Sixteenth Century's Anti-Semitism Of First Half-Enough Already-Burned or Exiled

 Nadene Goldfoot                                           

The Senate of the Most Serene Republic of Venice issued a decree on 29 March 1516 confining the Jews present in the city to a separate enclosure, segregating them from the rest of the population and marking the establishment of Italy's first and oldest ghetto. Jews really had to live in ghettos.  The Jewish community in Venice dates back to the early 16th century, with the first Jews arriving around 1516. Initially, they were confined to the Ghetto Nuovo, marking the establishment of the world’s first Jewish ghetto. Life in the ghetto was restrictive; Jews were required to wear identifying symbols, and their movements were heavily monitored. However, within these confines, a rich and vibrant community flourished.

Jews in Venice were primarily engaged in commerce, lending, and medicine. They played a crucial role in the city’s economy, particularly within the banking sector. Jewish merchants and traders were instrumental in establishing Venice as a major commercial hub, connecting the East and the West through trade routes like the Silk Road.

First Half of Sixteenth century's Anti-Semitic Acts 

Jews from Worms, Germany wear the mandatory yellow badge. A moneybag and garlic in the hands are an antisemitic stereotype (sixteenth-century drawing).

1501

French Jews living in Provence are expelled.

1504

Jews living in Pilsen are expelled on charges of host desecration.

1504

Several Jewish scholars are burned at the stake for proselytizing in Moscow.

1505

Ten (10) České Budějovice Jews of Czechia

  are tortured and executed after being accused of killing a Christian girl; later, on his deathbed, a shepherd confesses to fabricating the accusation.

1506

A marrano expresses his doubts about miracle visions at St. Dominics Church in Lisbon, Portugal. The crowd, led by Dominican friars, kills him, then ransacks Jewish houses and slaughters any Jew they could find. The countrymen hear about the massacre and join in. Over 2,000 marranos killed in three days. Marranos are Jews who were forced to convert, become Catholics, but kept their Jewish traditions;  their own religion.  

1509

A converted Jew, Johannes Pfefferkorn, receives authority of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor to destroy the Talmud and other Jewish religious books, except the Hebrew Bible, in Frankfurt.  😓

1509

38 Jews of Spandau, Brandenburg, and Stendal are burned at the stake in Berlin, Germany for allegedly desecrating the host; remainder expelled from Brandenburg.

1510

23 November. Less-wealthy Jews expelled from Naples; remainder heavily taxed.

1510

Spanish gain control of Calabria and expel all Jews and New Christians.

1510

Spain gains control of Naples and expels the Jewish population.

1511

The officials of Conegliano try to expel the Jewish population but are unsuccessful.

1511

Ten Roman Catholic converts from Judaism burned at the stake in Palermo for allegedly reverting. They were Marranos.  

1511

Most Apulian Jews of Italy  are either expelled or are tortured to death. Jewish property is seized and Synagogues are replaced with Catholic Churches.

1514

The Jewish population of Mittelberg, Austria  is accused of host desecration.

1515

Emperor Maximillian expels Jews from Ljubljana, Slovenia.  

1515

Jews are expelled from the city of Genoa, but are allowed back in a year later.

1516

The first ghetto is established, on one of the islands in Venice.(Jews are locked in at night).  

1517                                        

                     Ancient Hebron of Judah,  south of Jerusalem where Abraham buried Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah; 

1517 Hebron, Palestine attacks: Jews are beaten, raped and killed in Hebron, as their homes and businesses are looted and pillaged.

1517                                                             

1517 Safed attacks: The Jews of Safed is attacked by Mamluk forces and local Arabs. Many Jews are killed and their homes are plundered. [This is where I lived from 1980-1985.]

1519

The Jewish community of Ratisbon, Germany is expelled. The synagogue is destroyed and replaced with a chapel. Thousands of Jewish gravestones are taken and used for buildings.

1519

Martin Luther leads Protestant Reformation and challenges the doctrine of Servitus Judaeorum "... to deal kindly with the Jews and to instruct them to come over to us". 21 February. All Jews expelled from Ratisbon/Regensburg.

1520

Pope Leo X allows the Jews to print the Talmud in Venice. Pope Leo XIV chosen on 5/8/2025.  

1523

The conquest of Cranganore, India by the Portuguese leads to the complete destruction of the local Jewish community. Most refugees fled to Cochin, India.

1523

Mexico bans immigration from those who cannot prove four generations of Catholic ancestry. That's to stop the Jews.  

1526

Jews are expelled from Ofen, Esztergom, Pressburg, and Sopron following the Battle of Mohács of Hungary.

1527

Jews are ordered to leave Florence, Italy, but the edict is soon rescinded.

1528

Three judaizers are burned at the stake in Mexico City's first auto da fe.

1529

30 Jewish men, women, and children are burned at the stake in Pezinok, Slovakia.                                                   

1532

Solomon Molcho is burned at the stake for refusing to return to Catholicism after reverting to Judaism; a Marrano, caught.  

1535

After Spanish troops capture Tunis, North Africa  all the local Jews are sold into slavery.

1539

Jews are expelled from Nauheim, Germany.

1539

Katarzyna Weiglowa, a Roman Catholic woman from the Kingdom of Poland who converted to Judaism is burned at the stake in Kraków under the charge of apostasy for refusing to call Jesus Christ the Son of God. She is regarded by Jews (among others) as a martyr;  probably a Marrano.....

1541  All Jews are banished from Prague, Czech Republic.

1542

Moses Fishel of Cracow, Poland is accused of proselytizing and dies a martyr.

1543

Jews are exiled from Basel, Switzerland.

1543

Jeronimo Diaz, a New Christian physician (Marrano) , is burned at the stake for holding heretical opinions in Goa, India.

Bookcover of On the Jews and Their Lies

1543

In his pamphlet On the Jews and Their Lies Martin Luther advocates an eight-point plan to get rid of the Jews as a distinct group either by religious conversion or by expulsion:

"...set fire to their synagogues or schools..."

"...their houses also be razed and destroyed..."

"...their prayer books and Talmudic writings... be taken from them..."

"...their rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb..."

"...safe-conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews..."

"...usury be prohibited to them, and that all cash and treasure of silver and gold be taken from them..." and "Such money should now be used in ... the following [way]... Whenever a Jew is sincerely converted, he should be handed [certain amount]..."

"...young, strong Jews and Jewesses [should]... earn their bread in the sweat of their brow..."

"If we wish to wash our hands of the Jews' blasphemy and not share in their guilt, we have to part company with them. They must be driven from our country" and "we must drive them out like mad dogs."

Luther "got the Jews expelled from Saxony in 1537, and in the 1540s he drove them from many German towns; he tried unsuccessfully to get the elector to expel them from Brandenburg in 1543. His followers continued to agitate against the Jews there: they sacked the Berlin synagogue in 1572 and the following year finally got their way, the Jews being banned from the entire country." (See also Martin Luther and the Jews)

1546

Martin Luther's sermon Admonition against the Jews contains accusations of ritual murder, black magic, and poisoning of wells. Luther recognizes no obligation to protect the Jews.

1547                                                               

Ivan the Terrible becomes ruler of Russia and refuses to allow Jews to live in or even enter his kingdom because they "bring about great evil" (quoting his response to request by Polish king Sigismund II).  Ivan was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584. Ivan's reign was characterised by Russia's transformation from a medieval state to a fledgling empire, but at an immense cost to its people and long-term economy.

1547

10 out of the 30 Jews living in Asolo, Italy  are killed and their houses are robbed.

1550

Dr. Joseph Hacohen is chased out of Genoa, Italy  for practicing medicine; soon all Jews are expelled.

Joseph's paternal family originally lived at Cuenca, Castile. His mother, Dolca, originated from Aragon. When the Jews were expelled from Spain the family settled at Avignon. At the age of five Joseph left Avignon with his parents and went to Genoa, where they remained until 1516. Driven from that city, they went to Novi, but returned to Genoa in 1538, where Joseph practiced medicine for twelve years. On June 3, 1550, he and all his coreligionists were driven from Genoa as a consequence of the rivalry of the non-Jewish physicians.

1553

Pope Julius III forbids Talmud printing and orders burning of any copy found. Rome's Inquisitor-General, Cardinal Carafa (later Pope Paul IV) has Talmud publicly burnt in Rome on Rosh Hashanah, starting a wave of Talmud burning throughout Italy. About 12,000 copies were destroyed.                                 

1554

Cornelio da Montalcino, a Franciscan Friar who converted to Judaism, is burned alive in Rome.

1555

In papal bull Cum nimis absurdum, Pope Paul IV writes: "It appears utterly absurd and impermissible that the Jews, whom God has condemned to eternal slavery for their guilt, should enjoy our Christian love." He renews anti-Jewish legislation and installs a locked nightly ghetto in Rome. The Bull also forces Jewish males to wear a yellow hat, females – yellow kerchief. Owning real estate or practicing medicine on Christians is forbidden. It also limits Jewish communities to only one synagogue.

Resource: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_antisemitism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_ha-Kohen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_antisemitism

Antisemitism Awareness Act in Senate For Voting???

Nadene Goldfoot                                              

US Senate:  

The Antisemitism Awareness Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation, aims to provide a clear definition of antisemitism for the U.S. Department of Education to use when investigating discrimination cases in federally funded programs. The act seeks to incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which includes contemporary examples of antisemitism like Holocaust denial.  

Passed House (05/01/2024)  One year ago on May 1st

Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023

This bill provides statutory authority for the requirement that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights take into consideration the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA's) working definition of antisemitism when reviewing or investigating complaints of discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. According to the IHRA's working definition, antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. 

Anti-Semitism by 2025 has reached new heights since the 1930's which brought on the Holocaust. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and college campuses. These are the battlefields where young American Jews continue to encounter antisemitism at an alarming rate. 

According to the latest annual State of Antisemitism in America Report released by American Jewish Committee (AJC) on February 12, 2025, online and on social media continue to be the place where American Jews encounter the worsening trend of antisemitism from a variety of sources including white supremacists on the far right and anti-Israel extremists on the far left.

Roughly seven in 10 (69%) Jewish adults report experiencing antisemitism online or on social media – including those who say they have been personally targeted and those who say they have seen or heard antisemitic incidents. This increases to eight in 10 (83%) among young Jewish adults.

Of the U.S. adults who witnessed antisemitism in the past 12 months, the majority (70%) say they saw it online or on social media. 

• Purpose of Antisemitism Awareness Act in Senate for voting :

  To clarify the definition of antisemitism for the Department of Education to enforce anti-discrimination laws under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. 
• Definition:

  The bill mandates the use of the IHRA's working definition, which includes a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews, and includes examples like Holocaust denial and conspiracy theories. 
Impact:
The act aims to help the Department of Education better identify and address antisemitic incidents on college campuses and in other federally funded programs.  Is Dept. of Education still intact in 2025?  
No, the U.S. Department of Education is not fully intact. President Trump signed an executive order on March 20, 2025, to begin dismantling the department and returning authority to states and local communities. This order has reduced the department's role and responsibilities, though it didn't fully eliminate the agency. The department is still operating, but with a reduced scope.  What happens now  to this act? ?????
Bipartisan Support:

The bill has bipartisan support and has passed the House, but has faced challenges in the Senate. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene opposed an earlier version of a bill to combat antisemitism because she said it rejected “Gospel” that “the Jews” handed Jesus to executioners. (Getty)  A Representative Republican, Greene has promoted antisemitic and white supremacist views including the white genocide conspiracy theory, QAnon, and Pizzagate. She has amplified conspiracy theories that allege government involvement in mass shootings in the United States, implicate the Clinton family in murder, and suggest the attacks of 9/11 were a hoax. Before running for Congress, Greene supported calls to execute prominent Democratic Party politicians, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. As a congresswoman, she equated the Democratic Party with Nazis, and compared COVID-19 safety measures to the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.

Why the need for the act?  Former President Biden had stated he was appointing people to work on anti-Semitic causes :

The act is intended to combat antisemitism, which includes contemporary manifestations like Holocaust denial and conspiracy theories. 
The IHRA definition is widely adopted by governments and institutions and provides a clear framework for identifying antisemitism. 
The bill is seen as a way to protect Jewish students and ensure that antisemitism is taken seriously on college campuses. 

Potential Concerns:

Some groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union, have raised concerns that the act could lead to the suppression of legitimate criticism of Israel and chill free speech.
Others worry that the broad definition of antisemitism could be used to stifle political debate.                            What Is Anti-Semitism?  




To start, it is necessary to understand that anti-Semitism, historically, takes many forms. There is the openly racist anti-Semitism that often originates on the extreme right among those who perceive Jews as inherently evil and subhuman. There is religious anti-Semitism that focuses on claims that Jews are responsible for forsaking prophets or for “killing Christ.” And then there is conspiratorial anti-Semitism that singles out Jews for perceived offenses such as controlling global financial markets or otherwise bearing a unique responsibility for all evil in the world.

There are groups who attempt to deny there is any anti-Semitism connected to critiques of Israel. They do so by describing anti-Semitism only in racial terms. And so the argument goes, “We are not racists – we don’t hate Jews – therefore we can’t be anti-Semitic.”  Yes, they are.  

A Senate committee is expected to vote today on whether or not to advance a new version of the Antisemitism Awareness Act.

• Republicans added an amendment to the bill, posted online Tuesday, which caught the eye of our senior political reporter, Jacob Kornbluh. The loophole reinforces the First Amendment right to preach that the Jews killed Jesus and it protects the statement from being considered antisemitic.

  
  

• The amendment is a concession to Christian conservatives like Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, who worried that the bill infringed on their religious liberty.