study of the Talmud in any form, institutes forced Christian sermons, and tries to restrict Jewish life completely: 1415

 

Pope Martin V favorably reinstates old privileges of the Jews and orders that no child under the age of 12 can be forcibly baptized without parental consent: 1420

 

All Jews are expelled from Lyons, including the refugees from Paris who were expelled 20 years earlier. Jews now only remain in Provence (until 1500) and in the possessions of the Holy See: 1420

 

Pope Martin V issues a bull reminding Christians that Christianity was derived from Judaism and warns the Friars not to incite against the Jews. The Bull was withdrawn the following year, alleging that the Jews of Rome attained the Bull by fraud: 1422

 

Reformation and Post-Reformation Christian Period

(1517-Present - Here to 1569)

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/reformtime.html

38 Jews were burned at the stake in Berlin: 1510.

 

Jews in Venice are relegated to a ghetto, the most extreme segregation to which Jews had been submitted. Over time, Jews in many lands are similarly segregated: 1516

 

Martin Luther: 1483-1546

 

Luther posts "95 theses" in Wittenberg, Germany: 1517

 

Luther writes "About the Jews and Their Lies," considered the first modern anti-Semitic tract: 1543

 

Protestant Christian Reformation: ca. 1500-1650

 

John Calvin: 1509-1564

 

Jewish ghettos instituted (Venice, Rome): 1516, 1555

 

Ivan the Terrible becomes ruler of Russia and refuses to allow Jews to live in his kingdom: 1547

 

Under the direction of Cardinal Caraffa, later Pope Paul IV, the Talmud was confiscated and publicaly burned in Rome on Rosh Hashanah, starting a wave of Talmud burning throughout Italy: 1553

 

Cornelio da Montalcino, a Franciscan Friar who converted to Judaism, is burned alive in Rome: 1554

 

In his Bull Cum Nimis Absurdum, Pope Paul IV renewed all anti-Jewish legislation and installed a ghetto in Rome. The Bull also forced Jews to wear a special cap, forbade them from owning real estate or practicing medicine on Christians. It also limited Jewish communities to only one synagogue: 1555

 

In Recanti, Italy, under the protection of Pope Paul IV, Joseph Paul More, a baptized Jew, entered a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and tried to preach a conversion sermon. The congregation evicted him and a near massacre occurred. Soon after, the Jews were expelled from Recanti: 1558

 

First known Jew to step on American soil, Joachim Gaunse (Ganz), lands on Roanoke Island: 1585

 

In Brest Litovsk, the son of a wealthy Jewish tax collector is accused of killing the family's Christian servant for ritual purposes. He is tortured and killed: 1564

 

Three months into his reign, Pope Pius V rejects Pope Pius IV leniency towards Jews and reinstates the restrictions of Pope Paul IV, which forced Jews to wear a special cap, forbade them from owning real estate or practicing medicine on Christians. It also limited Jewish communities to only one synagogue: 1566

 

Brest Litovsk welcomes Jewish settlement. In 80 years the Jewish population surges from 4,000 to more than 50,000: 1569

 

Pope Sixtus V rejects Pope Gregory XIII policies and forbids Jews from living in the Papal States and to print the Talmud: 1586

 

Built of wood, the entire Jewish quarter of Posen burned while then gentile population watched and pillaged. 15 people died and 80 Torah scrolls were burned: 1590

 

Pope Clement VIII expelled Jews from all Papal States except Rome and Ancona: 1593

 

Official Yom Kippur services are held for the first time in Amsterdam, though not without controversy: 1596

 

Frei Diogo Da Assumpacao, a partly Jewish friar who embraced Judaism, was burned alive in Lisbon. His arguments against Christianity were published and gained wide popularity: 1603

 

More than 80 New Christians (Jews who converted to Christianity) were burned at the stake after the Inquisition caught them holding regular Jewish services in Lima, Peru: 1639

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jewish Modern and Contemporary Periods

(ca. 1700-Present - Here to 1921)

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/modtimeline.html

Jewish population in America numbers approximately 250: 1700

 

First public Jewish synagogue in Berlin: 1712

 

Jews build a synagogue in Lower Manhattan (New York): 1730

 

England grants naturalization (citizenship) rights to Jews in the colonies: 1740

 

Parliament extends naturalization rights to Jews resident in England: 1753

 

Although usually considered more liberal than other states, Rhode Island refuses to grant Jews Aaron Lopez and Isaac Eliezer citizenship stating "no person who is not of the Christian religion can be admitted free to this colony." 1762

 

Portugal holds the last public Auto de Fe "Act of Faith," a ceremony where the Inquisition announces its punishments, usually a death sentence of burning at the stake: 1765

 

Napoleon (France): 1769-1821

 

American Revolution; religious freedom guaranteed: 1775-1781

 

Joseph II of Austria rescinds the 513-year old law requiring Jews to wear distinctive badges: 1781

 

Haym Solomon, a Polish Jew who arrived in New York in 1772, helps raise funds to finance the American cause in the Revolutionary War: 1781.

 

The Sultan of Morocco expels the Jews for the third time in recent years after they failed to pay an exorbitant ransom: 1783

 

Ratification of the U.S. Constitution means Jews may hold any federal office: 1788

 

French Revolution: 1789

 

Gershom Mendes Seixas, minister of New York's Jewish congregation, is invited to Washington's inaugural: 1789

 

Jews of Newport, Rhode Island welcome President George Washington. George Washington writes letter to Jewish community proclaiming religious liberty. 1790

 

French Jews granted full citizenship for the first time since the Roman Empire: September 27, 1791

 

Tsarist Russia confines Jews to Pale of Settlement, between the Black and Baltic Seas: 1791

 

19th Century

 

President Madison appoints Mordechai Noah as consul to Tunis and then rescinds the appointment when the Tunisians object to dealing with a Jew: 1813

 

King Ferdinand VII of Portugal reestablishes the Inquisition six years after it was abolished by Joseph Bonaparte: 1814

 

Although born a Jew, he converted to Protestantism and later became the father of Communism, Karl Marx: 1818-1883

 

A royal decree officially abolished the Spanish Inquisition: 1820 (It really ended in 1834.)

 

The Monroe Doctrine closes the American continent to foreign colonization: 1823

 

The first American Jewish periodical, The Jew, published in New York: 1823.

 

Reinterpretation of Russia's Conscription Law mandates 31 years of military service for Jews, beginning at age 12: 1827

 

German Jews begin to immigrate to America in substantial numbers: 1830.

 

Louis Philippe of France grants state support to synagogues: 1831

 

Although Jews had been living in Jamaica since 1655, they are finally given the right to vote: 1831

 

Canada grants Jews political rights: 1832

 

Jews are accused of murdering a Franciscan friar in the Damascus blood libel: 1840

 

First organized movement by American Jewry to protest false accusations of blood libel in Damascus, Syria: 1840

 

The first Hebrew printing press in India is established: 1840

 

The use of the word "Jew" as a verb comes into popular parlance in North America. "To Jew" means to strike a bargain or employ questionable business practices, according to this prejudicial usage: 1840's

 

David Levy Yulee of Florida elected to the United States Senate, the first Jew in Congress: 1841

 

Lewis Charles Levin was the first Jew elected to the U.S. House of Representatives: 1844

 

David Levy Yulee of Florida is the first Jew elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1845-1861. Yulee resigned at the beginning of the Civil War to become a member of the Confederate Congress: 1845

 

In every part of Germany, excluding Bavaria, Jews had been granted civil rights, allowing Gabriel Riesser, a Jewish advocate, to be elected vice-president of the Frankfurt Vor Parliament and to become a member of the National Assembly. The civil rights, however, existed on paper only and were not enforced: 1848

 

Mount Sinai, the first Jewish Hospital in the United States is founded by a group of mostly German Jewish immigrants: 1852

 

The Ghetto of Prague is officially abolished: 1852

 

Reign of Napoleon III of France: 1852-1870

 

Edgar Mortara, an Italian Jewish child, is abducted by Papal Guards and placed in a monastery: 1858

 

Kaiser William II of Germany: 1859-1941 (Reign 1888-1918)

 

Judah Benjamin becomes attorney general of the Confederacy, the first Jew to hold a cabinet-level office in any American government: 1861

 

1,200 Jews fought for the Confederacy and 6,000 for the Union, including nine generals and 21 colonels in the American Civil War: 1861-1865

 

General Ulysses S. Grant expels Jewish civilians issues General Order No. 11 expelling the Jews "as a class" from the area under the jurisdiction of the Union army in his military department: 1862

 

Jacob Frankel is appointed first Jewish chaplain in the United States Army: 1862

 

Judah P. Benjamin is appointed Secretary of State of the Confederacy: 1862

 

After the American Civil War

 

Jews become a majority in Jerusalem: 1866

 

Switzerland, a hotbed of anti-Jewish edicts grants Jews equal rights only after threats by the United States, France and Britain: 1866

 

The original Ku Klux Klan is organized to maintain "white supremacy": 1867

 

Hungary passes legislation emancipating (granting civil rights) the Jews: 1867

 

Ghettos abolished in Italy: 1870

 

The Edict of Pope Nicholas III, which required compulsory attendance of Jews at conversion sermons since 1278 is abolished: 1870

 

New Hampshire becomes the last state to offer Jews political equality: 1877.

 

Ottoman government announces permission for foreign (non-Ottoman) Jews to settle throughout Ottoman Empire: 1881.

 

Start of mass migrations of eastern European Jews: 1881

 

May Laws restricting the movements and conduct of Jews are enacted in Russia: 1881

 

The word "pogrom" enters the English language, as Russian mobs begin a series of violent attacks against Jews and their property: 1881

 

British occupation of Muslim Egypt: 1882

 

Ottoman government adopts policy to allow Jewish pilgrims and business-people to visit Palestine, but not settle: 1882.

 

Czar Alexander III issues the May Laws banishing Jews from rural areas in an effort to " cause one-third of the Jews to emigrate, one-third to accept baptism and one-third to starve." 1882

 

Ottoman government closes Palestine to foreign (non-Ottoman) Jewish business, but not to Jewish pilgrims: 1884.

 

Sir Nathaniel Meyer Rothschild becomes the first Jew in England's House of Lords. The Christian oath was amended so that non-Christians could also serve in the House of Lords: 1885

 

European powers press Ottoman government to allow foreign (non-Ottoman) Jews to settle in Palestine provided they do not do so en masse: 1888.

Grand Duke Segai orders the expulsion of 14,00 Jewish families living in Moscow. Those who refuse to convert or become prostitutes are sent to the Pale of Settlement: 1891

 

Ottoman government forbids sale of state land to foreign (non-Ottoman) Jews in Palestine: 1892.

 

French general staff officer Alfred Dreyfus is sentenced to life on Devil's Island in the Dreyfus Affair: 1894

 

Last Russian Czar, commissioned what became the anti-Semitic "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," Nicholas II: 1894-1917

 

A section of the Old City Wall is removed to facilitate the entrance of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and his entourage on his visit to Jerusalem: 1898.

 

Emile Zola wins a new trial for Alfred Dreyfus, and despite new charges, Dreyfus is acquitted and promoted to Major: 1899

 

20th Century

 

500,000 Jews flee Russia, 90% go to the United States: 1903-1907

 

Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) grants Jews political rights: 1908

 

United States abrogates treaty of 1832 with Russia because of Russia's refusal to honor passports of Jewish Americans: 1912

 

12 of the 100 members of the Reichstag (German parliament) are Jewish: 1912

 

World War I: 1914-1918

 

Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo prompting World War One: 1914

 

During First World War, Russian forces in retreat drive 600,000 Jews from their homes: 1914

 

American Jewish Relief Committee established to distribute funds to needy Jews; it later combined with other Jewish relief organizations to become the Joint Distribution Committee: 1914

 

The Ottoman Empire enters the war on the side of Germany: 1914.

 

Moses Alexander elected Governor of Idaho - the first Jew to win the governorship of an American state: 1915.

 

Leo Frank, a southern American Jew falsely convicted of murdering a 14 year-old girl is hung by a lynch mob: 1915

 

Louis Dembitz Brandeis is first Jew appointed to the Supreme Court: 1916

 

Germany accuses Jews of evading active service in WWI, despite 100,000 Jews serving, 12% higher than their population ratio: 1916

 

Jews granted full rights in Russia: 1917

 

Russian Revolution breaks out, heavy fighting in the South and West, where over 3 million Jews live. Over 2000 pogroms took place, claiming the lives of up to 200,000 Jews in the next three years: 1917

 

The United States declared war on Germany. Approximately 250,000 Jewish soldiers (20% of whom were volunteers) served in the U.S. Army, roughly 5.7% while Jews only made up 3.25% of the general American population: 1917

 

The Jewish Welfare Board is created and serves the social and religious requirements of Jewish soldiers; expands after the war: 1917

 

End of World War I: 1918.

 

Treaty of Versailles formally ends Word War I. Out of an estimated 1.5 million Jewish soldiers in all the armies, approximately 170,000 were killed and over 100,000 cited for valor: 1918

 

Versailles Peace Conference decides that the conquered Arab provinces will not be restored to Ottoman rule: 1919.

 

First Palestinian National Congress meeting in Jerusalem sends two memoranda to Versailles rejecting Balfour Declaration and demanding independence: 1919.

 

Second and third Palestinian National Congress' held: 1920.

 

Henry Ford's newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, begins publishing its anti-Semitic propaganda, including the Protocols of the Elders of Zion: 1920

 

Immigration laws "reformed" to effectively exclude Eastern European Jews and other immigrants. Further restrictions imposed in 1924: 1921.

 

Fourth Palestinian National Congress convenes in Jerusalem, decides to send delegation to London to explain case against Balfour: 1921.

 

Harvard's president proposes a quota on the number of Jews admitted. After a contentious debate, he withdrew the recommendation: 1922

 

American Jews cheer Detroit Tigers' Hank Greenberg when he refuses to play ball on Yom Kippur. In 1938, with five games left to the season, Greenberg's 58 home runs are two shy of Babe Ruth's record. When several pitchers walk him rather than giving him a shot at the record, many believe major league baseball did not want a Jew to claim that place in America's national sport: 1934.

 

 

References:

1.      Prager, Dennis, and Joseph Telushkin.  Why The Jews?  The Reason For Antisemitism.  Simon and Schuster:  New York, 2003.  Page 20.

2.      ibid.

3.      ibid., page 22.

4.      ibid., page 22-3.

  1. Lefkovitz, Elliot.  Various lectures delivered as curriculum for “Encountering the Holocaust”, Spertus College, Chicago.