holocaust in history

holocaust in history

we are taught about holocaust in hitler’s germany. repeatedly this is described as a symbol of hatred so much so that to doubt it is considered a crime worse tham murder.

but was it the only one of times. let us see.  

roman emperors regularly suppressed jews and thousands were killed but this can be listed as a punishment for rebellion or non obedience,

not so in the later period.

medieval european persecution was systematic, recurring, and rooted in religious prejudice.

·  jews were targeted as a religious minority.

·  hostility rooted in christian theology (e.g., accusation of deicide).

• ·  rhineland massacres during the first crusade

• expulsion of jews from england

• expulsion of jews from spain

·  cycles of:

• pogroms

• forced conversions

• expulsions

rhineland

·  in 1095, pope urban ii called for a crusade to capture jerusalem from muslim control.

·  this created intense religious fervor across europe.

·  some crusaders—especially poorly organized “people’s crusade” groups—turned against jews, asking:“why fight non-christians abroad when ‘enemies of christ’ live among us?” the rhineland massacres were not random riots but a systematic wave of religiously motivated violence linked to the crusading movement.

speyer -- hundreds of jews were killed.

mainz -- around 1,000 jews were killed.

cologne -- mass killings: entire communities wiped out. thousands of jews killed (exact numbers uncertain).

while a frnch ambassador to mongol court discussed religious tolerance  in karakouram, mongol capital, his countrymen were busy burning jewish hebrew talmudic texts. they burned over 12,000 illustrated hand written books for which the king was declared as saint louis, to be venerated by the christians everywhere.