Barrie Handschu

Birth of Modern Europe

Pre History Essay

Mr. Meyers

Anti-Semitism in Austria

    Austria has played a major role in the formation of European society from

the times of the Roman Empire through the 20th century.  Many rulers of the

country focused on different realms within the society in order to better the

country.  One theme through out the monarchs of Austria was the treatment of

the Jewish people that had lived in the country.  Since the beginning of the

13th century, the Jewish people have been treated differently than all others

in Austria.  In "The Charter of the Jews of the Duchy of Austria,"  laws were

set down for both Jews and Christians alike about conduct and criminal acts

within the country. The treatment of the Jewish people had deteriorated over

the course of six centuries, and culminated into genocide of 6,000,000 people

between 1938 and 1945.  Between the 13th and 19th centuries, the handling of

religious affairs in Austria declined, and restrictions had been put on the

way that Jews lived.  The living quarters, professions, places of work, and

the study and practice of Judaism had been disrupted by corrupt the

government for fear of difference.

    In 1244 "The Charter of the Jews of the Duchy of Austria,"  was written,

to protect the rights of both Jews and Non-Jews living in Austria. Thirty

articles were incorporated into the charter to establish ground rules for the

people of Austria.  There was a bias towards the Christians in the charter.

If

"A Jew says that he returned the Christian's pledge, as a loan to the

Christian, without, however, the presence of a witness, and if the Christian

deny this, then the Christian is able to clear himself in this matter through

the oath of himself alone."

Though this document is giving some rights to the "different" Jews, the

Christians of Austria still have the power to lie, cheat, and steal to get

ahead, but if a Jew did that, he would have been put to death.

"Likewise, if a Christian has deposited a pledge with a Jew, stating that he

had left it with the Jew for a smaller sum than the Jew admits, the Jew shall

then take an oath upon the pledge pawned with him, and the Christian must not

refuse to pay the amount that the Jew has proved through his oath."

The Jew gets cheated because of the "superiority" of the Christian and then

ends up becoming lower in society because of his religion.  The punishment

may be the same for some crimes, but having to take an oath that is a lie, is

not equal punishment for the same crime.  In the Charter, every article had

different laws for Jews and Christians.  None of the punishments were the

same except for murder and theft.  Those two crimes both resulted in death

and the loss of "movable and immovable"  objects and land.  This Charter

existed in a feudal society, where every punishment resulted in having to pay

or give objects to the duke as a sentence for any crime committed.

Judgements for Jews only took place in the yards in front of their

synagogues.  This was a way for the government to have all of the Jews

together so that their cases could be tried on "fair" terms, and so that they

could "saving (save) ourselves (themselves) who have the power to summon them

to our (their) presence."

In the 16th century Jews set up Diasporas, small segregated communities all

over Europe.  These communities served as places for working, living, and

praying.  The orthodox Jews needed to be within walking distance to a

synagogue, and because there weren't that many, all of the Jews had to live

in close proximity to each other.  These neighborhoods became known as

"Judengasse" the Jew's street.  Once the Diasporas became "known" in the

communities,

"The church, with full cooperation from the civil authorities, set out

efficiently and systematically to segregate and degrade all Jews…a limited

area was set aside for them (the Jews), generally in the most unhealthy part

of the city."

In these Diasporas, the rights of the Jews were restricted.  They had special

taxes on their housing, food, and clothing.  Though these areas were mostly

segregated, the Jews were never totally separated from the Non-Jewish

population in the cities.  The two groups traded, and interacted day after

day and the conditions of the Diasaporas worsened.  There were rules that

governed over the Diasporas that were enforced by the government and the

owners of the buildings the people lived in, but they were not "ironclad

rules."

As the century progressed, the conditions in the Diasporas deteriorated, and

these areas were totally segregated and called Ghettos.  These Ghettos had

iron gates that ostracized them from the rest of the city.  Jews were allowed

to have jobs outside, but they had to withdraw from the city by nightfall.

On all Christian holidays the Ghettos were locked and there was no passage

through the gates.  Jews were not allowed to observe their holidays and they

had to work on their Sabbath.  The Ghettos helped to contain the population

of Jews within one space, but it did not keep the population from

reproducing.  The years went on, and generations spread across the Ghettos.

The Ghettos were so overcrowded that a solemn tone was created and circulated

throughout the people.  There was a very limited amount light and air supply

in the Ghettos, so the spirits of the people quite low.  Because there were

no sunny days, the people had nothing to look forward to.  To keep spirits

up, the Rabbis

"Applied the principle of hazakah- possession- forbidding any Jew to offer a

higher rent for a dwelling occupied by another Jew, and permitting the

transmission by inheritance of the right to a lease."

By applying this principle, Jews did not turn against each other, and no one

would purchase a lease that could potentially hurt a fellow Jew.  The growing

population was not healthy, and did not enjoy life anymore.  Everyday was the

same, and there was no choice or surprise in the daily life of a Ghetto Jew.

The Gentiles in Austria owned all of the buildings in the Ghettos.  These

people were either anti-Semites, or were out to get money from the Jews.

These landlords raised rents in the apartments, and restricted the supply of

food and trade within the Ghettos.  The Jews were forced to wear yellow

badges when they traveled outside the ghettos, like in the Ghettos during the

Holocaust.  They also restricted the type of jobs that the Jews could take.

The factories had to be within a certain vicinity to the Ghetto, and the

government always profited more than the worker did.

    Anti-Semitism was on the rise throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.

When Metternich came to power in the early 1800s, he governed with the laws

of NapoleonIII.  The Jews were granted emancipation and were granted legal

status in 1808.  After NapoleonIII fell, the restrictions reappeared and they

were worse than ever before.  In Austria, Jews were forbidden to own land,

and they "enter government service or many of the professions."   Only a

select number of people were allowed to live in Vienna, and they were men who

had established large businesses or they were bankers.  No other Jews were

allowed in Vienna, and many were persecuted even when not in major cities.

Because the Jews set up their own schools in which they spoke Yiddish, these

schools were the victims of violence and hate crimes all stemming from

anti-Semitism.  The schools were used as educational and religious schools

for girls and boys, but because they were only for Jews, they were singled

out.  They were

"Subjected to civil and social disabilities, the east European Jews were

victims of personal indignities and sometimes shameful mob violence."

    These acts of violence were only one century before the Holocaust where

many more countries and people were tortured and killed.  All of the anger of

defeat built up for many centuries, and there was just a people waiting to be

persecuted.  This persecution did not only exist in Austria, but it was a

pattern throughout Europe and in the Americas.  Anti-Semitism has always

existed in the world, not because there was a reason to hate Jews, but simply

because they were a little different in physical appearance, or in their

religious way of life.  If hate did not exist, there would be millions more

living among us today, instead of having their memory literally going up in

smoke.