On the 24th October 1492, the authorities of Mecklenburg burnt twenty-four Jews at the stake. Their alleged crime was to desecrate the Host, that is the bread used in Holy Communion. The Jews were accused of having poured blood on the bread. It is now considered that a mould had grown on the bread which has a blood like appearance. The mould must have been prevalent in Germany in those years as the excuse was a popular one for expelling or executing Jews.
I explored the theme of anti-semitism in Called to Account, including the role of Martin Luther. That concerned an early 17th century pogrom in Frankfurt. I also posted recently about Constantine the Great and his role in the growth of Christianity.
A visit to the Oxford Botanical Gardens reminded me that King Edward I expelled all Jews from England in 1290. So Germany doesn’t have a monopoly on anti-semitism. The Jews suffered terrible atrocities during the crusades, particularly the first crusade. I find it hard to think of Adolf Hitler as a Christian, but he certainly wasn’t Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu. The vast majority of atrocities against Jews through history have been committed by people calling themselves Christians. It’s rather ironic considering that Jesus was a Jew.
The objective of a Jewish homeland began in the 19th century with Jews purchasing land in Palestine. The British Mandate in Palestine after the First World War aggravated tension between Jewish and Arab communities. The UN approved 1947 Partition Plan triggered a civil war between these two communities. Israel declared independence on 14th May 1948 and the next day, armies of five neighbouring Arab states entered the former Palestine triggering the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Then there was the Six-Day War in 1967, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Judaism originated in the Iron Age Kingdoms of Israel and Judah around the 5th century B.C. In the aftermath of the Holocaust it is unsurprising that the establishment of the state of Israel should have been so pressing for the Jewish people. We can only hope that statesmen of the world will find a way for Jews and Palestinians to live in peace. .