Anti-Semitism - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Anti-Semitism

&

The HolocaustSlide2

Important Events in Jewish History

It is important to begin our discussion about Anti-Semitism by looking at the timeline of Jewish history in order to understand the persecution that has existed from the time of Moses.

1400

BCE? (date unclear) The descendants of Abraham move to Egypt where they work as slaves.

1280 BCE Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt and across the Red Sea.

721 BCE Assyrians conquer and invade Israel (Northern Tribes), evicting most Jews.

586 BCE Babylonians capture Jerusalem (Southern Tribes) and destroy Solomon’s Temple which is later rebuilt. Jews exiled.

70 CE Roman invaders conquer Jerusalem, seize the city, and destroy the temple, which is never rebuilt.

119 CE Emperor Hadrian bans circumcision in an attempt to ban the expression of Judaism.

135 CE Emperor Hadrian continues persecution of the Jews. Renames Judea, Palestine.

529-559 CE Justinian the Great restricts citizenship to Christians, restricts Jewish civil rights, banishes of use of Hebrew in worship, and changes synagogues into churches. Slide3

Important Events in Jewish History

613 CE Jews persecuted in Spain. All who refused to be baptized are exiled. Later remaining Jews lose all rights and property. All children under the age of 7 must receive a Christian education.

807 CE Jews and Christians ordered to wear different coloured belts

1290 CE Edward I banishes Jews from England; 15 000 Jewish people leave the country.

1306 CE King Philip banishes Jews from France; 100 000 Jewish people leave the country.

1321 CE Jews accused of poisoning wells in France; 5 000 Jewish people are burned to death.

1348 CE European Jews blamed for the plague. Massacres of Jewish people occur in Spain, France, and Germany. Over 200 Jewish communities were destroyed.

1794 CE Jewish men forced to serve 25 years in Russian military. Thousands left the country.

Again, these are just some of the experiences of Jewish people throughout history

.Slide4

European Jews blamed for the plague and burned in 1349. Slide5

Why were Jews subject to this persecution?

The

Diaspora

meant that Jews did not have any type of social safety net or safety in numbers. They represented a very small minority in communities throughout history, making them vulnerable to attacks.

No matter where they went throughout history, Jewish people always brought with them, unique ways of expressing their religion and culture. These customs distinguished or set them apart in communities in which they lived.

Some groups of Christians held Jews responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. This is interesting since Jesus’ life and death fulfilled Christian prophecy. Some believe that this misinterpretation still exists today. Recently, this debate reignited in the 2004 Mel Gibson movie, Passion of the Christ.

Jews

became scapegoats for problems that existed in communities and countries. Certainly, Adolf Hitler blamed the Jews for many of Germany’s problems after WWI.Slide6

The Rise of Anti-Semitism

After WWII, the “Guilt clause” (Germany & her allies had to accept responsibility for WWI) came

into

effect. This provision

meant

that Germany suffered greatly, defensively, territorially, and financially. The total cost to Germany was 132 billion marks. Many historians today blame at least part of the rise of Hitler and WWII on this “fine.”

As a result, Germany plummeted into economic turmoil, which lead to an economic depression.

As Hitler rose to power he increasingly referred to Jews as the cause of German’s misfortune; and he made

anti-Semitism

a central theme of the Nazi message. When Hitler seized complete political power in 1933, anti-Semitism became a significant part of government policy. Slide7

The Rise of Anti-Semitism

In

1933, Hitler introduced the “

Nuremberg Laws

,” which took away citizenship from the Jews and restricted their civil rights.

The

laws classified Jews as “sub-human” and forced them to wear special badges and symbols that would readily identify them as Jewish.

The

Nazi regime took away Jewish rights and

property

A member of Einsatzgruppe D about to shoot a man sitting by a mass grave in the Ukraine, in 1942

.Slide8

The Holocaust

The Holocaust, the genocide of six million Jews and as many as 12 million people was a human tragedy. Slide9

Defining the Holocaust

HOLOCAUST

(Heb.,

sho'ah)

which originally meant a sacrifice totally burned by fire

the annihilation of the Jews and other groups of people of Europe under the Nazi regime during World War II

GENOCIDE

: the systematic

extermination of a nationality or groupSlide10

European Jewish Population in 1933 was

9,508,340Slide11

Estimated Jewish Survivors of Holocaust:

3,546,211Slide12

Swastika: A Symbol of Good or Evil?

In 1920, Adolf Hitler decided that the Nazi Party needed its own insignia and flag and chose the

swastika

to represent the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man

Because of the Nazis' flag, the swastika soon became a symbol of hate, anti-Semitism, violence, death, and murder.

The

swastika is an ancient Indian symbol (Sanskrit) that is over 3,000 years old meaning well being, life and good luck,

prosperity

The

swastika is sacred religious symbol for Hindus, Jains and Buddhists

Common

symbol in ancient civilizations (Mesopotamia, India, China, Central and South America (Maya)Slide13

The Holocaust

Hitler pushed for the “final solution” -

the goal to systematically exterminate the Jewish

population.

Not all Germans supported

him, and

some did not really know the extent of the Hitler’s plan. Yet as a dictator Hitler pushed his plan

ahead.

Consider the ways in which the “final solution” reached into all sectors of government and

society: Review

of birth records to identify people of Jewish

origins; Jewish

children prohibited from

schools; Trains delivered prisoners to the concentration and death camps; Clear

and concise records kept of prisoners and death statistics

.

The most famous riot against the Jewish people is known as

Kristallnacht

meaning “Crystal Night,” or “Night of Broken Glass.” On November 9, 1938, the Nazi regime destroyed over 1500 synagogues and 8000 Jewish businesses, leaving German streets covered in glass, Jewish people covered in blood, or herded into train cattle cars for a journey to concentration camps.Slide14

The Holocaust

The

final

solution

involved

rounding up Jews by the thousands and transporting them to concentration, and eventually specialized death camps. It is believed that the order for the “final solution” came in the summer of 1941.

Construction of concentration and

labour

camps demonstrated the organization and magnitude of the Nazi’s determination to free German society of Jews. Prisoners often faced disease, hunger, and unbelievable living conditions. For many, death brought an end to a long road of incredible suffering and misery.

These prison camps evolved into mechanisms of systematic and organized killing machines. The preferred method of extermination became gas

chambers: Slide15

The Holocaust

Hitler wanted it made clear, the Jewish race had to be eliminated. The first use of gas took place at

Auschwitz

in September, 1941. Along with

Auschwitz

, five other “death” camps designated to carry out the mass extermination of the Jews existed:

Chelmo

,

Majdanek

,

Belzec

,

Sobibor, and

Treblinka. The operations at the death camps became extremely efficient. Camp officials processed new arrivals; and herded those not able to work, directly from trains to the gas chamber. Hundreds of thousands of Jewish people’s deaths occurred at these camps.

Only after the defeat of Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler, did the world completely become aware of the extent of the horrors of this regime.Slide16

Holocaust Art: Concentration CampSlide17

The Aftermath

Yom ha-Shoah: Holocaust

Remembrance Day established in

1951 and observed on

the 27th day of the month of

Nisan (Jewish calendar).

Nuremberg Trials: 1945-1949 were trials for war crimes of Nazi officials (24 Nazi leaders tried)

Displaced Persons

Anti-Semitism

till exists in

the world

todaySlide18

The Canadian Context

Many

people ask the question, “How could the world let this happen?” Many historians argue governments knew some of the realities of the Holocaust, but the true scope did not become clear until the war ended.

In

1939, a ship with 907 Jewish refugee passengers attempted to gain entry into Canada. The authorities refused the ship and its passengers’ entry. Earlier, both Cuba and the United States also refused the Jewish people entry into their countries. In the end, the ship returned to Europe, and it is believed that over half of the passengers died during the Holocaust.

Jewish refugees on the SS St. LouisSlide19

Impact on Jews in Canada

The

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, passed in 1982, guarantees a freedom of “religion, thought, belief and expression.” This protects people from persecution by the government for their religious beliefs.

Furthermore

,

Canada’s

provinces recognize

the Holocaust

Remembrance

Day. It has a

two-fold purpose: to officially recognize the tragedy, and to create awareness about the need to educate and remember.Slide20

Effects of Holocaust on Jewish Community

-After the horrors faced, the faith of many Jews was shaken.

-Some wondered if God were punishing them for their lack of faithfulness

-Others wondered how they could stay faithful after all they had been throughSlide21

Effects of Holocaust on Jewish Community

“The Mishnah teaches: Therefore was Adam created single, to teach you that the destruction of any person’s life is tantamount to destroying a whole world and the preservation of a single life is tantamount to preserving the whole world.”

(Tractate

Sandhedrin

4:5)Slide22

Effects of Holocaust on Jewish Community

-For others, the belief that God is with us through good and bad remains strong

-The central message of the Torah, “What is hateful to you, do not do to other” is the rallying cry for many Jews after the Holocaust.

Greater

emphasis on

tikkun

olam

was a

response

Life

is sacred because it is from God, preserving life is another key response