Trudy Gold
Modern French Antisemitism
Summary
France underwent huge upheavals during the 19th century such as veering from monarchy to republic. Ideological changes took place as well, from The Enlightenment to Conservatism to staunch Catholicism.
By 1880, the Jews numbered under 100,000 out of a population of 38 million, although they were very visible. In this insecure time, they became the perfect scapegoat.
Trudy Gold
Trudy Gold was the CEO of the London Jewish Cultural Centre and a founding member of the British delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Throughout her career she taught modern Jewish history at schools, universities, and to adult groups and ran seminars on Holocaust education in the UK, Eastern Europe, and China. She also led Jewish educational tours all over the world. Trudy was the educational director of the student resources “Understanding the Holocaust” and “Holocaust Explained” and the author of The Timechart History of Jewish Civilization.
Yes. Quite easily. Anti-Judaism is theological hatred. If a Jew converts, they become part of it. The Christian world is the hatred of Jews because of theology. Anti-Judaism is one thing. Anti-Semitism, you cannot convert out of it. It’s about race. Thank you Rose.
You could say that about much of Europe couldn’t you? And America. I mean particularly I think, if you look at America, it’s complicated, isn’t it? But be careful. Not all Jews become rich and famous. There are Jews who are poor at this time. All you had to do was turn to Eastern Europe where 40% of them were on poor relief from Jews who made it to America.
You are being very, very logical. Now, of course, not all French aristocrats were anti-Semitic. Be careful here. In the end, what I mean is it becomes a racial term and in the end it’s going to explode into Vichy. And of course there are going to be race laws in Vichy. And I suppose the best example I can give you is the Catholic convert, Edith Stein, who died in Auschwitz as a Jew. She’s a martyr to the Catholic Church. But she died because she had Jewish blood. Being a Jew, I’ve said this to you before, define Jew for me. The word race I hate because it’s a completely spurious term, but when you talk about the Jewish race, a French aristocrat can marry the daughter of a wealthy banker and and her children in the main will be brought up as Catholics.