Monday, March 26, 2012
Zionism I: Anti-Semitism in 19th Century Europe
Assume the role of a blogger reporting on anti-Semitism in 19th century Europe. Write a blog post summarizing the Damascus Blood Libel, Mortara Affair, rise of Romantic Nationalism, the Dreyfus Affair and the 1881-1882 pogroms and the impact they all had on the Jews of Europe.
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Dreyfus Affair – A Jewish man named Alfred Dreyfus was accused of spying against the French for the Germans. He had similar handwriting to the spy, the higher-ups in the army forged documents convicting him, and he was Jewish so he was blamed and sent to Devil’s Island. He was a very patriotic man and didn’t blame France for what had happened. They found out the real culprit but it was too late to change their decree and the culprit fled the country. Through much protests, Dreyfus was freed from his prison and went on to fight in World War I. Impacted because it showed some Jews that emancipation and assimilation did not work and they were better off in Israel. But some believed that since many non-Jews in France were pro-Dreyfus that they felt they belonged in France and wanted to stay in France.
ReplyDeleteDamascus Blood Libel – the accusation of ritual murder was brought against Jews of Damascus. They were falsely accused of killing a Christian monk and the Jews were imprisoned and tortured. It was one of the first major anti-Semitism acts and there came the first appearances of modern Jewish solidarity.
Mortara Affair – Mortara was a Roman Catholic priest that was born and raised Jewish in the first six years of his life. He was seized and taken from his family and raised as a Catholic. He was taken because the Papal authorities found he had received an emergency baptism by a servant when he was seriously sick. It was against the law for non-Christians to raise Christians. It was another major case of anti-Semitism and Jews that no matter how much they tried they were never going to be accepted completely by other religions.
Rise of Romantic Nationalism – Romantic Nationalism meant that people’s class and the way they were viewed in the country was decided on if they were born into it or not. It was decided on things like ethnicity and/or race. It was bad for the Jews because they were most likely not originally from the country where they were living. The Jews were not given the same rights as others because they were not born there.
1881-82 pogroms – The pogroms were started in 1881 because the Jews were blamed for the murder of Czar Alexander II. The Jews were attacked and the Jewish women were molested and raped. There was also vandalism and the destruction of Jewish property. Since the authorities supported the pogroms, it led to Jews wanted to go back home; to Israel.
The Dreyfus affair was when a Jewish man named Alfred Dreyfus was accused of spying against the French for the Germans. He had similar handwriting to the spy, the higher-ups in the army forged documents convicting him, and he was Jewish so he was blamed and sent to Devil’s Island. He was a very patriotic man and didn’t blame France for what had happened. They found out the real culprit but it was too late to change their decree and the culprit fled the country. Through much protests, Dreyfus was freed from his prison and went on to fight in World War I. It led to the Jews feeling that emancipation and assimilation did not work and they were better off in Israel. But some believed that since many non-Jews in France were pro-Dreyfus that they felt they belonged in France and wanted to stay in France.
ReplyDeleteAnother anti-Semitism action was the Damascus Blood Libel was the accusation of ritual murder was brought against Jews of Damascus. They were falsely accused of killing a Christian monk and the Jews were imprisoned and tortured. It was one of the first major anti-Semitism acts and there came the first appearances of modern Jewish solidarity. Another huge anti-Semitic act was the Mortara Affair.
Mortara was a Roman Catholic priest that was born and raised Jewish in the first six years of his life. He was seized and taken from his family and raised as a Catholic. He was taken because the Papal authorities found he had received an emergency baptism by a servant when he was seriously sick. It was against the law for non-Christians to raise Christians. It was another major case of anti-Semitism and Jews that no matter how much they tried they were never going to be accepted completely by other religions.
A huge movement that was going through Europe was Romantic Nationalism. It meant that people’s class and the way they were viewed in the country was decided on if they were born into it or not. It was decided on things like ethnicity and/or race. During the rise of Romantic Nationalism, it was bad for the Jews because they were most likely not originally from the country where they were living. The Jews were not given the same rights as others because they were not born there, which led them into wanting to go back to Israel.
The pogroms that were started in 1881 happened because the Jews were blamed for the murder of Czar Alexander II. The Jews were attacked and the Jewish women were molested and raped. There was also vandalism and the destruction of Jewish property. Since the authorities supported the pogroms, it led to Jews wanted to go back home; to Israel.
Each of these were great anti-Semitic acts that were a horrible blow to the Jewish people and each led to many people believing that they were better off in Israel than in the European countries where they were residing.
Damascus Blood Libel of 1840 a Christian Monk disappeared and the Jews were accused of ritual murder in order to use blood for matzah baking and kiddush wine. The Jews were arrested and tortured in Syrian prison. The impact in Western Europe was the fear that the blood libel could once again occur in Europe and realization that Emancipation and enlightenment are not really effective; never lets Jews be accepted in society. Mortara Affair happened in1858 in Italy. Edgardo Levi Mortara (Bologna, Papal States, August 27, 1851 – Liège, Belgium, March 11, 1940) was a Roman Catholic priest who was born and raised Jewish during only the first six years of his life, until he was seized and taken from his family by papal authorities. Mortara became the center of an international controversy when he was removed from his Jewish parents by authorities of the Papal States and raised as a Catholic. Church authorities took custody of the boy after receiving a report that he had been given emergency baptism by a domestic servant during a serious infantile illness. The rationale for this action was that in the Papal States, it was against the law for non-Catholics to raise Catholic children. Mortara was adopted by Pope Pius IX and entered the seminary in his teens. The Impact of the Mortara Affair was that Jews were realizing that their religion is not being respected and they have no rights-->the church is still all powerful and can do what ever it wants to do. More seeds are being planted regarding failure of Emancipation and Enlightenment The Dreyfus Affair was a trial in which a man named Alfred Dreyfus was accused spying for the French government. He was put on trial and was accused guilty. He moved to Devil's Island to a prison for torture. He was tried again was found guilty again. Later on he was finally found innocent. This incident made people realize that Emancipation and Assimilation is not working. In the second half of the 19th century Germany switched from liberal nationalism to romantic nationalism. This means that your status in society is not based on good citizenship but on your ethnicity-->place where you are originally from. This all lead to the exclusion of Jews in German society. The 1881-1882 Pogroms were organized attacks towards the Jews. The government and the police were the perpetrators of the attack. The severity and the duration of these pogroms were very different than the ones before them. All the Jews were attacked and the women were raped. The government officials damaged Jew's property and that just led them to want to go back to Palestine.
ReplyDeleteAnti-Semitism was a big part of Europe in the 19th century. Many anti-semetic occurrences happened, but the Damascus Blood Libel, Mortara Affair, and the Dreyfus Affair were some of the worst.
ReplyDeleteThe Damascus Blood Libel started with an accusation on Jews of murdering a Christian Monk that disappeared. They blamed the Jews for murdering in order to use blood for Matzah baking and Kiddush wine. For this immoral accusation, the Jews were arrested and tortured in a Syrian prison. This teaches the Jews to be careful of everything they do. People were longing to blame the Jews for something, and people would beleive the ridiculous stories that were made up.
The Mortara Affair was (to some people) the worst form of anti-semitism. This form was an emotional trama for a mother and child. At a very young age a Jewish boy was incredibly ill. His nanny believed that the only way to save him for the next world was to baptize him. He survived his illness and for the next 6 years he was raised Jewish with his family. At age 6 he was taken from his family to papal authorities. They took him because he was baptized when he was still a baby. They took him to Vatican City and for the rest of his life he was raised as a Catholic by the Pope himself. This occurrence showed the Jews that the Catholic Church was all-powerfull and could do almost anything they wished.
The Dreyfus Affair was a very suprising act of anti-semetism to the people who knew Dreyfus themselves. Dreyfus was a very loyal lieutenant to the French army. He was accused of spying on the French army for the German's. A maid found papers in the trash that hinted that there was a spy. They assumed it was him because he had similar handwrighting to the letter and it was signed "D". He was the only person they could find with a last name starting with "D". His trial wasn't fair at all. There was no evidence shown at his trial and evidence from the French military and government were covered. He was sent to an island prison and eventually was proven innocent. This shows the Jews in France that they were in great danger. Even a Jew with a high position in society was accused of something because of the racist ideas of anti-semitism.
By looking at the pogroms, we can see that a rumor can lead to persecution of a nation. The pogroms started because they heard that the Jews killed the Czar of the Russian Empire. This was one of the worst occurrences of anti-semitism because the government and police encouraged the attacks on Jews. The participants (which was mostly everyone in Russia) destroyed Jewish people's property, and they often beat them. As well as murder and assault of Jews, there were people who raped Jewish women and then killed them. The duration was longer than normal and the leaders in the Russian society encouraged attacks made it worse.
In these times there was the idea of Romantic Nationalism. This was the idea that the status in society was not based on being a good citizen, but rather what ethnicity you were. This made some Jews realize that they would no longer belong in Germany or many other countries.
The Enlightenment was supposed to be the end of Anti-Semitism, but it did not go away; in fact, it is still around today. The Jews had thought that the Enlightenment/ Emancipation was working. They thought that they could live as equal members of society. The first incident that disproved that idea occurred in 1840. A Christian monk had disappeared and the Jews were blamed for murdering him in order to use the blood for matzah baking and kiddush wine. They were accused of ritual murder. Jews were arrested and brutally tortured in a Syrian prison. This incident is called the Damascus Blood Libel. At this point, the Jews started to realize that the Enlightenment was not working. Many Jews still believed, though, that Anti-Semitism would not affect them or would not continue.
ReplyDeleteThese Jews were proved wrong in 1858 Mortara Affair. A nanny for a Jewish family in Italy sprinkled water on a Jewish child, Edgardo, in order to baptize him beofre he died of an illness. The boy ended up surviving. Once the Church found out that the boy had been baptized, therefore making him Catholic, they kidnapped Edgardo. He was taken to the Vatican where the parents no longer had any authority over him. The parents were not allowed to see him. Edgardo was raised by the Pope in the Vatican and ended up dying as a Catholic priest. This incident made more Jews realize that the Jews would never be accepted as equals in Europe. Their religion was not being respected, nor will it ever be. The Church will always be more powerful than the Jews, therefore they will always be treated unjustly.
The rise of Romantic Nationalism was also a huge disappointment for those Jews who had faith in the Enlightenment. The Germans had start practicing Romantic Nationalism, which meant that your status in society was not based on being a good citizen, but on your ethnicity. In order for a German citizen to receive benefits of citizenship they must be ethnically German. This practice excluded all German Jews from German society. They no longer had a place where they belonged. All of this fueled the desire for their own homeland where they would be accepted as Jews.
The next huge, public act of Anti-Semitism occurred in 1894 in France. Alfred Dreyfus was a Jewish artillery officer in the French army. He was sentenced to life in prison for allegedly being a traitor. He had been accused of having told French military secrets to the Germans. He was sent to Devil’s Island and placed in solitary confinement (extremely inhumane conditions) where he spent almost 5 years. In 1899 Dreyfus was brought back to Paris for another trial. In 1906 Dreyfus was exonerated and reinstated as a major in the French Army. He served during the whole of World War I, ending his service with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. After this horrible incident, many more Jews became interested in Zionism. They now understood that only a Jewish State could be a safe place for the Jews where they would have equal rights/be treated equally.
In 1881 and 1882 pogroms caused the deaths of numerous Jews. A pogrom is an organized attack, and in this case it was against the Jews. During these pogroms, the Jews’ property were vandalized or damaged. Jews were assaulted and murdered and Jewish women were raped. Religious leaders, the government, the newspaper, and even the police encouraged the attacks. These pogroms shocked the Jews and caused them to want a Jewish State more than ever.
Emancipation and Enlightenment in Europe were perceived as methods by which Jews could gain equality in secular society. Even though some Jews felt that these measures taken by the government helped their cause, others felt that it was just more fuel for anti-Semitism. Throughout the nineteenth century, Jews all over Europe experienced fierce anti-Semitism, which eventually helped promote the idea of an independent, Zionist state.
ReplyDeleteThe Damascus Blood Libel of 1840 was the first major act of anti-Semitism that shook Europe. A Christian monk disappeared and Jews were blamed of killing him and using his blood for making matzah and kiddush wine. The Jews were arrested, taken to Syrian prison, and brutally tortured there. In the end, prominent Jewish leaders were able to end the ordeal. Even so, this blood libel sparked fear in the Jews of Western Europe. They began to fear that they were no longer safe in Europe and that Emancipation and Enlightenment had failed.
The Mortara Affair of 1858 was the next startling action taken against Jews. An Italian Jewish family had a Catholic nanny. When the Jewish son, Edgardo Mortara, was near death because of an illness, the nanny performed an emergency baptism. At this point, he was considered Christian by the Vatican. When he was six years old, papal authorities kidnapped him and took him to live in the Vatican. He was raised completely Catholic, with no notion that he was Jewish or had ties to Jews in any way. His parents were not allowed to see him until he was an adult. This event further enforced the idea that Emancipation and Enlightenment had failed. Also, the Jews felt that their religion was not being respected and that Christianity was still the center of everything in Europe.
The rise of Romantic Nationalism (over Liberal Nationalism) marked the end of the "era of equality" for Jews in Germany. The basic tenant of this new form of nationalism was that you receive rights and privileges according to your ethnicity. Obviously, if you're German, or of the Arian race, you would receive the most rights. Also, your individual performance as a citizen did not matter. All they cared about was whether you were German or not. This final action proved once and for all that Emancipation and Enlightenment had failed. The Jews were no longer accepted in German society, or any other country for that matter.
ReplyDeleteThe Dreyfus Affair was by far the most public act of anti-Semitism at this time. Alfred Dreyfus, a French Jew, was accused of spying for Germany. There was no actual proof for his conviction. The French intelligence agency discovered there was a spy and had to find him quickly. Since the spy's alias began with a "D", Dreyfus was the highest ranking Jew in the military, and his handwriting was similar to that of the spy, he was convicted. The French fabricated the rest of the evidence against him. After being convicted twice, in 1894 and 1899, he was finally cleared of all charges and returned to his former military rank in 1906. This affair got mixed reactions from the Jews. Theodore Herzl and his followers saw this as their queue to form a Jewish state in Palestine. Others, like Emmanuel Levinas, believed that since the French did let Dreyfus go in the end, France is a place worth staying. "In the words of his father," he said, "A country that tears itself apart to defend the honor of a small Jewish captain is somewhere worth going."
The most horrifying anti-Semitic acts of the time were the Pogroms of 1881 and 1882. The assassination of Czar Alexander II was blamed on the Jews. Suddenly, people from all parts of Russian society were joining in to hurt and kill Jews. There was vandalism, destruction of Jewish property, assault and murder of Jews and rape of Jewish women, among other cruelties. The difference between these pogroms and those of the previous centuries was the severity of the actions against the Jews, the duration of these acts, and the participation of leaders in Russian society. In fact, the police and government encouraged the attacks. This situation totally devastated the Russian Jews' sense of security and safety in their homes. This was the thing that pushed the idea of Zionism to the forefront of the minds of Jews in the late nineteenth century.
The Mortara Affair- On June 23, 1858, the papal police entered the home of Shlomo Mortara, a Jewish merchant living in Bologna, Italy, and removed the Mortaras' 6-year-old son Edgardo.
ReplyDeleteSix years earlier, a servant girl in the Mortara household, fearing that Edgardo was on the verge of death, had sprinkled water on him. When the local papal inquisitor subsequently learned of this, he declared Edgardo baptized and had him seized. He would never return to his parents, dying a Catholic priest. Romantic Nationalism- Your status in society is not based on being a good citizen but on your ethnicity-place where you’re originally from. In order to receive benefits of citizenship, must be ethnically German. A scandal in France at the end of the nineteenth century involving a Jewish army officer, Alfred Dreyfus- Dreyfus was falsely convicted of betraying the French military and was sentenced to life on Devil's Island. He should have had a fair trial, but he didn’t. Evidence to prove his innocence was covered up by the French Military and the government. The Dreyfus Affair led Jews to realize the failure of emancipation and enlightenment. Damascus Blood Libel-Christian monk disappeared-Jews were accused of ritual murder (murdering someone for ritual purposes) .
Accused Jews of murder in order to use blood for matzah baking and kiddush wine. Jews are arrested, brutally tortured in a Syrian prison. 1882- Russian Pogroms against Jews= organized attacks on Jews. Crimes included:Vandalism/destruction of Jewish properties, Assaults and murder of jews, and Rape of Jewish women. Leaders and activists-people in a high position are all encouraging people to attack Jews= all segments of Russian society.
the Mortara Affair happened in Italy. was a Roman Catholic priest who was born and raised Jewish during only the first six years of his life, until he was seized and taken from his family by papal authorities. Mortara became the center of an international controversy when he was removed from his Jewish parents by authorities of the Papal States and raised as a Catholic. Church authorities took custody of the boy after receiving a report that he had been given emergency baptism by a domestic servant during a serious infantile illness. for this action was that in the Papal States, it was against the law for non-Catholics to raise Catholic children. Mortara was adopted by Pope Pius IX and entered the seminary in his teens.
ReplyDeletethe dreyfus affair was about a A Jew with a position in french society . He was accused of spying for Germany! This was one of the most antisemitism things i have ever heard of. A man who had great pride in his country was accused of spying on it because the initials they found in the evidence were the same initials as his and also he was Jewish. Dreyfus still had pride in his country and as he was being stripped from his rewards in public he still loved France. He fought for his innocence and finally after being in jail for so long French spy found real evidence and Dreyfus was proven innocent. Some Jews look at this as one unfortunate mix up but others look at this as the emancipation was a fail
Damascus Blood libel was horrible situations for jews in the declining ottoman empire. a Monk disappeared without a trace and the Jews were to blame just because they were jewish
In 1881 until 1882 the Russian pogroms were happening
The pogroms were organized attacks against Jews. After the assassination of Czar Alexander II by members of the revolutionary organization Narodnaya Volya on March 13, 1881. Anti-Jewish circles spread a rumor that the czar had been assassinated by Jews and that the government had authorized attacks on them.
In the 19th century, the jews moved away from Liberal Nationalism. which focused on being a good citizen, to a biological/ethnic-based nationalism focusing on your ethnic heritage, Jews automatically excluded, Again raised questions about status of Jews in Europe,this led to Jewish insecurity and reform
Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish man with high ranking in the military, was convicted with the charge of spying for Germany. They had a very minimal amount of evidence but still sent Dreyfus away to Devil's Island for a harsh sentence. They found him guilty because they found his handwriting similar to that of the spy's letter. Many say this is Anti-Semitism, others think that it's just a coincidence. This made Jews realize that enlightenment and emancipation has failed.
ReplyDeleteThe Damascus Blood Libel is one of the most ridiculous things that i've heard in a while. A Christian monk accused the Jews of murder for ritual purposes. He accused them of using the blood to make matzah and for the Kiddush wine. Many of the accused Jews were arrested and brutally tortured in a Syrian prison. This made the Jews realize that they really weren't accepted in society and that emancipation and enlightenment weren't effective.
The Mortara affair is something that hasn't been publicized much but is still very important to know about. This whole scenario happened when a servant in the Mortara household baptized baby Edgardo Mortara because she thought he was on the verge of death. Edgardo didn't die and six years later, the papal police entered his home in Bologna, Italy and took him because they believed that a Catholic child could not live with non-Catholic parents. Edgardo never returned home and never saw his family again.
The meaning of Romantic Nationalism is that one's status in society isn't based on being a good citizen, but rather, one's ethnicity. Basically meaning that if you weren't German, you didn't receive any of the benefits from being a citizen. Of course, the Jews were now included in this no receiving benefits policy. Jews are now excluded and not accepted in German society. This also caused them to come to the conclusion that enlightenment and emancipation were failing.
The 1881-1882 pogroms are one of the worst cases of anti-semitism out there. The pogroms were organized attacks against the Jews. It included vandalism of Jewish owned properties, assault and murder of Jews, and rape of Jewish women. The worst part of this whole situation is how it was provoked. The government, police, soldiers, religious leaders, journalists and ordinary people all encouraged this type of behavior. This really began the realization that the Jews needed to be in their homeland of Israel.
Damascus Blood Libel-Was the first case of Anti-semitism. In 1840 a Christian monk disappeared.The Jews were accused of murdering a Christian monk in order to use the blood for Matzah baking and kiddush wine.
ReplyDeleteMortara Affair-Edgardo Levi Mortara was a Roman Catholic priest. For the first 6 years of his life he was raised as a Jew.After that he was taken away from his family.The authorities of the Papal state took him and raised him as a Catholic. Authorities of the Church took custody of Mortara after they heard that he was given an emergency baptism by a servant when he was very sick. In the Papal states it was against the law for a non-Catholic to raise catholic children.
Rise of Romantic nationalism-Romantic Nationalism was where people's status in society was about where they originally came from and not how good of a citizen that they were.
Dreyfus Affair-Alfred Dreyfus was accused for spyin, which he did not actually do and the only proof that they had was that the spy's last name started with a "D" and he was the only French officer whose last name started with a "D". Another excuse that they accused him was because he was Jewish and there was much Anti-semitism at that time.
1881-1882 pogroms-During these pogroms there was much destruction of Jewish property n Russia and many murders.