Anti-Semitism

Question 1

How have Jews been treated throughout history?

Answer 1

For long periods of time, Jewish people across Europe were treated differently by their non-Jewish neighbours. Sometimes there were even violent attacks on Jews.

Question 2

What are the reasons for this hostility and when did they orginate?

Answer 2

The reasons are complicated and go back 2,000 years to Roman times.

Question 3

How was the relationship between the Jews and the Romans?

Answer 3

The relationship between them changed as the Roman Empire grew. When Christianity became the official religion of the empire in the fourth century, Judaism became a rival religion, and some early Christians wrongly claimed that Jews had killed Jesus.

Question 4

What religion was everyone in Europe?

Answer 4

By the year 1000CE almost everyone in Europe was Christian. Jews, who did not share Christian beliefs, became the target for brutal persecution.

Question 5

How were Jews treated by 1000 CE?

Answer 5

Lies about Jews spread and Jews became demonised and wrongly blamed for crisis such as plagues. They became a scapegoat for people’s problems.

Question 6

How did rulers of different countries treat Jews?

Answer 6

The rulers of different countries passed laws that were unfair towards Jews. This included stopping Jewish people from doing certain jobs, or making them live separately from non-Jews in ghettos. Jews were often forced to wear hats, badged or certain items of clothing to show they were Jewish.

Question 7

What has happened to Jews on numerous occasions throughout history?

Answer 7

They were forced to leave their country. Every time they were expelled, they had to find another place to settle.

Question 8

What has Jews being expelled caused?

Answer 8

Great movement of Jewish refugees across Europe and beyond. With the spread of Christianity across the world, it was difficult for Jews to find a welcoming place to live.

Question 9

When did Jewish people first come to England?

Answer 9

We do not know

Question 10

What did William the Conqueror do to Jews?

Answer 10

After he became king in 1066, he encouraged Jews to settle in the country. Jewish people were given protection by the king.

Question 11

What happened to Jews after William’s rule?

Answer 11

In the 1100s life for Jews in England changed. Jewish people started to be wrongly accused of murdering Christian children and anti-Jewish feeling grew. Violence against Jews spread across the country.

Question 12

What was one of the worst instances of violence against Jews in england?

Answer 12

In York in 1190, when around 150 Jewish people died after being trapped in a tower.

Question 13

What then happened to Jews?

Answer 13

For the next hundred years the Jews of england suffered increasing persecution.

Question 14

What did the King do?

Answer 14

In 1290, King Edward I ordered all Jews to leave the country.

Question 15

What had england now become?

Answer 15

The first European country to expel Jewish people.

Question 16

When were Jews let back in?

Answer 16

1655. The laws were removed and Jews returned.

Question 17

What is anti-semetism?

Answer 17

Any hostility toward, or discrimination against, Jews as a relious, ethnic, or racial group.

Question 18

What are some examples of prejudice against jews?

Answer 18

1348 France - Jews were burnt for poisoning wells during the Black Death.
1290 Englnad - More than 250 Jews were hanged 3 years before. They were more waelthy than the other English people and the nobles did not trust them. They king wanted to force them to leave for good.
Around 1100 - Jews were murdered by Christians from Europe during the crusades.
Russia 1885 - the local town has just had a terrible harvest and the jews were being blamed. They had been ordered to leave the village or face consequences. The whole village was starving and freezing because the harvest was ruined by the weather and there was hardly any food left.

Question 19

When did Jews face discrimination from Germany?

Answer 19

Between 1933 and 1939, they faced terrible discrimination and prefudice and some were killed.

Question 20

What happened to Jews during the second world war?

Answer 20

1939 - 1945 - the mass killing of approximately six million jews across europe occurred.

Question 21

What did the nazis and their collaborators want to do to Jews?

Answer 21

Totally destroy jewish life in europe.

Question 22

What were jewish people victims of?

Answer 22

Genocide which is an act comitted with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

Question 23

How were the killings brought to an end?

Answer 23

The defeat of Nazi Germany and its allies in 1945.

Question 24

By the end of the war, how many Jews had been killed?

Answer 24

Two-thirds of jews who lived in europe before the war were killed, including approximately 90 per cent of all Jewish children.

Question 25

What were other groups who were persecuted, killed and put into concentration camps by the Nazis?

Answer 25

During this time Roma and Sinit people (sometimes called ‘Gypsies’) also faced terrible discrimination, brutal treatment and imprisonment in Nazi camps. An estimated 500,000 were murdered during the Second World War. They were victims of genocide.

Other groups who were victims of the Nazis and their collaborators:
Disabled people
Gay men
Jehovah’s witnesses
Political opponents
Polish civilians
Soviet civilians
Prisoners of war from the Soviet Union

Question 26

What happened to Jews in 1933?

Answer 26

March: A boycott of Jewish shops organised for one day
April: A law removed all Jewish and political opponents from public service.
April: the number of Jewish school children reduced and controlled.
October: removed Jews from the media.

Question 27

What happened to Jews in 1935?

Answer 27

May: All Jews removed from the army
Sept: Anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws introduced:
1. The Reich citizen law’: declared that only those of German or related blood were eligible to German citizens (citizens of the ‘Reich’.
2. Law for the protection of German Blood and German Honour: forbade marriages and sexual relations between Jews and Germans. It was a law designed to protect German blood and punishment for breaking it was severe.

Question 28

What happened to Jews in 1936?

Answer 28

March: withdrawal of financial assistance for Jewish children.
• October 1936 = Jewish teachers forbidden to teach non Jewish children.

Question 29

What happened to Jews in 1937?

Answer 29

Jewish people unable to gain a university degree.

Question 30

What happened o Jews in 1938?

Answer 30

1938
• Jewish doctors lose their license to work - soon all lawyers and professional jobs also lose their right to work.
* All Jews must teli the government how much wealth they have and where it is.
• All Jewish women must have ‘Sara’ and Jewish men ‘Israel’ in their name.
• A red Jew’ stamp must be in all Jewish passports.
• All Jewish Children banned from attending German Schools
Park benches and shops “for Aryans only”
• Forced to wear distinctive clothing such as a Star on their clothes.