Current Event: Constant warfare between the Palestinians and the Jews in Israel. What is the problem? Land!

History of Anti-Semitism in the Middle East 70 B.C.E – Romans conquered Palestine and required Jews to worship Roman Gods. Jews refused. Christians blamed Jews for the death of Jesus Christ. European Laws prevented people from socializing or working with Jews. Jews were forbidden to run for office or participate in government.

Anti-Semitism during the Crusades The 1st Crusades “Baptism or Death” for Jews. Nearly 10,000 Jews died because they refused to convert. One Crusade leader vowed “to leave no single member of the Jewish race alive.” Because of the Crusades, many Jews fled to Eastern and Central Europe.

Anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages 1400s and 1500s Jews were relegated to jobs in banking which resulted in the stereotype of them as “money-hungry.” Forced to live in walled neighborhoods called “ghettos.” Blamed for causing the Black Death. Artists portrayed Jews as devils and Satan. Over time, Jews were driven from Central Europe and settled in Poland and Russia. In the 1800s, Jews were murdered in Russia in organized killings called pogroms.

Theodor Herzl: the Birth of Zionism By 1897 Theodor Herzl's book The Jewish State spread like wildfire throughout the Jewish world and Herzl became the most recognizable leader of the Zionist movement when he presided over the first international Zionist Congress.

Why Zionism? Jews could no longer live as minority in other countries Jews could no longer expect non-Jewish governments to protect them. Jews needed a country of their own to escape persecution. Biblical obligation to live in the land of Israel. After World War I, the British promised the land to them as the land of their roots. Jews needed a country of their own to faithfully fulfill their religious obligations.

The “Promised” Land:

1947: The United Nations’ Partition Plan Result: Jews were happy: They received 55% of the land although they were 34% of the population. All Islamic countries opposed it and the Palestinians rejected it outright. The world supported it because they felt bad about the Holocaust.

the 1948 War: Israeli territory before and after

Nasser refused to sign Baghdad pact to unify Arab countries against Russia. US refused to sell him arms later, so he got them from Czechosolvakia. US refused to lend money to build Aswan Dam. Tensions build.

Separated at birth? PLO leader Yassar Arafat and Beatle’s drummer Ringo Starr… you decide!

1979: The Camp David Accords: US president Jimmy Carter got Israel and Egypt to sign a peace treaty. Egypt became the first Arab State to recognize Israel. Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt (but kept Gaza Strip) Anwar Sadat assassinated by extremists in 1981. Yasser Arafat dies of mysterious causes in 2004.

Iranian Revolution in 1979

The supreme leader: Ayatollah Khomeini

The deposed Shah of Iran and his family https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF47rrHd7wo Iran before 1979

Status of Women: Iranian news anchors 1978 -1998

The "Ideal Revolutionary Woman" was supposed to be… --trained in tradition --limited to housewife & mother roles --deferent to fathers, husbands or brothers --pious and to insure that they did not tempt men…. --cover all but face & hands --Segregate themselves from men in public places --Be surveyed by "morals police“ Khomeini called the chador (covering) the "flag of the revolution."

Status of Women today in Iran --A narrowing education gap between women & men --Women now outnumber men at universities --A worsening economy has forced women into the labor market to help support their families --The regime has opened up job opportunities in government, professions, & universities for women --Globalization brought information& images of women's gains elsewhere --Most women support the revolution & theocracy even while struggling for greater freedom within the new Islamic system

The Change can be seen in Khomeini’s own family. --Khomeini’s wife was cloistered at home. She refused to remove the veil under Shah's regime. --Daughter, attended university, became a women's activist --Grand daughters have advanced degrees, and are working professionals