Anti Judaism Vs Anti Semitism Essay

The term anti-Semitism has been widely used since the 19th century to describe opposition to the Jewish people as a race. Merriam Webster defines anti-Semitism as “hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group”. The terms anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism have been discussed for years and yet still no concrete definition for either exists. Gavin Langmuir, a historian during the WWII time period, describes anti-Judaism as oppositions towards Judaism since it is an inferior religion and therefore opposes anyone who practices it. Anti-Judaism consists of accusations that hold some truth, just a difference in belief of religion. However, he describes anti-Semitism as false accusations that have no merit at all. He uses examples such as blaming Jews for the poisonous water, blood libel, and even the plague. The two terms anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism have been used interchangeable in history and the main reason for this is that they are omnipresent. There is a thin line differentiating the two terms so it is hard to describe which term applies where.
As stated earlier, Anti-Judaism is the opposition of the Jewish religion and therefore anyone who practices it. This term mainly came about during the rise of Christianity in

Europe. At this time, the predominate religion was Christian and anyone who did not practice it was seen as an inferior religion. As we discussed in class, at this time anti-Judaism was considered a form of intolerance but had not anything to do with race. The majority of the people in Europe were practicing Christianity so anyone who did not do the same was looked down upon. The Jewish people were not treated differently because they were born Jewish or were different than everyone else. The reason for their inferior treatment was their religion and nothing else.
The Anti-Defamation League defines anti-Semitism as the “belief or hostility towards Jewish people solely because they are Jewish”. It is a word that was not used until the 19th and 20th century however has been used to retrospectively described events that have happened in the past. Anti-Semitism existed all throughout history as Jews were treated poorly solely because they were Jewish. However the best example of anti-Semitism in history is the Nazi Regime and Hitler that caused the holocaust. Hitler wanted to exterminate and rid the earth of all Jewish people only because they were Jewish. He did not care about the religion they practiced, he only cared that they had Jewish blood. Hitler’s actions during the Holocaust define the word anti-Semitic and truly show what it is. He spread his opinions and beliefs and caused a mass opposition of the Jewish people solely because they were Jewish. Hitler is considered to be anti-Semitic and not anti-Judaic because his opposition was not the Jewish religion, but the Jewish people as a race.
The main difference between the two terms anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism is that anti-Judaism just applies to opposition of the religion whereas anti-Semitism is an opposition of the race as a whole.

In history there are examples of both terms and sometimes it is hard to draw a line between the differences. An example, which clearly depicts the difference, is someone who believed in anti-Judaism would have no problem with a Jewish person who was baptized and became Christian. However, an anti-Semitic person would still show hatred and hostility towards the Jewish person who converted solely because he was born Jewish. Anti-Semitic people are hostile towards the race as a whole and not just the Jewish

religion.

Works Cited
Abulafia, Anna Sapir (ed)(1998). Christians and Jews in Dispute: Disputational Literature and the Rise of Anti-Judaism in the West (c. 1000-1150) (Variorum Collected Studies Series). Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate.
"Anti-Semitism." Anti-Defamation League. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2017.
"Anti-semitism." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2017.
Favret-Saada, Jeanne. "A Fuzzy Distinction: Anti-Judaism and Anti-Semitism." HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2017.