TLDR: I have been deeply worried about the rise in antisemitism in the world, and in our own country. Join me in praying for the Jewish people during this season of Hanukkah and Christmas.
Experts believe that for the first six centuries of Christianity, Jews and Christians lived in relative peace. Perhaps pagan idolatry was enough of a common enemy to both groups to worry about, and they managed to be civil, if not friendly towards each other. Unfortunately, soon after the papacy of Gregory the Great ended, Christian persecution of the Jews started. In 626, French King, Dagobert, started a mass expulsion of the Jews from France, and in 694, the Spanish crown ordered the Jews to choose between baptism or slavery. Many Jews were enslaved during this time. There is plenty of historical evidence to indicate that during the years 500-1000, “Harsh infringements of Jewish rights are censured by the papacy, at the same time that restrictions are imposed on their full participation in society.” (Gerald S. Sloyan, Christian Persecution of Jews over the Centuries, https://www.ushmm.org). And then, things got worse.
Although the main target of the Crusades were the “infidels,” (a title given to the Muslims living in Palestine,) untold abuses were caused on the Jews as Spain and other European Catholics sought to regain control of religious sites in the Holy Land. “The pillage and slaughter committed by Christian mobs against Jews on the way linger long in Jewish memory.” (Ibid.) After the crusades, things did not get any better. Frequent accusations that they were “Christ killers,” and that they were “stubborn” and “blind” surfaced in various places, often with devastating consequences (massacres, forced exile, and pillaging.) In Germany, after the crusades, the Jews were often accused of poisoning the city wells to cause the death of children. Of course, these charges were false, but untold misery was experienced among the group caused by the town’s people. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, “Many German Jews fled eastward, bringing with them a particular dialect (Jüdisch, hence Yiddish), possibly of Bavarian origin.” (Ibid.) During the Protestant Reformation the Jews did not fair any better. Martin Luther himself called them the “damned, rejected race,” after they refused to convert to Protestant Christianity.
Despite a brief respite during the reign of Catherine the Great, (1762-1796,) the antipathy of many Europeans against the Jews continued to grow during the 1800s and into the 1900s. Much of this hatred was now political and economic, rather than religious. The Jews were unfairly accused of manipulating and controlling the world’s markets with disastrous consequences. “Germany was populated with more Jews than any country in Western Europe when Hitler came to power… Jews had been the Republic’s strong supporters and a few of them were the architects of its constitution… huge inflation in 1923 and the depression of 1929 increased Germany’s problems.” (Ibid) By the time Hitler came into power, his political machine successfully placed the blame on the Jews for the economic downturn of the nation. The rest is well known to all of us. Between 1939 and 1945 more than six million Jews were exterminated in Germany, Poland, Russia and other nations.
This history lesson has a reason. I have been deeply worried about the rise in antisemitism in the world, and in our own country. The current front-page coverage of the antisemitic rants of Ye, otherwise known as Kanye West, is just the latest in a series of assaults over the last few years. According to an interview with the Anti-Defamation League on NPR this last week, “There was a 37% increase in antisemitic attacks and assaults in 2021 in comparison to 2020.” Most of these assaults are not as well-publicized as West’s comments because their perpetrators are not billionaires and the victims are small, specific groups, like a local synagogue, a local Yeshiva, or a local city part where inflammatory graffiti is written. Antisemitic rhetoric, however, spreads like wildfire when the right conditions are present: We have high inflation, our stock market will finish the year anywhere between 10% to 14% below were it started on January 1, many experts are announcing a recession for 2023, populism has been on the rise since 2016, and many Americans feel disaffected and left behind. The Millennial generation feels left behind in terms of economic and political opportunities, and many will have a generally more difficult time achieving the so-called American Dream than their parents. All of this creates discontent, and many look for scapegoats when facing discontent.
If you believe that I am exaggerating and that nothing like what happened in continental Europe will ever happen here, let me remind you that many felt the same way about Europe at the start of the 20th century. “We are a Christian continent” many said, yet history has proven that it was the Christians themselves who fueled the hatred of the Jews and were largely responsible for the atrocities we know so well. All of us must be extremely vigilant to ensure that we don’t advance antisemitic rhetoric, that we don’t fall for blame-shifting and scapegoating, and that we work hard for the protection of our Biblical ancestors. We are Judeo-Christians. You can’t get to Christianity without a Jewish man who died on the cross for us and for the whole world. Christ was a Jew and his ethnic people deserve our respect and our support.
During this season of Hanukkah and Christmas may the Christ Child lead you into ever increasing appreciation, respect, and support for all peoples, especially the Jewish people.
Blessings to all,
Fr. Roman+
