The Holocaust Europe, the World, and the Jews 1918–1945 Chapter 1–The Jewish Question to Modern Times -Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 1.1Jews and Christians in the Ancient World Ancient Beginnings Early Christianity and the Jews -Early Christian teaching held a toxic view of Jews -The New Testament Gospels blamed the Jews for Jesus’ suffering and death -To blame for the crucifixion would have hindered Christianity’s spread 1.2Ashkenazic Jewry in the Middle Ages Ashkenazic Jewry Christian Violence -Mob violence against Jews, based on the notion that they were hostile and demonic Expulsion and Segregation -Jews accused of mocking Christ, robbing widows and orphans, and defrauding churches -Had to wear distinctive clothing so they could be identified -Monarchs expelled Jews from royal domains, auctioned Jewish property, and assumed ownership of their loans -Jews experienced massacres and expulsions -Jews forced to live in ghettos where they were heavily taxed 1.3Emancipation and Acculturation in Western Europe The Idea of Emancipation -Jewish Emancipation meant Jews became legally equal citizens in their countries of residence with freedom to live as they wished oPrice was that Jews had to acculturate to European society -By now a resentment of the Jews was more cultural than religious -Dohm argued Judaism itself was not hostile to Christian society -The leader of the Jewish Enlightenment, Moses Mendelssohn, called for Jews to integrate into their surroundings while holding to Judaism’s traditions -King Frederick issued a charter for Jews that categorized them for residency purposes Emancipation’s Early Limits Acculturation in Western and Central Europe
