C
Capt. Beaky
Guest
Although it is 44 years since I sat the Leaving CertThere are specific reasons why anti-Semitism was common in Europe. Notably (in the middle Ages) the ban on Christians profiting from “usury”. In the context of the times usury covered charging any interest on loans, not just exorbitant rates. Because of this Jews were resented and blamed when debtors couldn’t pay their bills (just as bankers are now). The fact that many knights going on Crusades to the Holy land financed their trips with Jewish backed loans and then returned broke also added a religious twist to the equation. Jewish religious laws about cleanliness and marriage and traditions around social contact also led to social isolation.
In short there are reasons why Jews in Europe were resented by many and hated by some, just as there are reasons why the Irish were hated in England and America (remember the New York Times cartoon showing the drunken Irish ape-man riding on the back of the disgruntled Anglo-Saxon protestant local?). Every minority was hated in Europe through the middle ages (the Cathars in Languedoc France for example) so Jewish people we nothing special in that regard. The reason that they stand out is that they survived their oppression, unlike most of the rest.
There is indeed a reason why European Jews were and are hated but it has much more to do with the ignorance and bigotry of non-Jews than their victims. If in doubt just look at those at the forefront of anti-Semitic movement at the moment; German and Russian skin-heads and the most extreme sections of the National Front in the UK. If you are happy to be associated with these people by virtue of nod-and-a-wink insinuations in your posts then that’s your prerogative but it’s not something that I would wish for.