Book Excerpt
UNDERSTANDING ANTI-SEMITISM By Howard Beier and Jared Cohen
Page 115
Jew-hatred has existed for thousands of years and is evidenced by numerous instances of anti-Semitism throughout history.
In the Russian Empire during the 19th and early 20th century, attacks on Jewish communities were so commonplace that the word “pogrom” came into existence in order to describe them. These pogroms included mass beatings, burning of buildings, rape, and the murder of Jews.
Today, the devastation of pogroms on the Jewish people has been largely forgotten in the wake of The Holocaust, where six million Jews were systematically murdered, including one point five million Jewish babies, infants, and children. Yet, a comparison of both in Jewish history shows disturbing similarities.
In both instances, the annihilation of Jews was seen as a solution to “The Jewish Problem.” All Jews were targeted in these attacks, including women, babies, and children. And, perhaps most troubling, both events could not have occurred without the cooperation of non-Jewish neighbors and those within the general population.