Jewish people have faced persecution for centuries, but the Holocaust was the most devastating to the Jewish community. “Many people prefer to use the Hebrew term Shoah (destruction) to denote the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jews, since it is less theologically ‘loaded’ than Holocaust” (Solomon, 119). Hitler and his Nazi regime sought to bring the final solution to the age old Jewish question, and in this process there were over 6 million Jews and several million others (Gypsies, homosexuals, people with disabilities, and political enemies) that were systematically exterminated through the use of death camps. The horrifying circumstances of Europe during World War II led many Jews away from their faith; however, there were some that were
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Christians labeled Jews as the killers of Christ, and once they established political power Jews were excluded from guilds and other parts of society. “By the late Middle Ages the Christian prophecy had fulfilled itself; Christians had actually brought the Jews to the lowly social state they had prophesied for them Jews were confined to ghettos, made to wear distinctive clothing, excluded from guilds and professions I the ownership of land, vilified from the pulpit as killers of Christ, accused of poisoning wells, of desecrating the Host, of murdering Christian children to use their blood for Passover, and of almost every villainy that a warped mind could project on an alien group” (Solomon, 8). Antisemitism came in its most potent form as Adolf Hitler, who was confident that he had found the Endlӧsung, or final solution, to the Jewish question. He saw Jews as more than just followers of a religion; he classified them as a race and believed that they were different on a biological level and sought to remove them because he thought that they were inferior. “Antisemitism, and rejection by the outside world has led to the reaffirmation of Jewish identity” (Solomon, …show more content…
The student of the text also comes to understand that oppression goes hand in hand with being Jewish. This does not mean that it is an acceptable behavior, it is a pattern that has developed over time. The rigid system of Mitzvot is never ending, and could lead to the formation of habits. Habits are something the people resort back to in times of stress to reserve energy; habits can reduce stress. All of these are just single factors going into a larger equation. The ultimate decision rests upon the shoulders of the person, but that does not mean that they are not influenced by the conditioning they submitted themselves to as a student of the text. Max Feig lost faith during the Shoah, yet he still participates in Jewish practices such as going to the synagogue every
Christians labeled Jews as the killers of Christ, and once they established political power Jews were excluded from guilds and other parts of society. “By the late Middle Ages the Christian prophecy had fulfilled itself; Christians had actually brought the Jews to the lowly social state they had prophesied for them Jews were confined to ghettos, made to wear distinctive clothing, excluded from guilds and professions I the ownership of land, vilified from the pulpit as killers of Christ, accused of poisoning wells, of desecrating the Host, of murdering Christian children to use their blood for Passover, and of almost every villainy that a warped mind could project on an alien group” (Solomon, 8). Antisemitism came in its most potent form as Adolf Hitler, who was confident that he had found the Endlӧsung, or final solution, to the Jewish question. He saw Jews as more than just followers of a religion; he classified them as a race and believed that they were different on a biological level and sought to remove them because he thought that they were inferior. “Antisemitism, and rejection by the outside world has led to the reaffirmation of Jewish identity” (Solomon, …show more content…
The student of the text also comes to understand that oppression goes hand in hand with being Jewish. This does not mean that it is an acceptable behavior, it is a pattern that has developed over time. The rigid system of Mitzvot is never ending, and could lead to the formation of habits. Habits are something the people resort back to in times of stress to reserve energy; habits can reduce stress. All of these are just single factors going into a larger equation. The ultimate decision rests upon the shoulders of the person, but that does not mean that they are not influenced by the conditioning they submitted themselves to as a student of the text. Max Feig lost faith during the Shoah, yet he still participates in Jewish practices such as going to the synagogue every