Anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages

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Anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages
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Judaism

• Torah- Old Testament
• Judaea conquered by the Romans, the Jews are
  scattered
• They divide into two main groups
• Sephardic-Those who go south and east- The
  Middle East and North Africa
• Ashkenazic- Those who go north and west- Europe

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Reasoning

• Christians pinpoint Jewish role in Jesus death
• They begin to blame the entire Jewish race
• The Church focuses on the difference between
  Christianity and Judaism
• As stereotypes develop, these stereotypes are
  given as the reasoning behind Jewish persecution.

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Stereotypes

• Jews have big noses
• This is just how they were presented in passion
  plays to make them recognizable
• This stereotype is similar to saying all witches
  have noses
• Jews are greedy
• Jews were often money lenders because Christians
  could not lend money and the Jews were not
  allowed to be a part of the feudal system
• They were forced to be money lenders and bankers,
  and nobody likes the person they owe money to

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Imagined Crimes

• Blood Libel

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Other Crimes

• Jews were thought to be witches
• Trying to convert Christians
• Host desecration

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The Black Plague

• Jews were even blamed for The Plague

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The Crusades

• Jews in Europe and the Holy Land were attacked
  during the Crusades
• Peter the Hermit- First Crusade
• Attacks in France- Second Crusade

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The Effects

• Forced to wear special clothing
• Yellow Star of David
• Judenhut- pointed hats
• Forced to live in certain areas
• Ghettos
• Passion plays rallied people against the Jews
• Spanish Inquisition
• Expelled from England, France, Germany, Portugal,
  and Spain