Mass Violence
Antisemitism has too often erupted into mass violence, shaping Jewish history through persecution, devastation, and loss. Far from being rare or isolated, outbreaks of violence targeting Jews have recurred through the ages, motivated by religious mania, political expediency, and entrenched hatred. Understanding these episodes is essential to grasping the enduring threat antisemitism poses to Jewish communities worldwide.
Pogroms and Pre-Holocaust Massacres
Long before the 20th century, Jews across Europe fell victim to devastating, state-supported violence. Key examples include:
- Massacres during the medieval Crusades, when Christian armies slaughtered entire Jewish communities.
- Systematic torture and execution under the Spanish Inquisition.
- Deadly riots and murders incited by medieval blood libels—false accusations of Jewish ritual murder.
- The tragic pogroms of the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries, where local mobs and authorities destroyed homes, synagogues, and entire communities.
Each wave of mass violence left deep scars, dispersing Jewish families and destroying generations of community life. These were not isolated incidents but recurring chapters that underscored the vulnerability of Jews as a minority.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust stands as the most catastrophic episode of antisemitic violence in history. From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany and its allies waged a systematic, bureaucratic campaign to exterminate European Jewry. Fueled by centuries of antisemitic prejudice and supported by modern technology and state power, the Holocaust claimed the lives of six million Jewish men, women, and children.
This genocide remains a singular event in human history—its scope, intent, and brutality unmatched. The goal was not merely the persecution but the complete annihilation of the Jewish people.
The world Jewish population only recently recovered from the Holocaust’s devastation. In 2024, for the first time, the number of Jews worldwide surpassed pre-Holocaust levels.
After the Holocaust
The defeat of Nazi Germany did not eliminate antisemitism or violence against Jews. In Eastern Europe and the Arab world, Jews still faced harassment, exclusion, and deadly attacks in the postwar years. In Western societies, while laws improved and explicit barriers were often removed, antisemitic prejudice persisted—going underground or adapting to modern contexts.
Notably, in the Soviet Union, state-sponsored antisemitism endured for decades under Stalin and his successors. Jews were falsely accused in purges, targeted as “cosmopolitans” or “Zionists,” and saw their synagogues closed, their books destroyed, and their culture suppressed.