History of the Jews in Central and Eastern Europe Introduction

OSTJUDEN X WESTJUDEN Type of culture which almost disappeared in the Holocaust Austria, big cities in Bohemia, Hungary, German parts of Poland Jewishness above all a RELIGIOUS QUESTION

Antisemitism in Antiquity Anti = against Sem (Shem) = patriarch, one of the three sons of Noah Caused by ignorance and irrational fear of unknown and different Ancient Rome and Greece – Against monotheism – Ignorance – believed that Jews sacrify Greek kids in the Temple Believed that Jews spread leprosy – a reason of the expulsion from Egypt – Jews refused to asimilate and continued to respect the tradition

Poland as a Refuge 1st c. BCE : Hasmonean Kingdom of Israel = an independent Jewish state  became a client kingdom & a province of the ROMAN Empire = JUDEA, 6th c. CE Jewish- Roman Wars: 1) Great Jewish Revolt, CE – TITUS besieged & destroyed Jerusalem, looted and burned Herod´s Temple & Jewish strongholds – & massacred and enslavened a large part of Jewish population

Poland as a Refuge 2) Bar Kochba´s Revolt, CE – Jewish state crushed by a massive Roman army – HADRIAN attempted to root out Judaism – To erase memory of JUDEA renamed it to SYRIA PALAESTINA after Phillistines, the ancient enemies of Jews Majority of Jews of Judea killed, exiled or sold to slavery Jews though continued to live in Judea (completion of the Mishnah, Jerusalem Talmud, Safed – kabbalah)

Exile To Mesopotamia, Egypt, N Africa & Spain = SEPHARDI JEWS To Turkey, Greece, Italy & then Central Europe = ASHKENAZI JEWS – Later the majority of the European Jews – Lost Hebrew – YIDDISH – To C & EE in the 11 th & 12 th C. – Crusades Financial reasons for killing Jews

– Jews have to wear a distinctive garb – Consistent separation of Jews and Christians – Jews are not allowed to own or rent any land – Limited in crafts – Merchants, money lenders - medieval antisemitism often inspired by economy reasons 1215 – IV. Lateran Council

Antijudaism of the Church Jews are against the mainstream beliefs and thus are responsible for their suffering Jews = Old Israel Church = New Israel – „The only and real“ Johannes Chrysostomus (Church father, 4th c.) – Jews are equal to evil and are on the level of animals – Since the 10th c. – devil portrayed as a buck with a Jewish nose – Jews paralelled to annoying insect  can be chased away or stamped out with impunity

Medieval Antisemitism „It would be licit to hold Jews because of their crimes (of failing to embrace Christianity) in perpetual servitude, and therefore the princes may regard the possesions of Jews as belonging to the State.“ St. Thomas Aquinas, De Regimine Judeorum Church triumphant over synagogue, Strassbourg, c. 1230

Medieval Antisemitism 313 – Milan Edict – legalized christianity but not judaism 6th c. Codex of Justinian – Jews are not allowed to hold public functions, build new synagogues and have sexual intercourse with Christians

Poland as a Refuge 14 th C. – Plagues – attacking Jews MORE THAN ETHNIC HATRED = A WAY TO CRITICIZE the MONARCHS who protected them & MONARCHIC FISCAL POLICIES which were OFTEN ADMINISTRED BY JEWS Frederic II, 1236 – Jews subjects of the Emperor  Jews became dependent on the royal power and were gradually isolated from their neighbourhood

Accusation of host dessecration IV th Lateran Council – An unleavened bread will be replaced by a host and laics will not receive wine during the communion – New dogma: Christ´s blood and body are present in the host 1243 – first accusation of Jews in Germany (Belitz by Berlin) of host dessecration False trials and pogroms (14th c. Brussels, Deggendorf, Knoblauch, Pulkau, Kouřim)

Accusation of ritual murder (the blood libel) – Norwich – 1144 – accusation of crucifying a Christian boy before Eastern – Jews murder innocent children and virgins and need their blood as a remedy – Led to numerous pogroms – e.g. Prague, 1336 several tens of Jews were burnt for „using Christian blood“ – „Jews need blood to prepare matza.“

Expulsion from Frankfurt, 1614 – „1380 persons old and young were counted at the exit of the gate and herded onto ships on the river Main.“ Expulsions – 1290 from England – untill 1650 – France – Jews expulsed from 1306/ 1394 untill 1789 – Italy – – Russia – Jews not allowed since the 14th c- untill 1722 – 1492 – 97 - Jews expulsed from Spain and Portugal – about 100 thousand victims – 1541 expulsed from the Bohemian kingdom – 1744 Maria Theresa expulsed Jews from the Bohemian Lands

Poland as a Refuge Boleslaus III, 12th c – Jews= backbone of the Polish economy Boleslaus the Pious, 13th c. – Charter of Jewish Liberties

Poland as a Refuge Casimir the Great, 14th c. – Amplified Jewish liberties – prohibited kidnapping of Jewish children Black death – blood libel and pogroms 15th c. – POLICY OF TOLERANCE – accepting Jews from W Europe

Poland as a Refuge 16th c. – Vaad = Jewish Parliament (Diet) 1648 – Jews = 5% of the population – The richest merchants also financiers – Mediators between town and country – Large group of poor people Chmielnicki – massacres of Jews – emigration to Central Poland and to W Europe – Over victims

Poland as a Refuge 18th c. – church renewed medieval discrimination – protection of kings and nobles less efficient Withdrawal to STETLEKHS – great poverty