Part of the Christian Kyriarchy Project
This document refers mostly to antisemitism that has existed for centuries or millennia. Some of this still happens today.
Last updated 3/19/2024
1. Christians have a history of pogroms against Jewish people.
Uncritical examples
None yet
Commentary
Armleder persecutions | Wikipedia
Brussels massacre | Wikipedia
This Day In History: Spain announces it will expel all Jews | History (originally published November 2019)
2. And then there's blood libel. The term started out as referring to false accusations that Jewish people kill Gentiles to use their blood and flesh in rituals. There is a specific variant that claims matzos are made with the blood of Christian children.
Uncritical examples
The Accusation of the Ritual Murder of St. William of Norwich
Archived on Internet History Sourcebooks
Commentary
Blood Libel | Holocaust Encyclopedia
Blood libel | Wikipedia
BLOOD ACCUSATION by Richard Gottheil, Hermann L. Strack, Joseph Jacobs | jewishencyclopedia.com (originally published sometime in 1901-1906)
QAnon, Blood Libel, and the Satanic Panic by Tal Lavin | New Republic (September 2020)
3. Martin Luther, a big name in many Christian circles, was very antisemitic. He wrote a book called On Jews And Their Lies that contributed to antisemitic violence and genocide centuries down the line. He also supported the blood libel myth and believed that violence against Jewish people was justified if it made them convert (or if they refused to convert).
To add insult to injury, I've seen Christians saying things to the effect of "But he had good things to say, so his antisemitic beliefs are no big deal."
Uncritical and archived examples
On The Jews And Their Lies (An English translation of this book that isn't from a white supremacist website)
Commentary
Martin Luther and antisemitism | Wikipedia
4. Some Christians claim that Jewish people killed Jesus, blaming Jewish people for (what is to Christians) one of the worst crimes in history.
Uncritical examples
None yet
Commentary
Jewish deicide | Wikipedia
Progressive Christian Election Response 'Give us Barabbas' May Be Well-Meaning – But Functions as Anti-Jewish Dogwhistle by Sarah Rollens, Eric Vanden Eykel, and Meredith Warren | Religion Dispatches (November 2024)
5. Witch images originate in antisemitic images and practices from medieval Christians.
Uncritical examples
None yet
Commentary
Imagining the Witch: A Comparison between Fifteenth-Century Witches within Medieval Christian Thought and the Persecution of Jews and Heretics in the Middle Ages by Lily Climenhaga | Constellations (May 2012)
The Antisemitic History of Witches by Emma Shacat | Hey Alma (October 2020)
6. Some Christians believe in a concept called supersessionism or replacement theology. This is the belief that Christians have taken Jewish people's place as God's chosen people.
Uncritical examples
None yet
Commentary:
Us vs. them: Challenging stereotypes about Judaism in the wake of the Pittsburgh shooting by Mika Ahuvia | UW Stourm Center for Jewish Studies (November 2018)
More about the history of Christian antisemitism
Antisemitism in History: From the Early Church to 1400 | The Holocaust Encyclopedia
The Edict of Expulsion of the Jews | Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture
10 Anti-Semitic Myths by Yosef Eisen | Chabad.org
Institute for the Study and Elimination of Jewish Influence on German Church Life | Wikipedia (this is about an organization from Nazi Germany)
Protestant Churches and the Nazi State | Facing History (last updated April 27, 2022 and discusses how Protestants reacted to the Nazis, whether negatively or positively)
Nittel Nacht: The Jewish Christmas Eve by Matthew Wills | JSTOR Daily (December 2020)
The Antisemitism Post (tm) by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg | Life Is A Sacred Text (April 2024, discusses racist and antisemitic violence and includes antisemitic imagery to contextualize the issues)
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