Why is the history of antisemitism in the UK so important?
We must break down antisemitism historically, in order to tackle it contemporarily.
I recently took part in a course run by the brilliant Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) entitled Contemporary Antisemitism in the UK. Perhaps rooted in my bias as a history student, I was struck by the perpetuation of falsehood about Jewish people throughout history which has continued to evolve within different contexts. In order to combat contemporary antisemitism, its development throughout history must be understood.
Antisemitism was not invented by the Nazis, nor was it confined to Germany. It existed long before the Holocaust and has continued to exist since the defeat of the Axis powers. It has also been rampant throughout British history. This article will give an exceptionally brief overview of when and why antisemitism became the phenomenon it did.
In simple terms, most instances of antisemitism can be traced back to one of these four ideas:
- Christian antisemitism: a mostly religious conflict under the premise that Jesus was killed by the Jews, therefore deeming them ‘Christ killers’.
- That Jews plan to take over the world.
- That Jews are inherently financially greedy.
- Fake anthropology which see Jews as inherently ‘racially’ inferior.
As we trace back antisemitism, try and link each instance to one of these four categories…
After being displaced from the Middle East by the Romans and Babylonians, Jews moved to Southern Europe and slowly into Northern and Eastern Europe. Here, due to the dominance of the Christian faith, they were excluded from traditional professions. Therefore they had to work independently, for example as money lenders, where they often found financial success. This only increased the tensions which already existed. As a result, they faced a series of expulsions and migrations.
Many Jews arrived in England with William the Conqueror, however after the 1144 blood libel Jews became routinely accused of similar crimes. The blood libel refers to when the Jews of Norwich were falsely accused of ritually murdering a Christian boy in a hope that his sacrifice would return them to their Holy Land. In 1189 there was a massacre of Jews after the coronation of Richard III and in 1279 most of the London Jewry were executed in the Tower of London. 11 years on from this, Jews were expelled from England.
Jews were allowed to move back to England after the Reformation. They began to find more success again, and many completely assimilated into English society. Slowly, barriers were broken down. However, violent and murderous antisemitism in Russia in the 1890s led to an influx of Jewish immigrants. They often settled in communities such as in East London, which soon became known as the Jewish Ghetto. In the early twentieth century, Jews began to be used as scapegoats in the press for national problems and the 1905 Aliens Act (the first ever law on immigration) was introduced at the height of Jewish migration.
The First World War and its heightening of nationalism intensified antisemitism. As has often been shown, patriotism and xenophobia went hand in hand and the Jews were portrayed as war shy and disloyal. The interwar years then saw a polarisation of British politics and a dramatic rise in antisemitism. Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists use of Nazi-style antisemitism is exemplified in the violent 1936 Battle of Cable Street. The use of eugenics and ‘racial’ science was not a German phenomenon, it was used throughout Europe.
An interesting case study of antisemitism is the historical use of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. This was a discussion which apparently took place between Jewish leaders on how they were going to take over the world. Henry Ford, the man who invented the modern assembly line technique as a form of mass production, had half a million copies of this discussion distributed. In 1921 The London Times proved the discussion to be a fake and stated it was most likely created by an antisemitic Christian. However — this revelation didn’t make a massive difference to discussions of the protocol — in 1933 children in Nazi Germany were given copies of the discussion at school, over 10 years later. Today, it is still used in antisemitic discourse and conspiracy theories as evidence of an international Jewish threat to the stability of nations.
As has been shown, antisemitism can only be understood through its history. For example, the exclusion of Jews from mainstream professions by Christian communities led to their skills developing in areas which lead to monetary success, such as private banking. Families passed on these successful businesses and simultaneously the myths about Jewish people as a collective grew. Still, today, we see the stereotype of Jews as financially greedy. For example, former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn was condemned for questioning the removal of an anti-Semitic mural in London which depicted Jewish men as exactly this.
Ultimately, it was intolerance which created antisemitism and its intolerance which has perpetuated it. History makes evident the holes in the myths by providing context. Therefore it is historical awareness which needs to be used to combat contemporary forms of antisemitism. We, in 2021, with our benefit of hindsight and fountains of information available to us — really have no excuse anymore.
