All about Anti-Semitism

Why in news?

With the rise of the right in Europe, the escalation of ethnic tensions in the Middle East, and increasing anonymity provided by social media platforms, anti-Semitism is a pressing matter of concern.

What is anti-Semitism?

• Anti-Semitism refers to any form of prejudice against the Jewish people.
• The term anti-Semitism was coined in 1879 by the German agitator Wilhelm Marr to designate the anti-Jewish campaigns in central Europe at that time.
• The term itself is a misnomer as Semitic designates a language group, not a race.
• Anti-Semitism can also describe prejudice against speakers of the Semitic languages (including Arabs and Ethiopians).

Categories of anti-Semitism

• Racial anti-Semitism - It is most commonly associated with the Nazis and stems from a belief that Jews are a distinct, inferior race with inherent genetic traits.
  • This form usually manifests in the belief that Jews need to be exterminated altogether.
• Religious anti-Semitism - It traces its roots to the early days of Christianity and is accompanied by the notion that Jews should be converted to other faiths.
• Social anti-Semitism - It is a form of exclusion of Jews from social situations.
  • For example, Jews were routinely excluded from golf and sports clubs in 1959 in America.
• Economic anti-Semitism – It proposes that Jews have disproportionate control over financial institutions, and their stronghold over those institutions ought to be diminished.
• Political anti-Semitism – It is the attempt to keep Jews out of power.
• It is often conflated with anti-Zionism, a movement that denies the Jewish right to a national homeland.

What is the history of anti-Semitism?

Reasons for anti-Semitism

• Christian doctrine - According to Christian doctrine, Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus and thus deserved to be punished.
• There was also a fear that early Christian converts would continue to abide by Jewish practices, combining the two faiths over time.
• Religious difference - In the ancient Greco-Roman world, religious differences were the primary basis for anti-Semitism.
• In the Hellenistic Age, Jews' social segregation and refusal to acknowledge the gods worshipped by other peoples aroused resentment.
• Darwin's theory of evolution - Interpreting Darwin's theory of evolution to mean that race was inherent and unchangeable, it was argued that Jews were genetically inferior on an evolutionary scale.

Effect of anti-Semitism

• Jews as scapegoats - From the Protestant reformer Martin Luther in 1543 to the French philosopher Edmund Burke in 1790, Jews were positioned as scapegoats for several societal ills.
• Jews have systematically been driven out of countries including England, Yemen, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, and Egypt.
• Ban in Russia - Until 1772, Jews were banned from living in the Russian Empire altogether.
• Between 1880 and 1910, 2.5 million Jews fled from Russia to the US after anti-Semitism became the official government policy under the rule of the Czars.
• Holocaust in Germany - Völkisch nationalists believed that the German race was superior to all other races.
• They considered Jews to be alien people who belonged to a different race and blamed them for undermining the German way of life.
• The rise of the Nazi party culminated in the death of over 6 million Jews by the end of the Second World War.

What is positive anti-Semitism?

• Positive anti-Semitism claims that, in certain instances, Jews benefitted from the prejudices associated with them.
• The belief that Jews are influential or wealthy can result in positive anti-Semitism because people then misinterpret their prominence in world affairs.
• For example, the Balfour Declaration, the British Government's 1917 statement, supported the creation of a Jewish state.

What about the current instances of anti-Semitism?

In a survey of 53,000 people across 101 countries, it was found that 26% of them harboured anti-Semitic attitudes.

• The recent incidents of rising anti-Semitism include
  • Far-right demonstrations in the US
  • Attacks on synagogues (Jewish houses of worship) in Sweden
  • Arson attacks on kosher (food that complies with strict dietary rules in Judaism) restaurants in France
  • Increase in crimes against Jews in the UK
• The problem seems to be exacerbated by social media.

References

1. The Indian Express│What is anti-Semitism?
2. Britannica│Anti-Semitism
3. BBC│Judaism

Quick facts

Judaism

• Judaism is a monotheistic religion (belief in a single deity).
• It was founded over 3500 years ago in the Middle East.
• It is the original of the three Abrahamic faiths, including Christianity and Islam.
• Moses founded Judaism, although Jews trace their history back to Abraham.
• The most important religious document is the Torah.
• The interpretation of the laws of the Torah is called halakhah.
• Spiritual leaders are called Rabbis.
• Followers of Judaism are called Jews.
• Jews worship in Synagogues.