History of Jews in Europe

1. History of Jews in Europe By Jason Naulty

2. Spanish Inquisition • 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

3. Portuguese 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

4. Early Ghettos • 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

5. Jewish Immigration to Poland • 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

6. Economic Success in 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

7. Martin Luther and Anti-Semitism • 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

8. England • 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

9. The French Revolution • 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

10. End of the Inquisition • 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

11. Mass Emancipation • The second half of the 19th century brought several countries emancipating the Jews • England – 1858 • Hungary – 1867 • Italy – 1870 • Germany - 1871

12. Pogroms • 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

13. Zionism • 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

14. The Bund • 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

15. Hitler and Anti-Semitism • 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

16. Nazism and German Subjugation • 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

17. Forced Jewish Identification • 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

18. 20th Century Ghettos • 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

19. Concentration Camps • 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

20. Impact of the Holocaust • 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

21. Post-WWII Refugee Crisis • 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

22. United Nations and Israel • 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

23. Ending the Diaspora • 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

24. Soviet Mass Exodus • 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

25. Jews Today • There are only approximately 1.5 million Jews left in Europe today • France – 600,000 • Britain – 275,000 • Russia – 275,000 • Ukraine – 112,000 • Germany – 98,000 • Hungary – 55,000

26. Bibliography • "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

27. Pictures Bibliography • "Anti-semitism and National Socialism - MoishePostone." Anti-semitism and National Socialism - MoishePostone. 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.