Understanding Holocaust and Antisemitism
Thesis Statement:
Antisemitism is to blame for the lack of concern among non-Jews during the up rise of the Holocaust. It is hard to grasp the number of lives lost during the Holocaust. How someone could have so much hatred towards one group of people. Or how so many people could set back and watch something like this take place without protest. To begin to understand how a tragedy like the Holocaust could have took place without intervention we need to understand antisemitism. Merriam-Webster OnLine defines antisemitism as "hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group"(Blah, Blah, Blah). Antisemitism is a little more complex than it sounds. Two thousand years ago the Romans drove the Jews out of the land now called Israel. The Jews went all over the word trying to maintain their belief system and culture as a minority. 1 It was especially hard for the Jews to fit in to a Christian society. Jews do not share the Christian belief that Jesus is the Son of God. Because of this belief they were viewed as outcasts in most Christian societies. Most Christians taught that the Jews were responsible for the death of Christ. However, we know now that Jesus was executed by the Roman government. The Romans viewed Jesus as a political thread to their rule. Religious conflicts weren 't the only problems the Jews faced. They also faced economic problems such as restrictions on jobs and owning land. But at the same time, since the early Church did not allow lending money with interest, Jews filled this necessary role of moneylenders for the Christian majority. As times became desperate, Jews became scapegoats for many of the people 's problems. One example was the "Black Death". Jews were blamed for causing this event that killed thousands of people throughout Europe during the middle ages. Around 1400, in Span, Jews were given three options: Convert to Christianity, leave the country or be
Antisemitism is to blame for the lack of concern among non-Jews during the up rise of the Holocaust. It is hard to grasp the number of lives lost during the Holocaust. How someone could have so much hatred towards one group of people. Or how so many people could set back and watch something like this take place without protest. To begin to understand how a tragedy like the Holocaust could have took place without intervention we need to understand antisemitism. Merriam-Webster OnLine defines antisemitism as "hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group"(Blah, Blah, Blah). Antisemitism is a little more complex than it sounds. Two thousand years ago the Romans drove the Jews out of the land now called Israel. The Jews went all over the word trying to maintain their belief system and culture as a minority. 1 It was especially hard for the Jews to fit in to a Christian society. Jews do not share the Christian belief that Jesus is the Son of God. Because of this belief they were viewed as outcasts in most Christian societies. Most Christians taught that the Jews were responsible for the death of Christ. However, we know now that Jesus was executed by the Roman government. The Romans viewed Jesus as a political thread to their rule. Religious conflicts weren 't the only problems the Jews faced. They also faced economic problems such as restrictions on jobs and owning land. But at the same time, since the early Church did not allow lending money with interest, Jews filled this necessary role of moneylenders for the Christian majority. As times became desperate, Jews became scapegoats for many of the people 's problems. One example was the "Black Death". Jews were blamed for causing this event that killed thousands of people throughout Europe during the middle ages. Around 1400, in Span, Jews were given three options: Convert to Christianity, leave the country or be
Bibliography: Amlog, Shmuel. Theorizing about Antisemitism, the Holocaust and Modernity. . (28 May 2005). Antisemitism. . (28 May 2005). Hornberger, Jacob G. How Hitler Became A Dictator. 28 June 2004. . (28 May 2005). Merriam Webster Online. (28 May 2005).