Antisemitism and Persecution Through History

Jewish history includes long periods of persecution, and studying it helps explain both Jewish experience and the nature of prejudice. In medieval Christian Europe, Jews were often blamed for Jesus's death, falsely accused of ritual murder in the 'blood libel', and blamed for the Black Death; massacres accompanied the First Crusade in 1096. Rulers frequently restricted Jews to certain professions such as moneylending and then expelled them, as in England in 1290 and Spain in 1492.

Some communities in the Islamic world faced restrictions under dhimmi status, though experiences there varied widely over time and place. In the 19th century, religious prejudice was joined by racial antisemitism, which claimed Jews were a separate, dangerous race regardless of belief, and by violent pogroms in the Russian Empire. Historians stress that antisemitism repeatedly relied on conspiracy theories and scapegoating in times of crisis, a pattern that culminated in the Holocaust.