Modern State & the Holocaust

• The "Modern Nation-State" has a dark side, exemplified by Germany's advanced systems being used for industrialized killing during the Holocaust.
• The state's resources were utilized to commit genocide systematically and scientifically.
• Many individuals, including list makers, train workers, engineers, chemists, doctors, phone operators, and office workers, participated in the genocide.

Intent of Perpetrators

• The goal was the total destruction of Jewish people globally.
• Earlier genocides aimed to create homogenous states within borders.
• Germans believed Jews were part of a worldwide conspiracy for domination, so all Jews became targets for death.

Christian Anti-Judaism

• Studying 2000 years of history is essential to understand the ideological roots of the genocide of European Jewry.
• The concept of "The Jew" dehumanized an entire group, reducing them to mythical figures of evil.
• Understanding the origins of Jewish conspiracy fantasies is crucial to understanding the Holocaust's basis.
• Jews were blamed for various world events like Bolshevism, Communism, Capitalism, and Germany's WWI failure.
• The mindset became one of confronting a "FORCE OF EVIL" that must be destroyed.
• Christian Anti-Judaism involves total or partial opposition to Judaism and Jews by those holding competing beliefs, presuming Jews chose an "inferior" belief system.
• Modern German Anti-Semitism, however, rooted Jewish inferiority and evil in their race/blood, denying common humanity.
• Christian Anti-Judaism is defined by tension and rivalry, starting with "Old" vs. "New" Testaments, where "Testament" means "Covenant."
• The Jewish term "TANACH" doesn't translate to "Old," but Christianity defines the Jewish Bible as "OLD" to imply its own Bible is "NEW."
• "Old" vs. "New" suggests Christianity improved upon and succeeded Judaism, portraying Judaism as inherently flawed.
• Rosemary Ruether's thesis connects Christian Anti-Judaism and Racial Anti-Semitism by highlighting how early Christianity delegitimized Jewish rejection of the Messiah, explaining this rejection by dividing Jews into "good" (pre-Christian, will accept Christ) and "bad" (will never accept Christ, murdered him) groups.
• The crucifixion is portrayed as the peak of Jewish evilness.
• Support for hatred comes the Gospel of Matthew: "the blood be on us and on our children"
• The passage is read twice a year in churches, and the Bible was the most influential book at the time.
• Early Christian leaders favored Romans, blaming the crucifixion on Jews.
• Christianity became the Roman Empire's official religion by the end of the 4th century, shifting from religious rivalry among equal minorities to a majority defining a minority.
• Edward Flannery argued that early Christianity superseded Judaism but emphasized Jews were God's chosen people, loved by God, and had an important role in the Second Coming.
• Medieval Christians believed Jews should be preserved, facing them with discrimination/oppression but not outright murder.

Jewish Life in Christian Europe

• During the Early Middle Ages (400-1000 AD), Jews couldn't proselytize or serve in armies/authorities, becoming 2nd class citizens.
• Judaism remained legal; worship was tolerated, with life and property protected, and forced conversions were absent.
• The High Middle Ages (1000-1400 AD) saw new levels of Jewish persecution as most of Europe was Christianized and Jewish people became stereotyped as "OTHER / ALIEN / STRANGER."
• The 1st Crusade (1096 AD) involved massacres of Jews en route to cleanse the Holy Land of Islam, causing the death of ¼ of the Jewish population.
• Forced baptisms and burning of the Talmud occurred, but the Pope did not order these killings, however he did not stop them either.
• During the 2nd Crusade (1111 AD), St. Bernard intervened when Jews became targeted, asserting that Jews needed to be preserved.
• The Bavaria Massacre(1298 AD) killed 3000 Jews after being accused of desecrating the Host.
• The Black Death (1300s) led to hysteria.
• Jewish presence in Europe was considered a defilement of God, leading to notions that the 'Anti-Christ' will be a Jew.
• 1290-Jews were expelled from England and 1394 – Jews were expelled from France

Jewish Myths in European Culture

• Blood Libel is a false allegation that Jews murder Christians for ritual use of their blood.
• Blood libel led to increased suspicion and hatred of Jews in Europe.
• William of Norwich was the 1st Blood Libel. Researchers discovered the bodies of 17 people thrown head first into a Norwich well.
• A likely cause of death for those found was identified as a Christian Pogrom.
• Host Desecrations came from the doctrine of transubstantiation says the bread used at the Mass changed into Jesus' flesh.
• Host means a sacrificial victim for this bread.
• Stories spread that that Jews were stealing wafers of bread and torturing them in order to torture Jesus, with methods such as host nailing.
• Woodcuts and Cartoons were used to demonize and dehumanize Jews, building on past caricatures and myths.
• 20th Century Germany became the center of Anti-Jewish Cartoons.

Christian Anti-Judaism concluding thoughts

• Folk tales, blood libels, woodcuts, cartoons created a caricatured Jewish folk culture
• The Jew as a superhuman evil force is now part of European Culture and Civilization
• The Nazi views of Jews draws from this 2000 year old image of this
• Christian teachings created a climate in which Genocide could be conceived.
• Hatred of Jewish people was the work of centuries, of Jews living in a Christian World
• CHRISTIAN ANTI-JUDAISM is a necessary, but not sufficient condition of the Holocaust

German Anti Semitism

• Semite/Semitic initially designated geographic regions/language groups until 1879 involving Hebrew and Arabic speakers
• It became a term for a "Race" specifically designating Jewish people.
• German Anti-Semitism represents hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against Jewish people.
• The term ’antisemite’ was popularized in Germany in 1879 as a scientific-sounding term for Judenhass, or "Jew-hatred".

History of German Anti-Semitism

• In the 1700s, the Kingdom of Prussia considered Jewish people "Resident Aliens" and not subjects of the Crown.
• Their occupation, residence, and marriage were controlled by the Crown
• Jewish people were Ruled by Jewish Civil Law, Led by Rabbis, Dressed alike, Had their language and were a Self-Segregated community in segregated/caste society
• Many Jews are poor, involved in irregular trades (Textiles).
• They were Members of a Despised Religion.
• It "worked" in 18th century society because a time of relative stability & peace
• 1871 – FULL LEGAL Emancipation of Jewish people in Germany was the result of a Political / Legal principle to benefit all of Society
• However this Sudden legal equality for former outcasts creates an instinctual backlash against the new norm.
• The angry anti-Jewish caricature parodied Jewish emancipation in Europe
• Suggesting that Jews expected their new-found liberties to allow them to profit “even further” at the expense of the Christians.
• In fact, Jewish wealth and power did expand exponentially

GERMAN ANTI-SEMITISM EVOLUTION

• Christian Anti-Semitism was headed by Adolf Stoecker in Germany
• He Believed Jews were “tolerable strangers”
• He was worried that the Political & Social Rise of Jews was ‘spiritually blasphemous’
• Christian Anti-Semitism felt that the Jewish punishment/Oppression will lead to their CONVERSION
• Worried about the ‘weakening’ Christian & German Spirit
• GOAL: Conversion of Jews 🡪 NOT Expulsion
• Nationalist Anti-Semitism was headed by Henrich von Treitschke
• He was a Professor at University of Berlin who believed Anti-Semitism is a necessary part of believing in German Nationalism
• Nativist & Ethnical Basis for German Nationalism
• Germany is a ‘Community of Common Ancestry & Blood’ which excludes Jews since they are alien to the ‘German National Character’
• Different history, ancestry, community, traditions
• GOAL: Germanization 🡪 More intermarriage, Jews eventually disappear and melt into German culture.
• Most ’Nationalism’ is based on political/ethical values that are common in a country, not on BLOOD
• ‘German Nationalism’ is EXCLUSIVE
• WW1 created Extremism due to the Versailles Treaty being taken advantage of, and the Great Depression creating a society polarized by the Nazi Takeover
• Germans needed to be ‘unified’ by a Strong Leader and Ethnic German Blood at the heart of this new Nationalism involving Anti-Semitism
• Anti-Semitism became extreme with the CHIMERICAL ASSERTIONS of science to prove hatred

EXTREME RACIAL ANTI-SEMITISM

• Nazi GERMAN ANTI-SEMITISM created a RACIAL Manicheanism by scholars like academics and social scientists, involving 2 Gods with Absolute Good being Germany/Germans and Absolute Evil being the 2nd
• The STRUGGLE AGAINST WORLD JEWRY BECAME A STRUGGLE AGAINST ABSOLUTE EVIL that needed to be destroyed

Holocaust 2: THE NAZI RISE TO POWER

• Dictatorship / Nazi takeover was done “LEGALLY”, a MORALLY JUDGED CHOICE for GENOCIDE
• The Wiemar Crisis (1930-33) happened because President Hindenburg had ‘emergency powers’ due to Divided political parties could not agree on coalition government.
• The Collapse of Democratic Wiemar Republic was a pre-condition to Hitler’s eventual takeover.
• Chancellor Franz von Poppen formed an Government of the newly popular Nazi Party and the Nationalist Party
• Believed he could CONTROL Hitler
• Hitler was made Chancellor (January 30th, 1933)
• Hitler convinced Paul von Hindenburg that Parliament must be dissolved on DAY 1
• Hitler burns down the Reichstag (1 Month Later / March 1933
• Changes constitution to SUSPEND Parliament to then Pass laws at will, and made all Parties Illegal
• LEGAL REVOLUTION 🡪 PEOPLE CHOSE A MOVEMENT THAT FLAUNTED HATRED
• The Nazi intention of Genocide from Beginning of Nazi Rule is UNCLEAR
• Hitler began the Apartheid of Jewish people to SEPARATE them from German LIFE & POWER
• Law on the Restoration of the Professional Service purges all Jewish people from any roles in the Government
• Jews were EXCLUDED from Positions of Authority, as well as Cultural and Artistic Life (Goebbels)

The Nuremberg Decrees

• Law for Protection of German Blood (Marriage and Sexual relations between Jewish Germans & Germans OUTLAWED)
• Reich Citizenship Laws (Jewish Germans no longer considered Citizens) were POPULAR in Germany
• The laws were meant to end permanent separation to end violence
• Kristallnacht – “Night of Broken Glass” demonstrated that Jewish businesses demolished, Synagogues burned, and Jewish people killed, but was Unpopular among Germans that Prefer Law & Order
• The MESSAGE was LEAVE or there will be CONSEQUENCES