When did antisemitism start during the holocaust?

Answer 1

Sadly it can be traced to the New Testament. In church schools much was made of the Passion of the Christ- by his own people- which in lay terms translates to The Jews Killed Christ! Of course he had to die to fulfill his mission (the Sacrifice of the Cross), but the actual portrayal still looks horribly bad. In some cases Church schools went far beyond the Biblical narrative and came up with obviously fictionalized stories that Jewish merchants were child-killers, such (dead serious nonsense) as the so-called Blood Libel (not to be confused with the more positive concept of a Blood Oath!) The prohibitory angles of persecution even extended, heavy duty, to any attempted marriage between a Catholic and a Jew. This was treated far more severely than an attempted marriage between a Catholic and a Lutheran, or Episcopalian. Catholic-Jewish families were all but banned. A noted exception was the wedding between RCA executive David Sarnoff, Jr. and the opera singer Anna Moffo. This was not quite the Wall Of Sound!

Answer 2

Antisemitism goes well back into the history of Europe. In the early Christian Church, Jews were often considered evil for having rejected and allegedly helping to crucify Jesus. This was aggravated by the fact that Jews - due to religious proscriptions against Christians lending money to other Christians - often became moneylenders in Christian lands, and so were resented as seemingly exploitative outsiders. This became more pronounced through the 19th century, since Jews migrated into mainstream financial positions (bankers, financiers, etc.) but maintained an insular community separate from the surrounding Christians. By the time of the rise of the National Socialist party in Germany in the early 20th century, Jews were seen as a prominent minority in the capitalist class, making them easy targets for the Nazi party's appeal to the perceived Germanic heritage (Aryanism) and appeal to the putatively oppressed working class (Socialism).

Answer 3

Of course, most Jews were not bankers ... Many, especially in Eastern Europe were poor or even destitute (and had to be supported by fellow Jews).

The Nazis and others saw the Jews as "Judeo-Bolshevists", as the biological bearers of Communism, scheming for world domination.

Antisemitism as an ideology that tries to explain all the world's problems in terms of alleged Jewish conspiracies dates from the 1870s and 1880s. It really should be seen as distinct from anti-Judaism: it is a secularized successor and has almost nothing to do with religion.

See the links and related question.

Answer 4

Antisemitism began almost as soon as Judaism began, for any group that exists, there will be others who disagree with it.

Christian antisemitism, as we see in the Holocaust started within the first hundred years of Christianity. Though many of the same reasons for Nazi antisemitism existed, it was never mobilised into such extreme action as under the Nazis.
Antisemitism is a starting place for trying to understand the tragedy which would befall countless numbers of people during the Holocaust.