Anti-Semitism In The 19th Century

Anti- Semitism, or the irrational hatred of Jews, has existed in many forms since the earliest civilizations. One of the most horrific examples of this was demonstrated in WWII under the Nazi regime. However, the seeds of Anti-Semitism that germinated at that time were the result of the preceding century’s growing anti-Jewish sentiments and tensions. The 19th century was a turbulent time in Europe. The French Revolution had recently ended and the Napoleonic Wars were erupting. The discovery of the steam engine and electricity helped fuel an Industrial Revolution, which was accompanied by a population explosion and a focus on urban environments in Western Europe, which included England, France and later Germany and Italy. Eastern Europe,
“Hep Hep” refers to the rallying yell that riots used, although there is some debate about the exact origin of the words. Many Anti-Semitic publications continued to stir up hatred, which further fueled the riots. The riots began with looting and smashing signs and quickly spread to abusing citizens. The military was called in to maintain the peace and the crowds dispersed. Most of the Jews fled the area until they felt it was safe to return to their homes. One of the most destructive aspects of the riots was that they stimulated more Anti-Semitic propaganda to be circulated which mocked Jews and generated fear about the impact of Jews on local communities. (https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/hep.html) Following the Hep Hep Riots in 1827, Russia began to implement stricter regulations which required Jews to enroll in military for 25 years of service. Jewish minors were placed in “Canonists” which trained them for their military careers. The conditions that the soldiers endured were bad and many did not survive for their full term. The Russians hoped that the Jews would eventually convert to Christianity. Czar Nicolas I also wrote a constitution with oppressive rules against Jews. Jews were only allowed in certain jobs and could not be paid well. Only a small percentage of Jews could attend school and an even smaller percentage
There were many instances of blood libel. Blood libel is an Anti-Semitic belief that Jewish people killed Christian children in order to use their blood in religious ceremonies, particularly during the holiday of Passover and baking matzah. The belief goes back to early civilization in 3,000 B.C. when any disappearances or deaths of children were blamed on the Jews. The sentence for these crimes was usually death; however, occasionally one might get life in prison, which in those times was likely to be medieval conditions and death would be preferable. The Jewish Torah, or the Talmud, actually forbids murder, but this scapegoating behavior is