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Brith of Religions
Abraham, the father of three major religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) established a new nation - the people of Israel (about 1000 years BCE). During the centuries before Christ, the Hebrews experienced intermittent persecution because they refused to adopt the religion of the ruler and worship the idols of the kingdoms of the Middle East. This event was the beginning of anti-Semitism, when the Jewish people refused to conform to another religion, and were persecuted because of this. -
Jews and Christians
After the coming of Christianity, anti-Judaism evolved. Christianity was first seen as a sect of Judaism, since Jesus and the Disciples were Jewish. In 70 A.D Romans destroyed the Jewish state and most Jews were scattered throughout the ancient world. This event shows the evolution of Christianity from Judaism, which is important as the majority of persecutors of Jews would end up being Christian. -
Cutbacks to Jewish Rights
Throughout 300-600, new industrialized discrimination blossomed: Jews were not allowed to marry Christians (399 A.D), prohibited from holding positions in government (439 A.D), not allowed to be used as witnesses against Christians in court (531 A.D). These events are important as they show the evolution of oppression that the Jews faced throughout history. These are a few events that depict how their human rights slowly disappeared. -
Jewish Slavery
In 694-711, all Jews under Visigothic rule in Spain were declared slaves, their possessions confiscated, and the Jewish religion outlawed. This event was a large step forward for anti-Semitists in Spain, and it severely degraded Jews and Judaism in the country. -
The Crusades
In 1095, Pope Urban II encouraged Christians to begin what would later be called the Crusades. This Crusader army (more like a mob) looted, raped, and massacred Jews as they went. The Crusades were a very important historical event that brought the demise to many that were not part of the Christian church. -
Expulsion of Jews
In 1182 King Philip Augustus of France decrees the expulsion of Jews from his kingdom. This event highlights the absolute hatred of Jews in European society. To have a king specifically outcast a group of people like King Philip Augustus did shows an incredible amount of animosity. -
Jewish Living
Jews were restricted to living in ghettos as their civil rights disappeared, and beginning in the 13th century, Jews were required to wear a distinctive symbol (badge/pointed hat) so that they could be immediately recognized (again and action used by the Nazis). This event describes when the special Jewish attire was first implemented. -
The Bubonic Plague
In the 14th century, the Bubonic Plague was upon Europe, which killed one third of the population. Superstitions and stereotypes regarding Jews caused the population to blame the Jews for the plague, accusing them of poisoning wells and spreading disease. An estimated 100 000 Jews were burned alive for this and other false accusations in Germany and Austria. This is a very important event in the timeline of anti-Semitism, as it gave the Jewish people an extremely poor reputation, and killed many -
The Holocaust
The Holocaust occurred during WWII, killing six million jews (out of nine million in Europe). Anti-Semitism drastically decreased after this event. This event is the most notable and well-known anti-Semitic event in history, and cost the lives of millions of Jews. -
The Modern World
During a recent war in Gaza, there were 220 anti-Semitic incidents in the U.K and 113 in France. This event outlines that despite a large decrease in anti-Semitism in the modern world, there still are some places where it does occur.
