By Jason Naulty

History of Jews in Europe

Ferdinand and Isabella established the Spanish Inquisition in 1478

Meant for the discovery and punishment of heresy

13,000 Spanish Jews were put to trial over a 12 year period

Spanish aggression coalesced into an expulsion of 200,000 Jews from Spain

Spanish Inquisition

A new inquisition began in 1531 in Portugal

Targeted many of the Jews that had been driven out of Spain in 1492

Many of those who fled went to Amsterdam

Portuguese Inquisition

The first Ghetto was established in Venice in 1516

In 1555, a ghetto in Rome was created, which began a widespread trend of confining Jews into enclaves within cities

These ghettos often had only one or two entries and exits, and no Jews were allowed to leave after sundown

Early Ghettos

Following the Spanish Inquisition, a massive amount of Jews flocked to Poland as the Polish monarchy began Jewish toleration

Approximately 80% of Jews were living in Poland by the mid 16th century

Jewish Immigration to Poland

Upon immigration to Poland, Jews gained good status with Polish nobility

Many became business partners with the nobility

Many Jews became involved in the wheat export industry

They ran their own mills, exported wheat to the West, and traded luxury goods they had received as payment to the Polish nobles

Economic Success in Poland

Martin Luther initially did not take a stance on Judaism

After creating Lutheranism, Luther turned against the Jews

Luther claimed that Jews no longer had an excuse not to convert, because they no longer faced the oppression of the Catholic Church

Luther’s outspoken hatred for Jews became notable works of anti-semitism

Martin Luther and Anti-Semitism

Oliver Cromwell readmitted Jews to England in 1655

English Parliament passed a law stating that Jews can be naturalized in English colonies in 1740

Jews finally received full emancipation in 1858

England

The French Revolution brought about Jewish citizenship in France

The Reign of Terror, however, caused the closing of many synagogues and Jewish organizations

Napoleon eventually established anti-Jewish laws that forced Jews into poverty and attempted to assimilate them into French society

The French Revolution

The Inquisition was abolished in Portugal in 1765 and in Spain in 1808

By the end of the Inquisition, over 31,000 Jews were estimated to have been burned at the stake

Nearly 300,000 Jews had been forced to make “reconciliations” in the Inquisition

The end of the Inquisition can be attributed to the spread of Enlightenment ideals

End of the Inquisition

The second half of the 19th century brought several countries emancipating the Jews

England – 1858Hungary – 1867Italy – 1870Germany - 1871

Mass Emancipation

Government organized Russian attacks on the Jewish population

Tens of thousands of Jews were killed in the series of attacks

Over 2 million Jews emigrated from Russia as a result of the Pogroms

Pogroms

A Jewish movement dedicated to returning the Jews to their homeland

Many Zionists portrayed themselves as greater than other non-Zionist Jews as well as non-Jewish people

This movement caused a trend in emigration from Europe, especially after the Russian Pogroms

Zionism

A Jewish socialist labor group in Russia

An attempted Russian revolution in 1905 by the Bund failed

Backlash occurred against the Jews, more pogroms resulted

The 1917 Russian Revolution was more successful for the Bund, allowing Jews to gain equal rights

The Russian Civil War led to more pogroms

The Bund

Hitler was in prison when he wrote his manifesto, Mein Kampf

In the book, Hitler outlined many of his anti-Semitic ideals

Hitler claimed that Germans were of the perfect Aryan race, and Jews were not

Hitler also claimed that Jews were conspiring to conquer the Aryans and rule the world

This led to many of his anti-Semitic policies in the future

Hitler and Anti-Semitism

The Nazis rose to power during the inter-war period in Germany

Jews had been acculturated into German society

Nazis began to create policies that stripped Jews of their rights and property while simultaneously promoting terror and violence against them

Their main effort before the Holocaust was to make the Jews leave Germany

Nazism and German Subjugation

The Nazis required Jews to wear identification badges

Jews were isolated; even schoolchildren were kept apart from their peers

This was done in an effort to dehumanize the Jews of Europe

Forced Jewish Identification

With the oppression of Jews came the re-establishment of ghettos in European cities

These ghettos were in worse condition than any others in history

Jews were cramped, starving, and dirty

Jews were kept there as though they were imprisoned

Epidemics and starvation within ghettos claimed many lives

20th Century Ghettos

Hitler’s ethnic cleansing effort was made within the walls of concentration camps and death camps

Concentration camps forced Jews to undergo hard labor; Jews were starved, mistreated, and many died

Those who did not die were usually sent to death camps

These camps were specifically designed for murdering Jews; most were suffocated in “showers,” and some were shot

Concentration Camps

The most widely accepted death toll approximation is 6 million Jews

Jews were afraid to return to their homes

Many anti-Semitic movements still persisted

Impact of the Holocaust

Because many Jews could not return to their homes after the Holocaust, they attempted to migrate westward

With nowhere to go, the Jews were placed in Allied refugee camps

Tens of thousands of survivors were held in refugee camps with nowhere to go

Immigration restrictions in Palestine, England, and the United States caused many Jews to become permanent refugees

Post-WWII Refugee Crisis

Great Britain first opposed the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine

Britain did not support unlimited immigration of Jews to the region

The US and other UN powers supported the idea and promised autonomy to the Jewish Agency

Israel was established as a sovereign country in 1947

United Nations and Israel

The Diaspora had been an anti-Jewish movement since before the Common Era

Jews had been kept away from their homeland for centuries

The creation of Israel as a Jewish state began the end of this movement

This caused the beginning of mass Jewish emigration from Europe and helped resolve the refugee crisis

Ending the Diaspora

Jews were being held essentially as prisoners within their own country in the Soviet Union

In 1990, the Soviet Union opened its borders to Jewish emigration

Hundreds of thousands of Jews left the Soviet Union as a result

Most of these Jews emigrated to Israel

Soviet Mass Exodus

There are only approximately 1.5 million Jews left in Europe today

France – 600,000Britain – 275,000Russia – 275,000Ukraine – 112,000Germany – 98,000Hungary – 55,000

Jews Today

"The Aftermath of the Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.

 Braun, Hanna. "A Basic History of Zionism and Its Relation to Judaism." A Basic History of Zionism and Its Relation to Judaism. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

 "Creation of Israel, 1948 - 1945–1952 - Milestones - Office of the Historian." Creation of Israel, 1948 - 1945–1952 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.

 "The Czars and the Jews." The Czars and the Jews. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.  Falk, Gerhard. "History of the Ghetto." History of the Ghetto. N.p., n.d. Web. 24

Mar. 2014.  "History Wing | Jewish Virtual Library." History Wing | Jewish Virtual Library.

N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.  "Holocaust Badges." Holocaust Memorial Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.  "The Holocaust." Holocaust History. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.  "Jewish Life during the Holocaust." Jewish Life during the Holocaust. N.p., n.d.

Web. 22 Mar. 2014.  LeElef, Ner. "World Jewish Population." World Jewish Population. N.p., n.d. Web.

24 Mar. 2014.  "Timeline of Jewish History." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Mar.

2014

Bibliography

"Anti-semitism and National Socialism - Moishe Postone." Anti-semitism and National Socialism - Moishe Postone. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

 "History of the Jews in Europe." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Mar. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

 "Inquisition." Inquisition. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.  "Jewish Badge and Armbands 1939-1945." Jewish Badge and

Armbands 1939-1945. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.  "Jewish Emancipation." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Mar.

2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.  "Kiev Pogroms (1919)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Mar.

2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.  "Prisons and Dungeons of an Inquisition. Old Drawings and

Engravings. Gallery 2."Prisons and Dungeons of an Inquisition. Old Drawings and Engravings. Gallery 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Pictures Bibliography