The Origin of Antisemitism One of the world’s oldest forms of discrimination is unique—not because of who it targets, but because it never ceases. WORDS by ADEN MEISEL ART by HANNA MASRI and ADEN MEISEL
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hen major events such as the 2014 Jerusalem synagogue attack, the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the 2019 Halle synagogue shooting, and the 2022 Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis reach headlines, the hostility behind these hateful attacks is often highlighted instead of the ‘why?’ With regard to the many anti-semitic events within the past few decades, they are by no means a new societal issue but an evolved
hending how the Holocaust happened is impossible without first understanding the near 2000 years it took to develop.” Antisemitism can be traced as far back as the Dionysian Era (before Christ) in the Greek and Roman world; there was much animus toward Jewish groups due to their unwillingness to worship Roman gods and emperors because of their monotheistic values. Following the branching of Christianity from Judaism 700 C.E., frustrated Christian radicals blamed
to preserve their culture and values. And as Christianity continued to manifest itself in Europe, Jews began losing rights to property, unionization, and even the practice of their religion. According to the Anti-Defamation League’s National Director of Antisemitism Programs, Vlad Khaykin, because of this, it became evident that “antisemitism is not just an interpersonal prejudice that lives in the hearts and minds of human beings, but from this point on, one that embeds itself within the systems, structures, and institutions
continuation of a particular type of bigotry that has plagued the world for thousands of years. The bigotry concentrated on Jewish communities throughout history can be attributed to the constantly changing situation in their global position. And to understand the origin of antisemitism and why this particular bigotry is so different from any other, it is crucial to evaluate its context. According to a lecture given by Lafayette College professor Robert Weiner in 2012, concerning the climax of anti-semitic action being the Holocaust, “Jewish-Christian relations are critical from year 0 through 1900 because compre-
the death of Christ on the Jews who were unwilling to embrace the new testament. This false belief would set the stage for Jews being resented in a then Catholically embraced Europe. As the Catholic Church gained influence over the world in the Middle ages, Catholicism was so strong as to influence European monarchical rule and configure a continental economic pyramid social structure, which later became known as the feudal system. But because the feudal system relied on oaths of Catholic loyalty to ensure stability, Jews were wholly excluded from almost all social and economic activity in an attempt
of our society, its cultural norms, social dynamics, the very fabric of our civilization,” Khaykin said. Despite this societal rejection, Jews “created their own way of living by lending out money which led them to pioneer early banking along with pursuing small crafts,” Weiner said. Apart from this, there are countless other instances in which this group showed perseverance through times of oppression and discrimination that continued centuries to come. In short, according to Weiner, due to Zionism not yet being a widespread idea and Jews still being a diasporic people, they
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