Synopsis of Anti-Semitism

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Synopsis of Anti-Semitism I believe that the film “The Longest Hatred” was intended to educate people about the history of anti-Semitism, and to help people understand why it remains today. Anti-Semitism is difficult to understand. Its roots lie deep in history. Even though the term of Anti-Semitism was not coined until Wilhelm Marr first used it in 1879, the people of Germany had long been taught to fear and resent Jewish people. Hitler used this hatred by promising to rid Germany of the “Jew Devil”. Jesus was Jewish, as were most early Christians. Many psalms and prayers used by Christians are of Jewish origin, but Jews did not see Jesus as a god, and they were blamed for his death. The hatred of Jewish people became even larger when Constantine adopted Christianity as the official religion of Rome during the 4th century A.D. The Romans were absolved from the death of Jesus and the blame was set solely on the Jewish people. The Crusades brought about more anti-Jewish sentiment in Europe. In Jerusalem, Jews were seen as vermin who lived alongside Muslims. Jews were massacred all across Europe during these times, and clergymen even urged people to throw stones at Jews during Easter. One of the biggest reasons for anti-Semitism stems from the employment that was available to Jewish people. They were not allowed to hold jobs that Christians could hold, and were forced to resort to loaning money and working through all sorts of barter. Judaism was the only religion that allowed the lending of money for profit, and many took advantage of this ability. Over time this buyer/seller relationship led to massive amounts of resentment from non-Jewish people. Myths even arose of Jews massacring Christian children. They were forced to wear pointy hats and were segregated into ghettos. Even during the Holocaust, Pope Pius XII declared neutrality and
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