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A History of Antisemitism - Part 2

July 14, 2022

The French Revolution gave European Jews hope for an end to discrimination. But soon, political movements and pseudo-scientific trends gave rise to new forms of hatred.

Sendung: Dokumentation " Eine Geschichte des Antisemitismus Teil 3"
Image: Arte

Image: Arte

The 19th century brought new, politically and racially motivated forms of hatred against people of Jewish faith. A new term was coined for this: antisemitism. Along with modern antisemitism, the idea of so-called "World Jewry” was born. The conspiracy theory was widely disseminated, sometimes in cartoon caricatures published by large and respected European newspapers. 

Image: Arte

The so-called Dreyfus Affair of 1894 was a turning point. Alfred Dreyfus, an officer from Alsace, was accused of being a spy for the German Reich and sentenced to exile on Devil's Island. The episode propelled antisemitic caricatures to new heights, and simultaneously brought the fight against antisemitism into politics. 

Image: Arte


This fight could be bloody, as well: In the middle of Paris, on the Boulevard Saint-Michel, Ukrainian General Symon Petliura was shot by Jewish anarchist Schlomo Schwartzbard. During the Ukrainian War of Independence, there had been pogroms against Jews. The assassin blamed Petliura, and took his revenge.


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