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Page 8 of 8 ANTI-SEMITISM OR JEW HATRED.
Initially a unique religion.
Many books have been written on this subject by Jews and non Jews. The truth of the matter is that no race or religious group has been so hated and so persecuted as the Jews and this has been going on for more than 3000 years.
For the 2000 years up to the commencement of Christianity, Jews were living in a world where they were the only group who worshiped one God when everybody else had many. Typical of the many “Pagan” Gods were the sun the moon and fertility gods most of which were represented by statues (Idols) in the pagan temples. The Jews made themselves unpopular by refusing to join in the worship of these Idols and indeed destroying them.
Christians were the first organised religious anti-Semitists
This commences a period when Jews were not allowed to mix with the Christian majority and this enforced separatism would have caused Jews to be always looked upon suspiciously or worse.
When the Romans adopted Christianity as their official religion, around AD 300, Jews were relegated to second class citizens in the whole of the huge Roman Empire and were denied taking any part in the serious economy with the exception of money lending. This activity which had for many centuries been undertaken by Jews made them even more unpopular as they lent with interest to their customers but for nothing to their fellow Jews. This then had to be coupled with the Christian hatred, who soon became very much in the majority, and who blamed the Jews for killing their founder Jesus. Jews were to be a target for Christian persecution from this time until Oliver Cromwell in England c.1650 and Napoleon in the rest of Europe c1800.
Muslims less anti-Semitic than Christians except for the last 50 years
As far as the Muslim world is concerned even though the Koran is anti-Semitic in many places, the Muslims, until the last 50 years, have been much more tolerant to Jews. Indeed Muslims, like Englishman Oliver Cromwell, very often welcomed a Jewish presence as they generally boosted the local economy through their world wide network of business contacts. As we have seen it was Stalin who started the current anti Jewish sentiment amongst Muslims in the Middle East.
USA and other parts of the old British Empire
This freedom for Jews was copied in nearly all of Britain’s colonies notably America, Australia and New Zealand. Other than in Protestant Holland, the Christian Church in mainland Europe continued to murder Jews until the French revolution and the development of Napoleon’s actions to suppress the corruptive elements of the Roman Catholic Church c.1800.
Today
Some reasons for Jew hatred
As we have seen many Jews are still despised in England and other parts of the Christian world. The main reasons for this are.
- Christians feel Jews were responsible for the early death of Jesus and the Church leaders still feel this way. Even though Jesus preached forgiveness, Christians seem unable to forget this particular one.
- Jews (Orthodox) still keep their strict dietary laws. (As do Muslims). This makes it difficult for Jews to mix socially with non Jews.
- Jews for thousands of years have set their minds to study (as demanded by their religion) and for many centuries were restricted (by Christians) to money lending as their only gainful employment. Also Jews for many years had the best world wide network of business contacts. This made the better educated Jews more successful in business and hence richer than their Christian host. This should be coupled with the special privileges and protection given to them by many Kings in an attempt to keep them alive and working in a hostile environment. These characteristics of success and protection were more often than not despised by non Jews than admired. Remember for years the Christian hierarchy only educated their priests rather than their flock.
The Muslim World
- Currently Jews in Israel are seen by extreme Muslims as examples of the corrupt Capitalist Western World and are under continuous attack from Islamic militants under a hate “The Capitalist West” banner.
- Jews were not present in any numbers in Palestine for almost 2000 years after they had fled Roman persecution and the destruction of their temple. With initial support from England, when they were the most powerful nation on earth, and then the United Nations, Jews were “given” a part of Palestine to make a country of their own after 2000 years of Christian persecution while in exile in Christian countries. Militant Muslims want all the Jews in Israel eliminated. Tolerant Muslims have accepted this Jewish land in an Islamic Arab world.
Jews in England Today.
There are three types of Jew in England today.
- The first group are the majority who have fully integrated into Anglo Saxon England by suppressing their faith or even loosing it all together. Many found it necessary to change their name to sound Anglo Saxon rather than Jewish, like Disraeli rather than D’Israeli.
- The second group, many of whom live in the Manchester area, are similar to the above but still keep their religious routes alive (just) with Jewish food, weddings and funerals and occasional visits to the Synagogue on a Saturday. There are other centres like this, for example in the North London areas of Hampstead, St Johns Wood and Golders Green. Both of the above types will often ignore Jewish holidays and continue working the normal Monday to Friday as required in British business. Their, very often, considerable skills are eagerly sort after by non Jewish British businessmen. Both of the above two groups will often opt for Jewish schools for their children where educational levels are more often than not superb. Jewish schools generally accept non Jewish pupils. Both these two groups also are quite comfortable about eating non Kosher food which makes it easy for them to mix with the majority.
- The Third group mainly live in Stamford Hill in North London on the way out to Tottenham Hotspur football ground. These are the Orthodox and Hasidic Jews who do not wish to further integrate into a majority lifestyle and are conspicuous in black suits, black hats and unshaven facial hair. The area is well served with Kosher food suppliers, Synagogues and Jewish schools. Notwithstanding their different life style, this centre of Orthodox Jewry is left in peace.
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