newsHatred of Jews is on the rise but where did this all begin?
Jews were persecuted in so many different parts of Christian England in the Middle Ages
Israel’s military actions in Gaza which some describe as Genocide have led to an explosion of anti-Semitism throughout the world. But where did all this anti-Jewish hatred begin. Academics in America either don’t know ,or won’t say. TREVOR GRUNDY reports –
The American academic Avi Snyder isn’t one to mince her words. In a circular, the senior director of Tikvah Ideas says that to her anger and regret, anti-Semitism has found a ‘comfortable home’ in what she calls the American Left.
And not just there.
In a short message to supporters this week she said, “Since October 7, 2023 that hostility has only intensified, with scepticism of the USA-Israel alliance and even open anti-Zionism now increasingly mainstream among many American progressives and Democrats.
She said that even before October 2023, anti-Semitism was beginning to re-emerge on parts of the American Right, too. Ideas that were once confined to the fringes include –
- American Jews’ suspect loyalty, about the wisdom of a strong Jewish-Christian alliance.
- Israel’s alleged role in pushing America into war.
- The Holocaust and the justice of the Allied cause in World War II
“Today” she said, “there is a clear faction of the American Right that is overtly hostile to Israel and to Judaism.”
This well-known (among American Jews) Zionist academic said that Tikvah Ideas raised the alarm about this in the summer of 2023 and went on to shed light on “the roots of this phenomenon” and explain how anti-Semitism is fundamentally at odds with the best traditions of America and American conservatism.
On a hunt for the roots of this phenomenon, America might not be the best place to start.
Hello, Lincoln Cathedral in Roman Catholic-dominated Medieval England.
Lincoln Cathedral, a wonderful building whose silent walls hold dark secrets from centuries ago
(Picture: Trevor Grundy)
This week, I paid my first visit to Lincoln and was stunned by the beauty of the city and friendliness of local people. It wasn’t always that way and not during the turbulent days of the 13th century when witch -hunting and Jew- baiting were national hobbies.
After an hour- long tour of Lincoln Cathedral which is the fourth largest in the UK (some say the most amazing example of Gothic church architecture in the whole of Europe) I visited what was once the busy Jewish quarter of this once key Roman Army city which became wealthy after the collapse of Rome and the return on its soldiers to Italy in the 5th century thanks to the wool trade and the pilgrimage industry.
The Jews played a prominent role in Medieval Lincoln. They financed the building of the Bishop’s Palace and possibly the cathedral itself. In Jews Court there was a synagogue (there still is) and Jew’s House (still there) is an excellent example of 12th century architecture.
For several centuries the tower dominating Lincoln Cathedral was the highest stone construction in Europe.
Lincoln was a prosperous trading centre with a large Jewish community in the 13th century
(Picture: Trevor Grundy)
Rural murder accusations against the Jews began in England in the 12th Century and spread quickly to other parts of Europe.
In 1255, a Lincoln boy called Hugh was found dead.
The long-established Jewish community was held responsible – without a shred of evidence against anyone in that community.
Ninety-two Jews were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Eighteen of them were hanged. Not one was guilty of anything, yet alone murder.
Although the boy was never canonised, Little Hugh was treated by those who organised the pilgrimage Industry as a saint.
Songs, legends, poems blamed Jews for murdering him. His tomb became a place of worship for the rest of the 13th century but died down after Edward 1 expelled all Jews from England in 1290.
There were none (officially) in England until Oliver Cromwell agreed to their return, mainly because Jewish bodies based in Holland financed his Ironsiders during the civil war against Charles 1, beheaded in 1649.
The shrine was venerated and in 1791 the coffin of the boy “saint” was opened and his body was found to be intact. So, accusations that Jews killed and then crucified him and used blood during Passover ceremonies was completely and utterly false.
Remains of the Shrine to Little Hugh in Lincoln Cathedral
(Picture: Trevor Grundy)
Claims that Jews murdered Hugh lived on and he became the best known of the so-called “blood libel” saints. The Nazis specalised in manufacturing the hatred of Jews.
Today, next to what remains of High’s shrine, is a notice written in 2009 (updated from a notice written in 1955) after Christians and Jews met to discuss rising anti-Semitism, not only in England but throughout Europe.
The notice reads: “The libel against the Jews is a shameful example of religious and racial hatred, which, continuing down the ages violently divides many people in the present day. Let us unite here, in a prayer for an end to bigotry, prejudice and persecution. Peace be with you. Shalom.”
We all know anti-Semitism is on the rise. But it didn’t start in America. Question is: Where did it?
There is a joke about an Englishman looking at a roadside map while trying to get from A to B somewhere in Ireland. A smiling local says to the confused (perhaps American) visitor – “If you want to get to there, I wouldn’t start from here.”