Jewish History in Europe - Essay Example

Professor Name Institution, course number Date Jewish history in Europe Jewish history is a history of its religion and culture. It covers nearly four thousand years. All Jewish history is centered around the territory that is now called the State of Israel. At the dawn of Jewish history, the events were tied to a relatively small region of the Middle East, and centered around the Land of Israel. Starting from the Talmudic period and later in the early Middle Ages, most of the Jewish people lived on the lands of Islam. The spread and development of the Jewish communities concern such places as North Africa, Western and Eastern Europe and North America. The aim of this work is to analyze Jewish history in Europe. The geographical uniqueness of Jewish history had a formative influence on the culture of the Jews. Originating at the crossroads of ancient civilizations in Palestine, Jewish culture developed in constant contact with the surrounding nations. The Jews had a significant impact on the development of Christian and Muslim civilizations, but they were not isolated from outside influences. Being an absolute minority among other peoples, the Jews always hold fruitful dialogue with different cultures, seeking to identify and strengthen the foundations of their identity as a part of this dialogue. Expulsion and persecution of the Jews led to the scattering of the Jewish people in all corners of the world, from North Africa and the Ottoman Empire to the discovered America, and was accompanied by the increased isolation of the Jews and their expulsion to the periphery of public life in Europe. Despite the severe economic conditions and persistent pursuit, creative life has not died among the Jews. They translated many classic works in Hebrew, which were studied in the original Greek and Latin languages. In the Renaissance period, Italian and Dutch Jews were the teachers of many humanists who protected Talmud, when the fanatics have erected against the fires of Jewish books. In the period of social and religious upheavals Jews were the first victims of violence. Bloody persecution of the Jews began from the time of the First Crusade (1096), when they were defeated by the rich Jewish communities on the Rhine, in Trier, Speyer, Mainz and Cologne. Jews were massacred, women have been raped, and children forcibly baptized. Till the end of the XVIII century the Jews in Western Europe were periodically persecuted. Kings and other authorities, when they needed money, expelled the Jews from their possessions and took away all their property. In many states and cities, Jews were subjected to a variety of oppressions: they were forced to be baptized, lived in special quarters (ghettos), wore special suits and so forth. In many places they were only allowed to deal exclusively with money growth and trade. Since the XIII century in Western Europe began to spread the blood actions against the Jews, followed by the additional anti-Jewish regulations of the Catholic Church. In 1290 the Jews were expelled from England and in 1394 - from France. In 1348, the Jews were accused of spreading the epidemy ofplague and as a result exterminated in many cities. The period from 750 to 1100 was the golden age of Islam and of Spanish Jewry. Jewish merchants spoke many languages: Latin, Hebrew, Greek, Persian, Arabic, and therefore used their knowledge not only in Spain but in other countries, for diplomatic work. Leaving to other places, they could not only trade, but also negotiate. One of the most successful diplomats was a Spanish Jew Khazdan ibn Shaprut. Although Jews lived better among Muslims, who ruled Spain than among Christians, this fact did not prevent the awakening of fundamentalist movements. Khazdan Shaprut played as a defender of his people, and appealed to Muslim leaders with the request to calm down the fundamentalists and defend the Jewish nation. In 1391, 5 000 Jewish families were killed in Sevilla / Spain. In the same year 20 000 Jews were burned. The process of cruel persecution of the Jews in Spain began. In 1492 Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile created a decree, which concerned Jews, living in Spain. Facing the choice of either being converted to Christianity or leave the country, most of the Jews refused to betray their faith and were expelled from the state. As a result, their property was confiscated. Although the church inquisition existed throughout Western and Central Europe from the twelfth to the nineteenth century, in Spain it was an unusually severe and widespread phenomenon. It is estimated that 30 000 Marranos, baptized representatives of Jewish people were burned by the Spanish Inquisition from the 15th century to 1808. In addition to that in 1492 all non baptized Jews were expelled from the country. They were deprived of all their property and had no means for self-defense, so the order of the mass expulsion was practically a death sentence for them. In 1492 about 300 thousand Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal, where was placed the second Jewish spiritual center and flourished the New Jewish literature. From Spain, Jews went to the Netherlands and Italy, where they enjoyed the patronage of some popes. In Germany the Jews have been taken under the protection of the emperors for their payment of special taxes. Restructuring of the medieval society under the influence of the new socio-political views (absolutism, mercantilism and so forth) and the growing secularization of the society led to the revision of the traditional attitudes towards Jews in Europe. The transition from the Middle Ages to modern times was marked by the beginning of the emancipation process, providing Jews with equal civil rights in comparison with other nationalities. Emancipation led to the emergence of multiple contacts between Jews and their neighbors. The Jews have penetrated into all spheres of social and cultural life. After the release of the Netherlands from the Spanish yoke, the Jewish community achieved there great prosperity. After the victory of the English Revolution in 1640, Jews were allowed to re-settle in England. The formation of national ideologies in Europe has led to a slowdown of the process of integration of Jews in the surrounding society. Anti-Semitic concept appeared as a reaction of European states to the activities of Jews and their active presence in different spheres of life. The growth of anti-Semitism associated with national self-assertion of the peoples of Europe at the turn of XIX-XX centuries, led to the development of the Zionist movement, especially among assimilated Jewry. The emancipation of the Jews in Western Europe began with the French Revolution. In 1791, the Jews, who lived in France, received the civil rights. In 1858, Jews were admitted to the English Parliament. In fact, the gradual equalization of rights of German Jews was completed in 1848-1862. German constitution recognized the equal rights of Jews in 1871. At the beginning of the XX century Jews enjoyed full civil and political rights everywhere in Western Europe, except Romania and America. At the same time, the Jews lost the privilege of their particular religious and social laws. Emancipated Jews in Europe came to different forms of existence of religious tradition, up to the indifferent attitude towards it. Thus, there were Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism, which led to the assimilation of Jews to other nations as part of their national states. One more important Jewish center of this period of time was Eastern Europe. The original culture of East European Jewry becomes the basis of the most significant social and cultural phenomena in the Jewish community of modern times as a whole. Ideologies and movements that emerged in Eastern Europe are exported to other communities of the world due to the mass migration of Jews to the West and Palestine, which began at the end of the XIX century. During the Second World War, the German Nazis and their allies carried out the act of genocide, which resulted in the death of approximately 6 million Jews. Mass extermination of Jews in Europe prompted the nations of the world to agree to a rebirth of the Jewish nation-state of Israel with its capital in Jerusalem. Strengthening of the State of Israel takes place in the continuing Arab-Israeli conflict, while modern Jewish community supports Israel in the struggle for survival. Concluding this article, it is necessary to mention that Jewish history in Europe was marked by numerous losses of the people of their nation. However, the strength and ability to survive even in the most difficult conditions manifests about the power of the national spirit, which made the European countries look differently at the Jewish nation. Works Cited Barnavi, E., 2010. Jewish Socialism in Europe Jewish influence and vice versa. Retrieved from: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/history/Modern_History/1700-1914/Socialism.shtml Cook, J., 2009. Jewish Scholar - Jewish People Were Invented. Retrieved from: http://www.rense.com/general83/schol.htm Curt, B., 2009. Jewish and Eastern European Treasures. Retrieved from: http://www.last-names.net/Articles/Jewish-Names.asp Read More