A short history of anti semiti
A short history of anti-semitiThe Second World War has left an unmistakable impression on the whole of Europe that will never be forgotten. Whether visible to the naked eye, or hidden in the consciousness of its people, the war has scarred Europe indelibly. Historically, the foremost recognizable perpetration against Europeans was Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution to the Jewish question”. This sophisticated operation of systematic mass execution was calculated, organized, and carried out with such horrifying efficiency that only a madman could have been responsible for such an act, and Hitler was indeed mad. However, Anti-Semitism had been long a part of German history, and this religious intolerance had its roots firmly planted long before the rise of the Third Reich. Although the sheer magnitude of the loss of life during the holocaust is simply impossible to grasp, these horrors were the culmination of generations of anti-Semitism, brought to the boiling point by the decision of one power-crazed man.
Dating back several centuries, anti-Semitism was prevalent throughout Germany barring rare instances where communities were tolerant religiously or socially of Jewish inhabitants. However, the belief that Jews were selfish, manipulative, ignorant heretics bound only for hell was
still a popular one, even in communities such as these. The Catholic Church only enforced these views, and German Jews had difficulties seeking equality. “To Christians, the Jews were an obdurate people who had refused to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah, and who not only still persisted in that error but were burdened with the guilt of deicide…” (Craig, 127) By the arrival of the reformation, anti-Semitism was commonplace among Germans and even justified by the Catholic Church. Jews during this era perhaps saw the coming of a new idealism with Martin Luther, or at least believed that mass split from the Catholic Church would at least increase tolerance to their people. However this was only a myth, for Luther saw the reformation to be a perfect opportunity for German Jews to renounce their religion and join the newly sprung Christian assemblage. Luther’s plan didn’t quite come to fruition as Jews found this to be just another attempt to destroy their religious autonomy under the facade of a new and better idealism. Luther’s ignorance and self-righteous fanaticism was soon revealed, as he would eventually write “..We know about their...
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