Abstract: | An anthropological analysis of popular antisemitism in the rural areas of Christian Europe, from the Middle Ages to the present, in relation to the identification of Jews with pigs. In the 3rd century, the Council of Antioch recommended consumption of pork meat "for hatred of the Jews"; this became one of the elements of separation between Christians and Jews. The pig then became an important sacrificial animal on the Christian calendar in the European villages, and Jews became "assimilated" in the Christian mind with that which was forbidden to them. Describes the spread of other associations of the Jew with "Others" (e.g. lepers, Biggots, reddish people), and surveys various practices related to the figure of Judas, especially during Easter. Deals, as well, with ritual murder accusations. Asserts that they arose due to a false interpretation of Jewish culture. One of the reasons for the spread of these accusations was the association of blood with Jewish practices - e.g. circumcision. Shows how elements of anti-Jewish stereotypes are present in various rural regions of Europe even today. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism) |
