Number: ______Name: ______
ANTISEMITISM
We will be watching clips of testimony from individuals who experienced life in Germany prior to the rise of the Nazi Party. Listen to the testimony closely, and consider how the testimony supports or differs from what you imagined life was like for Jews in Germany before 1933.
- In his testimony, how does John Graham describe his feelings toward Germany before the war?
- H. Henry Sinason mentions that his father considered himself German first and Jewish second. What does this mean?
- After listening to Margaret Lambert’s testimony, what is your sense of what the relationship between Jews and non-Jews was like before the war?
- Describe how H. Henry Sinason says that his friends have changed. Who does he believe is responsible for their change in attitude and behavior?
- Henry Laurant makes it a point to discuss his father’s occupation and position in the community. What did the vandalism signal for Henry’s father? How does Henry’s testimony add to your understanding of what was happening in Germany during this time period?
- In her testimony, Judith Becker speaks about a course on racism that was taught in schools. What was funny about what Judith describes? Why do you think the Nazis wanted to target young people with their racial ideology?
- From listening to these testimonies, what do you learn about how the atmosphere in Germany was changing?
SUMMARY OF ANTISEMITISM
Antisemitism is the term used for hatred of Jews as a group or Jews as a concept. It is an archaic
term conceived in the latter part of the nineteenth century when the social sciences were trying to
develop “scientific” terms to match those of the pure sciences. In practice, however, the hatred of
Jews has deep roots in history. As far back as ancient times, Jews were often seen as outsiders and a
stubborn people who were unwilling to assimilate, primarily because of their religious beliefs.
With the beginning of Christianity, there was an inherent clash between Judaism and Christianity.
Christianity grew out of Judaism, but at the same time was competing with it. Early Church fathers
believed that the Jews had failed in their role in the world and that Christians had inherited it. In
addition, although the Romans crucified Jesus, the blame was put on all Jews everywhere and forever
(a false blame that was condemned by the Catholic Church in the 1960s). Jews were also said to
be in league with the devil, which both dehumanized and demonized them. For these reasons, not
only were Jews seen as outsiders, but they were also regarded as a people who should be eternally
punished.
By the Middle Ages, Jews were living in Europe not as an integrated part of society, but as outsiders
and on the sufferance of local rulers. Popular antisemitism prevailed partly to win favor with the
ruling Romans. Jews could live only where the rulers allowed them and practice only certain trades
and professions that generally were shunned by the rest of the population. As a result, Jews often
engaged in trade and banking, which led to negative stereotypes that Jews care only for money and
engage in shady business practices. When crisis struck, primarily the massive death caused by the
“Black Death” in the 1300s, Jews were falsely accused of having caused the sickness by poisoning
the wells—they were made the scapegoats for the tragedy. Other accusations included the patently
false blood libel—the belief that Jews use the blood of Christians for ritual purposes. As a result of
these many layers of anti-Jewish stereotypes, Jews were frequently massacred, expelled, or forcibly
converted to Christianity.
By the nineteenth century, a constellation of antisemitic stereotypes was deeply rooted in the
Western World. Nevertheless, under the influence of the Enlightenment and modern thought, the
process of giving Jews equal rights unfolded in much of Europe. As Jews integrated more, there
were some in the general society who applauded these changes and hoped that by assimilating, the
allegedly bad characteristics of Jews would disappear. There was a paradox that even among the
greatest champions of Jewish rights, there were those who still had many antisemitic beliefs, and
Jews frequently faced social discrimination even where they had been granted legal equality.
Especially as the modern nations of Europe took shape, there was heated discussion about whether
or not Jews, who were often viewed as a separate group or nation, could really be a part of the
broader nation. In light of all the antisemitic stereotypes attributed to them, many people believed
Jews were simply not capable of being part of “the nation.”
New stereotypes also arose at this time. It was said that Jewish elders plotted to take over the world.
A fabricated record of the supposed Jewish conspiracy was published as The Protocols of the Elders
of Zion, which nevertheless a great many people believed was true and many still believe is accurate
today. Jews were also accused of being unpatriotic, despite much evidence to the contrary.
Most significantly during the last third of the nineteenth century, racism as a pseudoscience first
surfaced. Racism grew out of the emerging sciences of biology, genetics, and anthropology, and
it held that human civilization could be best understood through biology. Moreover, it held that
different national and ethnic groups were defined by their biological characteristics, and some
groups were superior to others. With the long history of antisemitism as the background, Jews were
seen by many racial thinkers as the worst race—strong, yet very dangerous. In other words, all the
negative stereotypes Jews supposedly had were now explained as being the result of Jewish biology,
or in language of the time, “Jewish blood.” With earlier forms of antisemitism Jews could escape
hatred, at least in theory, by converting to Christianity or shedding their alleged bad characteristics
by assimilating. As soon as anti-Jewish prejudice was linked to racism, Jews could do nothing to
change themselves or the hatred directed toward them.
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party did not invent antisemitism, but it was central to their ideology.
They embraced a racial ideology that stated the Germans were the master race in the world.
Their goal was to make Germany a superpower by conquering lands of supposedly lesser people
and restructuring society according to racial principles. For the Nazis, the Jews were the racial
archenemy. They saw them as a demonic force that aspired to dominate the world, and they
believed that the Jews’ victory would spell the end of the world. The Nazis believed that Jews were
behind Bolshevism (Communism), exploitative capitalism, and democracy, all of which supposedly
threatened mankind. Nazi ideology also argued that Christianity had been weakened by Jewish
ideas, such as that all human beings are created in the image of God. In short they blamed Jews
for all of humanity’s shortfalls and troubles. Not only did they believe that Jews had no place in
a racially restructured Europe, they felt that they must put an end to the “Jewish menace” lest the
Jews destroy them.
One would think after the Holocaust antisemitism would have disappeared. Unfortunately it has
continued to exist. Today a constellation of antisemitic stereotypes and motifs still may be found,
some elements with older ideas and some with newer variations, chief among them hatred of Jews
linked to a demonic image of Israel and Zionism.
“Summary of Anti-Semitism” Questions
- What examples of stereotypes or accusations against Jews were discussed in the text?
- In what way did Nazi ideology create a new form of anti-Semitism?
- What does the term “scapegoat” mean?
- What are some situations when people may be likely to scapegoat a group of people?
- Can you name groups of people in the United States who have been unfairly blamed for circumstances or events?
- Why do you think many people didn’t question or protest what they were being told about Jews?
“NOT IN OUR TOWN”
In the mid-1980s, some hate groups declared the northwestern part of the United States to be their
“homeland.” These hate groups were becoming more and more violent in the region. In 1986, the
Aryan Nations organization declared its intention to make the region a place where only whites
and Christians could own property, vote, conduct business, bear arms, and hold public office.
Incidents of harassment and violence against “minority” groups became more and more common.
It was not long before Billings, a city in southern Montana, found itself the target of a series of
hateful incidents. Billings, with a population of approximately 104,000 people, is the largest city
in Montana and the commercial, shipping, and processing center of a region that produces cattle,
wheat, and sugar beets. Billings is the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, the Crow Indian
Reservation, and the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.
In 1993, Ku Klux Klan flyers were distributed around Billings, tombstones in the Jewish cemetery
were overturned; the home of a Native American family was spray-painted with swastikas; members
of an African-American church were intimidated, and bricks were thrown through windows of
homes that displayed menorahs for the Jewish holiday of Chanukah.
Rather than accept what was happening in their community, people decided to take a stand against
hate. Those who were not targets became allies to those who were. City officials and law enforcement
officers made strong statements against the activities. The Painters Union formed a work force to
paint over the graffiti. Religious and community leaders sponsored human rights activities. The local
newspaper printed full-page menorahs for display in homes and businesses throughout the town.
Most of the 10,000 people who decided to display the menorahs were not Jewish; they displayed
the symbols to show that they were unwilling to accept prejudice and hate in their community. In
a show of support, people attended religious services at an African-American church where the
congregation was being harassed and intimidated by members of hate groups.
Actions by the people of Billings, Montana became a model for other communities around the
country who also spoke out against hate. The motto for such community actions became known as
“Not in Our Town.”
“Not In Our Town” Questions
- What is a hate group?
- Why do you think some people choose to join hate groups?
- How do you think people are recruited to join hate groups?
- How is the ideology of hate groups today similar to Nazi racial ideology?
- What is meant by the term “ally”?
- What specifically did the people of Billings, Montana do to show that they were allies to those who had become targets of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry?
- What risks did the people of Billings take when they decided to take action against what was happening in their community?
- What are some of the possible risks that a person takes when he or she decides to become an ally?
- Why do you think the story of what happened in Billings, Montana still resonates for people twenty years later?