According to the Oxford English Dictionary, antisemitism can be best defined as the “hatred or unfair treatment of Jews.” We’ve all heard of antisemitism at least once in our lives, but the question still remains: where did it originate from, and why is it still so prevalent in today’s society?
Antisemitism has also been called the “longest hatred”, as it has persisted in various forms since Ancient times. In the first millennium of the Christian Era, leaders of the European Christian Church wrongfully accused all Jews of the crucifixion of Christ, which led them to flee the Middle East and scatter all over the world. For the next two thousand years, Jewish people would lose their sense of community and experience several forms of discrimination and prejudice in different parts of the world.
The Middle Ages and the tragic events that occurred during this era only served to solidify the hatred and discrimination against Jews, especially in Europe. In much of Europe, Jews were denied citizenship and were excluded from the government, for several reasons, such as the fact that they did not share the belief that Jesus was God’s son (which Christians perceived as arrogance,) but also because of the “blood libel” (allegations of Jews’ sacrifice of Christian children in order to use their blood for religious rituals).
As European commerce grew during the 13th century, many Jews proved to be exceptionally talented in trade, banking, and moneylending. However, instead of being appreciated for their talents and work ethic, they were scrutinized once again, this time, on the basis of envy. This, in turn, led to the forced expulsion of Jews from countries such as Spain, France, and Germany; thus, Jewish communities relocated to the central and eastern parts of Europe.
Unfortunately, antisemitism reached its peak in the 20th century, resulting in the worst genocide known to mankind, which took the lives of almost six million Jews. This all began with the Nazi’s antisemitic rhetoric, which was based upon racist, nationalist, as well as social Darwinism ideals, which essentially portrayed Jews as a race that was different from the rest. They also used older stereotypes, such as illustrating Jews as communist subversives, war profiteers, and a direct threat to Germany's stability. This anti-semitic rhetoric quickly garnered the support of the people, and they used it as a means to justify their own financial and social struggles, which had resulted in the aftermath of World War I.
Many people nowadays choose to believe that this kind of rhetoric is a thing of the past. And while the events of the Holocaust are unlikely to repeat today, antisemitism is still very much present in the 21st century. This is because anti-Semitism is not just a social prejudice; it is a conspiracy theory about how the world operates.
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