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Anti-Semitism (view source)

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==Origins of Anti-Semitism==

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The first [[Christian]]s were [[Jews]], as [[Jesus Christ]] was. The story of Jesus was remembered and retold in the synagogues. Splits appeared very soon after the death of Jesus between the Pharisees and the Revisionist Jews. The Gospel of John was written quite soon after he and other revisionist Jews were barred from the synagogue by the Orthodox party. The references to Jews in the Gospel according to St John does not refer to Jews as a whole, but to the Pharisees. However, this was not well understood by later readers, and once the early generations of Jews had died out John's gospel was often used to justify acts of anti-Semitism.

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The first [[Christian]]s were [[Jews]], as [[Jesus Christ]] was. The story of Jesus was remembered and retold in the synagogues. Splits appeared very soon after the death of Jesus between the [[Pharisees]] and the Revisionist Jews. The [[Gospel of John]] was written quite soon after he and other revisionist Jews were barred from the [[synagogue]] by the Orthodox party. The references to Jews in the Gospel according to St John does not refer to Jews as a whole, but to the Pharisees. However, this was not well understood by later readers, and once the early generations of Jews had died out John's gospel was often used to justify acts of anti-Semitism.

==Early Anti-Semitism==

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One of the oldest instances of anti-Semitic claims was made in the first century AD by Apion who claimed Jews sacrificed Greeks in their temple in a ritual known as a blood libel. Christianity later brought this up again in England in 1144, after William of Norwich was found murdered. William was called a martyr and created a second wave of anti-semitism, this time in Europe. It was mostly popularized with the story of Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln, and was even present in the Canterbury Tales. This continued on for many centuries until modern times. This "[[blood libel]]" accusation has survived the centuries and is today seen in Muslim anti-Semitic propaganda.

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One of the oldest instances of anti-Semitic claims was made in the first century AD by Apion who claimed Jews sacrificed Greeks in their temple in a ritual known as a blood libel. Christianity later brought this up again in England in 1144, after [[William of Norwich]] was found murdered. William was called a [[martyr]] and created a second wave of anti-semitism, this time in Europe. It was mostly popularized with the story of Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln, and was even present in the [[Canterbury Tales]]. This continued on for many centuries until modern times. This "[[blood libel]]" accusation has survived the centuries and is today seen in [[Muslim]] anti-Semitic propaganda.

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In the Middle Ages, misplaced blame on Jews for the death of [[Jesus Christ]], despite the fact that Jesus Himself was obviously Jewish, and ~~that He had been executed under~~ [[~~Roman~~]] ~~law~~, led to Christian antipathy against Jews in parts of [[Europe]]. This also led to rumors that Jews "desecrated the host" (tortured communion bread as per the [[Catholic]] doctrine of transubstination, and that they "poisoned the wells", leading to the [[Black Death]].

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In the [[Middle Ages]], misplaced blame on Jews for the death of [[Jesus Christ]], despite the fact that Jesus Himself was obviously Jewish and died by His choice for the [[sin]]s of all mankind, led to Christian antipathy against Jews in parts of [[Europe]]. This also led to rumors that Jews "desecrated the host" (tortured communion bread as per the [[Catholic]] doctrine of [[transubstination]], and that they "poisoned the wells", leading to the [[Black Death]].

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Anti-semitism was rife in Europe well into the twentieth century. Anti-Semitic references were common in the popular literature of both the 19th and early 20th centuries. It became more "scientific", and often connected with psuedo-scientific racial theories. Well known 19th-century anti-Semites include Houston Stewart Chamberlain, [[Karl Marx]], and [[Richard Wagner]]. In [[Russia]], [[pogroms]] (mass slaughter) were carried out against the Jews. When [[Adolf Hitler]] needed a scapegoat on which to blame the inflationary problems of [[Germany]], he built on a bedrock of anti-Semitism that was already there. The consequence was the [[Holocaust]], called by Hitler the [[Final Solution]] to the 'Jewish problem'.

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Anti-semitism was rife in Europe well into the twentieth century. Anti-Semitic references were common in the popular literature of both the 19th and early 20th centuries. It became more "scientific", and often connected with psuedo-scientific racial theories. Well known 19th-century anti-Semites include Houston Stewart Chamberlain, [[Karl Marx]], and [[Richard Wagner]]. In [[Russia]], [[pogroms]] (mass slaughter) were carried out against the Jews. When [[Adolf Hitler]] needed a scapegoat on which to blame the inflationary problems of [[Germany]] and losing [[World War I]], he built on a bedrock of anti-Semitism that was already there. The consequence was the [[Holocaust]], called by Hitler the [[Final Solution]] to the 'Jewish problem'.

==WWII to the Gulf War==

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[[Henry Ford]] was an outspoken anti-semite who used his newspaper, ''The Dearborn Independent'', to reprint the false ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]''. He was an admirer of [[Adolf Hitler]] and strongly opposed U.S. entry into the Second World War.<ref>Power, Ignorance, and Anti-Semitism:

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[[Henry Ford]] was an outspoken anti-semite who used his newspaper, ''The Dearborn Independent'', to reprint the false ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]''. He was an admirer of [[Adolf Hitler]] and strongly opposed U.S. entry into the [[Second World War]].<ref>Power, Ignorance, and Anti-Semitism:

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Henry Ford and His War on Jews http://history.hanover.edu/hhr/99/hhr99_2.html</ref> Aviator Charles Lindberg has also been accused of being an anti-semite. He also opposed U.S. entry into the war, though implied that if we did enter, it should be on the side of Germany.<ref>Asimov, Issac ''Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts''. New York: Random House, 1977.</ref>

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Henry Ford and His War on Jews http://history.hanover.edu/hhr/99/hhr99_2.html</ref> Aviator [[Charles Lindberg]] has also been accused of being an anti-semite. He also opposed U.S. entry into the war, though implied that if we did enter, it should be on the side of Germany. Many in America at that time were isolationist and believed we should stay out of European affairs, but Lindberg held onto that belief and it cost him with his popularity among the American people<ref>Asimov, Issac ''Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts''. New York: Random House, 1977.</ref>

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Republican President [[Richard Nixon]] unfairly earned a reputation as an anti-Semite after recordings of informal conversations laden with racial slurs and invective known as the [[Watergate Tapes]] were made public. These informal comments about Jewish control of the media and calling [[Robert Vesco]] "a cheap kike" among other comments suggested to Nixon critics that his views were informed by a mistrust of Jewish culture. <ref>http://hnn.us/articles/657.html</ref> Nixon defenders refute claims that he was an anti-semite because of his support of [[Israel]] during the [[Yom Kippur War]] and his many Jewish friends and associates such as [[Henry Kissinger]], [[Herb Stein]] and others. <ref>http://www.slate.com/id/1003783/ </ref>

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Republican President [[Richard Nixon]] unfairly earned a reputation as an anti-Semite after recordings of informal conversations laden with racial slurs and invective known as the [[Watergate Tapes]] were made public. These informal comments about Jewish control of the media and calling [[Robert Vesco]] "a cheap kike" among other comments suggested to Nixon critics that his views were informed by a mistrust of Jewish culture. <ref>http://hnn.us/articles/657.html</ref> Nixon defenders refute claims that he was an anti-semite because of his ardent support of [[Israel]] during the [[Yom Kippur War]] and his many Jewish friends and associates such as [[Henry Kissinger]], [[Herb Stein]] and others. <ref>http://www.slate.com/id/1003783/ </ref>

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In 1984 [[Democratic]] Presidential candidate [[Jesse Jackson]] is said to have uttered anti-Semitic comments to reporter for the ''Washington Post'' when discussing the state of African-American and Jewish relations, which had been a key [[New Deal]] coalition for half a century. Jackson is reported to have referred to Jews as "Hymie's", and to New York City as "Hymietown". Jackson is alleged to have apologized for the incident. <ref>[http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=187440 Jesse and the Jews], Michael W. Hirschorn, ''The Harvard Crimson'', March 05, 1984.</ref>

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In 1984 [[Democratic]] Presidential candidate [[Jesse Jackson]] is said to have uttered anti-Semitic comments to reporter for the ''Washington Post'' when discussing the state of African-American and Jewish relations, which had been a key [[New Deal]] coalition for half a century. Jackson is reported to have referred to Jews as "Hymie's", and to New York City as "Hymietown". Jackson is alleged to have apologized for the incident.<ref>[http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=187440 Jesse and the Jews], Michael W. Hirschorn, ''The Harvard Crimson'', March 05, 1984.</ref> It was dropped relatively quickly at the time as Jackson's following was limited, but came back to haunt him in 1988 when he again ran for the Presidency and was doing much better in the polls and the issue resurfaced. Mayor Ed Koch even said that any Jews who vote for Jackson were "crazy".

==Modern anti-Semitism==

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During the [[Gulf War]] of 1991 anti-Semites alleged the United States was being used to fight Israel's wars.<ref>[http://newint.org/features/2004/10/01/conspiracism/ ''Zog ate my brains''], [[Chip Berlet]], New Internationalist, October 2004.</ref>

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The U.S. State Department ''Report on Global Anti-Semitism'' in 2005 said this about the current state of anti-Semitism worldwide:

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The [[U.S. State Department]] ''Report on Global Anti-Semitism'' in 2005 said this about the current state of anti-Semitism worldwide:

:Beginning in 2000, verbal attacks directed against Jews increased while incidents of vandalism... surged. Physical assaults including beatings, stabbings and other violence against Jews in Europe increased markedly, in a number of cases resulting in serious injury and even death. Also troubling is a bias that spills over into anti-Semitism in some of the [[leftist|left-of-center]] press and among some intellectuals.

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:The United States is frequently included as a target of such attacks, which often assert that U.S. foreign policy is made in Israel or that Jews control the media and financial markets in the United States and the rest of the world. ...Similarly, allegations that Jews were behind the 9/11 attacks were widely disseminated. <ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/40258.htm Report on Global Anti-Semitism], U.S. Department of State Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on International Relations, Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, January 5, 2005. </ref>

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:The United States is frequently included as a target of such attacks, which often assert that U.S. foreign policy is made in Israel or that Jews control the media and financial markets in the United States and the rest of the world. ...Similarly, allegations that Jews were behind the [[9/11]] attacks were widely disseminated, especially in the Muslim world. <ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/40258.htm Report on Global Anti-Semitism], U.S. Department of State Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on International Relations, Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, January 5, 2005. </ref>

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In the United States, [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Senator [[Ernest Hollings]] was recently ostracized for public criticism of the Bush Administration <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040506-20051231re_/http://hollings.senate.gov/~hollings/opinion/2004506A17.html Bush's failed Mideast policy is creating more terrorism], U.S. Senator Ernest F. Hollings, Charleston Post and Courier, 6 May 2004.</ref> considered to be anti-Semitic. <ref>[http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/4496_12.htm Anti-Semitism: USA, ADL Urges Senator Hollings to Disavow Statements on Jews and the Iraq War], ADL Press Release, New York, 14 May 2004. </ref> On March 3, 2003 Rep. [[James Moran]] (D-Va.) said, "If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this". <ref>[http://judaism.about.com/library/2_antisemitism/bl_moran_iraq.htm Are Jews Behind the War on Iraq?] A Case of Classical Anti-Semitism. </ref> Moran has since made further anti-semitic comments. <ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/16/AR2005061601570.html Democrats Play House To Rally Against the War], Dana Milbank, ''Washington Post'', June 17, 2005.</ref> <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402171.html</ref>

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In the United States, [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Senator [[Ernest Hollings]] was recently ostracized for public criticism of the [[George W. Bush|Bush Administration]] <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040506-20051231re_/http://hollings.senate.gov/~hollings/opinion/2004506A17.html Bush's failed Mideast policy is creating more terrorism], U.S. Senator Ernest F. Hollings, Charleston Post and Courier, 6 May 2004.</ref> considered to be anti-Semitic. <ref>[http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/4496_12.htm Anti-Semitism: USA, ADL Urges Senator Hollings to Disavow Statements on Jews and the Iraq War], ADL Press Release, New York, 14 May 2004. </ref> On March 3, 2003 Rep. [[James Moran]] (D-Va.) said, "If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this". <ref>[http://judaism.about.com/library/2_antisemitism/bl_moran_iraq.htm Are Jews Behind the War on Iraq?] A Case of Classical Anti-Semitism. </ref> Moran has since made further anti-semitic comments. <ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/16/AR2005061601570.html Democrats Play House To Rally Against the War], Dana Milbank, ''Washington Post'', June 17, 2005.</ref> <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402171.html</ref>

Some supporters of the anti-[[Iraq War]] movement have been accused of anti-Semitism, including a group known as ANSWER-[[Act Now to Stop War and End Racism]], one of the first organizations formed to protest the policies of the Bush administration after 9/11. <ref>[http://www.forward.com/articles/the-%E2%80%98answer%E2%80%99-question-poses-difficult-choices/ "The 'Answer' Question Poses Difficult Choices for Liberals"] by Gal Beckerman, ''The Forward'', September 30, 2005. </ref> <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20041019075845/http://www.tikkun.org/magazine/index.cfm/action/tikkun/issue/tik0305/article/030512a.html Authoritarianism and Anti-Semitism in the Anti-War Movement?]. ''Tikkun'', May/June 2003. Link is to page on the Internet Archive, archived Oct 19, 2004.</ref>

Liberal activist [[Cindy Sheehan]], though she found popular support among [[leftist]]s and the mainstream media, was condemned for her outspoken anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. <ref>[http://www.davidduke.com/index.php?p=350 Why Cindy Sheehan is Right!], David Duke, 8/14/2005.</ref> Sheehan traveled to [[Venezuela]] <ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/40258.htm Report on Global Anti-Semitism] U. S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, January 5, 2005. </ref> to appear with Venezuelan dictator, [[Hugo Chavez]] to denounce U.S. foreign policy which she blames as responsible for the death of her son.

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Former [[President of the United States|U.S. president]] [[Jimmy Carter]] has recently come under much criticism for his ~~anti-Semitic~~ writings and anti-~~Semitic comments~~. In his book, "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid", Carter endorsed Islamic terrorism against Israel as a tactic to achieve political ends. The sentiment was widely criticized by people across the political spectrum. In early 2007, it was revealed that Carter once complained there were "too many Jews" on the U.S. government's Holocaust Memorial Council. The council's former executive director, Monroe Freedman, also revealed that a noted Holocaust scholar who was a Presbyterian Christian was rejected from the council's board by Carter because the scholar's name "sounded too Jewish." <ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/staticarticles/article53954.html</ref>

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Former [[President of the United States|U.S. president]] [[Jimmy Carter]] has recently come under much criticism for his writings and comments that have been viewed as anti-semitic. In his book, "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid", Carter endorsed Islamic terrorism against Israel as a tactic to achieve political ends. The sentiment was widely criticized by people across the political spectrum. In early 2007, it was revealed that Carter once complained there were "too many Jews" on the U.S. government's Holocaust Memorial Council. The council's former executive director, Monroe Freedman, also revealed that a noted Holocaust scholar who was a Presbyterian Christian was rejected from the council's board by Carter because the scholar's name "sounded too Jewish." <ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/staticarticles/article53954.html</ref>

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While the contempory American left's hatred for Jews and Jewish traditions has been documented, others who were on the right have been ostracized by conservative commentators. William F. Buckley, Jr., founder and publisher of the ''National Review'' said of [[Reform Party]] presidential candidate and former Nixon speechwriter [[Patrick Buchanan]], "I find it impossible to defend Pat Buchanan against the charge that what he did and said during the period under examination amounted to anti-Semitism…" refering to comments Buchanan made regarding the U.S. involvement in the first [[Gulf War]] which lead to military action against [[Saddam Hussein]] and [[Iraq]]. <ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n24_v43/ai_11810753 In search of anti-semitism], William F. Buckley, Jr., ''National Review'', Dec 30, 1991.</ref>

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While the contempory American left's hatred for Jews and Jewish traditions has been documented, others who were on the right have been ostracized by conservative commentators. [[William F. Buckley]], Jr., founder and publisher of the ''National Review'' said of [[Reform Party]] presidential candidate and former Nixon speechwriter [[Patrick Buchanan]], "I find it impossible to defend Pat Buchanan against the charge that what he did and said during the period under examination amounted to anti-Semitism…" refering to comments Buchanan made regarding the U.S. involvement in the first [[Gulf War]] which lead to military action against [[Saddam Hussein]] and [[Iraq]]. <ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n24_v43/ai_11810753 In search of anti-semitism], William F. Buckley, Jr., ''National Review'', Dec 30, 1991.</ref>

The number of anti-Semitic incidents in Britain increased by 34 percent in 2006. <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,290187,00.html Increase in Anti-Semitic Violence Troubles Jews in Britain] by Donald Snyder, Fox News, July 20, 2007</ref>

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