The Longest Hatred of Man Against a Fellow Man

I first saw a movie called The Longest Hatred as a special on Television. (I did some adjunct work in college on the subject in college as well). This video discusses anti-Semitism. In case you don't know anti-Semitism is discrimination against members of the Jewish faith because they are Jews regardless of nationality. The hatred is based totally on religion even amongst neighbors and countrymen of Jews. The movie discusses various aspects of anti-Semitism including time frames and groups that had the conflict.

The DVD starts out with the hatred that started under the Roman Empire and how Jesus was persecuted and executed on the Cross for man's sins. This is a basis for Christian anti-Semitism and has gone on for long periods of time as some Christians feel that the Jews killed Christ. Those people fail to realize that Christ was a Jew. In also mentions in the middle ages how in various Islamic countries that laws called for the destruction of synagogues (Jewish houses of worship). In some places Jews were also forced to convert to Islam or face death.

In Europe discrimination also occurred as there were relocations, forced conversions and the like. The worst example of this period probably occurred during the Black Death (bubonic Plague). Here the Jews were used as scapegoats and blamed for problems. One city had a rumor that the Jews had poisoned wells and that is how it was being spread. The pope issued a papal Bull (law edict) as protection but that did not even help. The worst example, in my opinion occurred in Strasbourg. Here the plague had not gotten to and Jews were rounded up and burned alive. Those accepting baptism were spared. Some children were taken from their parents to be baptized. Some of this was fueled by the theory that the Jews killed Christ still. There also was the forcing of Jews to live in the Ghettos of cities in Europe.

There is quite a bit more anti-Semitism that occurred throughout history against the Jews by Christians and Muslims. In modern times the key example of hatred and needless loss of life was the holocaust that was orchestrated by the Nazis and Adolph Hitler. Today there are even holocaust deniers who claim this never happened. The Nazis began the discrimination against the Jews by stripping them of property, forcing them to live in ghettos, and wear yellow stars of David to identify themselves as Jews. The end was special squads that went into towns to murder Jews after the Nazis captured the town. Eventually this was considered too cruel. Not to the soldiers killing innocent people, but to the soldiers killing the people. With this being deemed to tedious of a task the idea of mass extermination came to be as the Final Solution to the Jewish Question. The holocaust would result in roughly six million Men, women, and children being sent to death camps like Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Sobibor. Once here they were divided into some kept alive to work as slave labors. The rest were put into gas chambers disguised as showers and then their bodies were cremated. The holocaust and denial could be a review of itself.

The DVD also discusses lots of the Jewish and Muslim conflicts over the holy land. Why Israel came into being and possible solutions to the conflict. This is more my thought, but in all fairness the land of Israel did belong to the Jews first, but I am sure the Jews and Muslims could find a way to peacefully coexist.

One thing that I think was not mentioned enough was the slavery in Egypt. The reason the Jews were kept as slaves was due to bigotry so that does play a part in the history that the DVD is trying to explain.

I have a variety of thoughts when I watched this or discuss the subject matter. People have a right to feel how they want, but I cannot understand some of the conflicts that people have and as men why we can't all just get along. The horrors of the holocaust must never be allowed to happen again. All that evil needs to triumph is for good men to do nothing. The holocaust denial is another thing that is a bit annoying. I am not even Jewish, but this still irks me. How can someone who is supposed to be intelligent can even try to claim that the holocaust never occurred is beyond me. Do they think the fairy god mother put all of those bodies in the camps and crematories? Do they think the survivors imagined it? Were did those tattoos come from? The Germans were great at keeping records and that is how this has been proving. People even poison the youth by teaching that crap. Having a country like Iran with a leader that is not playing with a full deck saying the holocaust never happened and that he wants to "blow Israel off the map" scares the hell out of me. I don't believe the United States will allow that to happen. Maybe my Christian faith is part of why I am more tolerant then some. As a Christian I do realize that Judaism predated Christianity and since Jesus was a Jew and called the "king of the Jews" there is a similarity in the religions. A good friend of mine has explains some traditions and holidays to me and I don't see a whole lot of difference. Me and him could pass for brothers. I am not sure why some people think less of him due to his faith.

Sources

The Longest Hated on Discover Channel

Various books on the holocaust and anti-Semitism