The Holocaust: A Quest for Meaning

1. The Holocaust: A Quest for Meaning

2. Holocaust Denial: Iran Holocaust Cartoon Exhibition

3. Holocaust Denial • In December 2015, two state-sponsored Iranian cultural organizations, the Owj Media & Art Institute and the Sarcheshmeh Cultural Complex, announced a Holocaust cartoon contest, expecting to receive entries from cartoonists in dozens of countries.

4. Holocaust Denial • These contests occur in the context of official Iranian policy and practice of promoting Holocaust denial, as well as what the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has called “genocidal language against Israel” from top Iranian leaders.

5. Holocaust Denial • The Iranian government has prevented Iranians from learning about the Holocaust. • Iranian citizens should have access to accurate information about this history, including Iran’s unique connection to it.

6. Holocaust Denial • During World War II, Nazi Germany targeted Iran for its resources, and Allied forces invaded and occupied the country. • Iran accepted some 116,000 Polish refugees and Anders Army personnel fleeing horrible conditions in labor camps in the Soviet Union.

7. Holocaust Denial • Among the civilians were 1,000 Jewish children, the majority of them orphans. • Abdol Hossein Sardari, an Iranian diplomat, provided critical assistance to Iranian and other Central Asian Jews in occupied France. • Nevertheless, some Iranian Jews were still deported to concentration camps.

8. Holocaust was Catharsis but preceded the Shoa? • The history of the Holocaust shows that targeting an entire group has far-reaching consequences. • It can lead to an increase in xenophobia, racism, and extremism throughout society, with potentially devastating consequences for individuals, communities, and nations.

9. https://www.ushmm.org/confront-antisemitism/european-antisemitism-from-its-origins-to-the-holocausthttps://www.ushmm.org/confront-antisemitism/european-antisemitism-from-its-origins-to-the-holocaust

10. Answer the following questions… • Why watch this film? • How have Jews been affected by antisemitism? What impact does antisemitism have on others? • What is the meaning of “scapegoat”? What do people gain from scapegoating? • What is the effect of hateful images and speech? Do images and words reflect existing attitudes or create them? • (How has antisemitism changed throughout history? What are some differences among religious, political, and racial antisemitism? • Why would political or religious leaders espouse antisemitic ideas? • How is antisemitism similar to or different from other forms of group hatred?

11. Intro into Judaism Ashkenazic Sephardic Descendants of Jews from Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Middle East Mizrachi: Descendants of Jews from North Africa and the Middle East Other subgroups are Yemenite, Ethiopian and Oriental • Descendants of Jews from France, Germany and Eastern Europe

12. Split • It's not clearwhen the split began, but it has existed for more than a thousandyears, becausearound the year1000 Rabbi Gershom ben Judahissued an edictagainst polygamy that was accepted by Ashkenazim but not by Sephardim.

13. Slight Difference • The beliefs of Sephardic Judaism are basically in accord with those of Orthodox Judaism, though Sephardic interpretations of halakhah ( Jewish Law) are somewhat different than Ashkenazic ones. • The best-known of these differences relates to the holiday of Pesach ( Passover) .

14. Sephardic Jews may eat rice, corn, peanuts and beans during this holiday, while Ashkenazic Jews avoid them. • Although some individual Sephardic Jews are less observant than others, and some individuals do not agree with all of the beliefs of traditional Judaism, there is no formal, organized differentiation into movements as there is in Ashkenazic Judaism.

15. Sephardic Jews • Historically, Sephardic Jews have been more integrated into the local non-Jewish culture than Ashkenazic Jews. • In the Christian lands where Ashkenazic Judaism flourished, the tension between Christians and Jews was great, and Jews tended to be isolated from their non-Jewish neighbors, either voluntarily or involuntarily. • In the Islamic lands where Sephardic Judaism developed, there was less segregation and oppression. • Sephardic Jewish thought and culture was strongly influenced by Arabic and Greek philosophy and science.

16. Yiddish • The Yiddish language, which many people think of as the international language of Judaism, is really the language of Ashkenazic Jews. • Sephardic Jews have their own international language: Ladino, which was based on Spanish and Hebrew in the same way that Yiddish was based on German and Hebrew.

17. Assimilation • Sephardic Jews have a different pronunciation of a few Hebrew vowels and one Hebrew consonant, though most Ashkenazim are adopting Sephardic pronunciation now because it is the pronunciation used in Israel.

18. Other Jewish Subcultures • There are some Jews who do not fit into this Ashkenazic/Sephardic distinction. • Yemenite Jews, Ethiopian Jews (also known as Beta Israel and sometimes called Falashas), and Asian Jews also have some distinct customs and traditions. • These groups, however, are relatively small and virtually unknown in America.

19. Evolution of Hatred :Life before the Holocaust Kielce's Market: Kielce Museum, Jewish artist P.Schultz

20. What is Anti-Semitism? • Simply put, Anti-Semitism is hatred of the Jews. • The term Anti-Semitism did not exist until 1873 C.E. The term was coined by Wilhelm Marr.

21. The History of Anti-Semitism • The history of Anti-Semitism can be broken into 3 main periods of history: • Ancient/Roman times • Christian/Medieval period • Modern Anti-Semitism

22. History of Anti-Semitism • Cultural differences made the Jews standout • Only monotheistic religion • Refusal to accept dominant religion • Labeled by the Romans as “stubborn,”“clannish,” and “hostile”

23. History of Anti-Semitism • As Roman pressure on the Jews mounted, some urged rebellion—while others (like Jesus) suggested a reforming of ways • 30 CE –Jesus is killed, disciples separated themselves from Judaism • Christian-anti-Judaism grows as Christians are made up of more gentiles (non-Jews) than former Jews • 70 CE– Jewish Diaspora (forced exile) from Jerusalem after failed revolt against Rome

25. History of Anti-Semitism • Middle Ages - Jews less than human, killed in the Crusades, demonized, blamed for Black Death • Renaissance/Reformation - Jews had to wear badges or cones on head, in Italy and Germany they were separated into ghettos • Council of Basel (1431-43) established ghettos, required to attend Christian services • Spanish Inquisition (1478-1765), 1492 expulsion from Spain

26. History of Anti-Semitism • Many occupations were closed to Jews • Not allowed to own land, no farmers • Trading guilds—not allowed to join • Money lending (banking) • Was considered a sin by Christians • Given jobs as tax collectors, • Usury—charging interest for loans • Caused deep hatred among peasants

28. History of Anti-Semitism • Enlightenment (Age of Reason) • 1700s • Jews were allowed out of the ghettos • 1791 Jews got full citizenship in France • Although they gained more rights—had a hard time joining “outside world,” spoke Yiddish • Instead of religion, “science” and “reason” found differences between Jews and non-Jews

29. History of Anti-Semitism • Blood libel—the idea that Jews used the blood of Christian children for the Passover meal • Used as an excuse to attack Jewish communities

30. History of Anti-Semitism • 325 CE - Christianity becomes official religion of the Roman Empire. Jews negatively portrayed. • Refused to convert to Christianity despite insistence of Church • 5th-7th Centuries - Violence escalates • “contamination” laws • Could not hold public office • Or show themselves during Holy Week • Justinian Code 527-625 • Forbade reading of Torah in Hebrew

31. History of Anti-Semitism • The Protestant Reformation • Martin Luther called Jews “poisonous, bitter worms” • Suggested they be forcibly converted or expelled from Germany First their synagogues or churches should be set on fire…Secondly, their homes should likewise be broken down and destroyed…They ought to be put under one roof or in a stable, like gypsies…Thirdly, they should be deprived of their prayer books…Fourthly, their rabbis must be forbidden under threat of death to teach anymore… Of Jews and Their Lies, Martin Luther

32. History of Anti-Semitism • French diplomat Joseph Arthur Gobineau, father of “modern” racial thought • Blamed decline of civilization on interbreeding of superior and inferior racial groups • white race or Aryans, peoples speaking Indo-European languages

33. Race Replaces Religion • Word Anti-Semitism first appeared in 1873 in book Victory of Judaism over Germany by Wilhelm Marr • Jews ought to be eliminated because they were members of an alien race

34. Russia and France late 1800s • Pogroms, massacres of Jews, ordered by the czar • Continued into 20th century • Dreyfus Affair--France • Dreyfus, the first Jew appointed to general staff was accused of giving info to Germany • Pointed out level of anti-Semitism in France

35. Keep the “Christ-Killers” Down!Jew in Mandatory Medieval Hat Since the early Catholic Church espoused that Jews were responsible for the crucifixion on Jesus, it was the policy to keep the Christ-Killers down and portray the Jewish religion and people as the “old” religion, now replaced the new, true religion. In 1267, one way of doing this was to require Jews to wear "the horned hat" that they earlier had been accustomed to wear, but that they had "presumed in their temerity” to stop wearing (this law applied also to Poland). In some manuscript drawings a cap, unpointed, may be seen secured around the chin with cloth or a strap. Merchants and Court Jews wore these in areas of Germany, England and Poland and in other areas of Europe.

36. Rotella Round Badge Used in Germany and “Tablets” Badge Used in England During the 12-14th Centuries Translation of the wording in the Rotella: ‘The Jewish badge of guilt which is their tragedy to wear’.

37. You Can’t Live Among Us; These represent the earliest Clothing separation and identification of Jews in the middle ages. • The tablets were also badges assigned by the rulers in England and worn on the chest and sometimes back to differentiate and humiliate Jews Translation of the wording in the Rotella: ‘The Jewish badge of guilt which is their tragedy to wear’.

38. Badges and Hats Used in France in 14th Century You Can’t Live Among Us; Note hats and marking s on chests. Note dragon-serpents hovering over the Jews

39. You Can’t Live; Just a sampling of the hundreds of depictions of Crusaders finding Jews along the route and destroying communities of “heretics and infidels in their path

40. The Crusades Even though the Crusades (religious wars initiated by the Pope) were made to rid the Holy Land (Israel) of the Muslims who were thought to be infidels (non-believers), Jews lived in many places along the way. As Jews were considered non-believers and widely believed to have been the killers of Jesus Christ, it was convenient and easy for the Crusaders, in their fervor, to massacre whole populations. Tens of thousands of Jews were killed because of these religious wars.

41. You Can’t Live; Just a sampling of the hundreds of depictions of Crusaders finding Jews along the route and destroying communities of “heretics and infidels in their path

42. BLOOD LIBEL (Ritual Murder) Jews were falsely accused of using the blood of Christian children as part of the Passover holiday ritual. The blood libel is a phenomenon of medieval and modern Christian antisemitism, but spread to the Middle East as early as 1775, when there was a blood libel in Hebron. A second blood libel occurred in Damascus in 1840 and one occurred in Cyprus in the same year. RIGHT: Simon of Trent went missing around Easter, 1475. His father decided that he must have been kidnapped and murdered by Jews. According to his story, the Jews had drained Simon of his blood, supposedly for use in baking their Passover matzot and for occult rituals that they allegedly practiced in private.

43. You Can’t Live Among Us; Blood Libel and Ritual Murder was a fantasy used to further demonize and isolate the Jews.

44. Simon of Trent Blood Libel (Ritual Murder Accusation)- 1475

45. You Can’t Live Among Us; Simon of Trent became a ‘cult” saint. • The rumors and the antisemitic priests who supported this created a long standing cult of haters who keep the the myth of ritual murder alive. • The papacy under Pope Paul rejected this in 1965

46. William of Norwich, England First Known Blood Libel - 1144

47. USURY – TAX COLLECTORS . Jews Cannot Own Land Lending Money for interest was prohibited by the Catholic church for Christians. It was left for the Jews to do, as they were limited in what professions they could pursue and were not allowed to own land. Some Jews became tax collectors for the nobles and lords of the varied medieval countries and lands You Can’t Live Among Us; Note Jewish Hats. Note the use of the “noses”

48. DESECRATION of the HOST Claim that Jews would steal consecrated host wafers and desecrate them by stabbing them to make them bleed. According to the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, which became dogma at that time, a consecrated host wafer becomes the flesh of Jesus Christ. It was thus believed that Jews would steal and desecrate these wafers to reenact the crucifixion of Christ. In numerous cases Jews were executed in horrible ways for this imaginary "crime." In the 19th century it was shown that the red color often found on the wafers was due to a fungus. LEFT: Jews depicted desecrating the Eucharist Host from a tapestry at the Cathedral of St. Gudule

49. Desecration of the Host A 15th-century German woodcut showing an alleged host desecration. In the first panel the hosts are stolen; in the second the hosts bleed when pierced by a Jew; in the third the Jews are arrested; and in the fourth they are burned alive

50. Images of Desecration of the Host in Christian Art