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

What Brought on Such Anti-Semitism In Germany

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                

 Martin Luther (a German monk)  Martin Luther (1483–1546) was a German professor of theology, priest and seminal leader of the Reformation who really started anti-Semitism big time.

At the end of the Middle Ages, most large Germany cities had banished Jews.  The 16th century began with only the population of Jews found in Frankfort-on-Main and Worms.  Local Barons did maintain a few Jews who transacted business for them. 

Judensau on the Wittenberg Church, built 1300–1470. The imagery of Jews in contact with pigs or representing the devil was common in Germany.

The Protestant Reformation seemed to offer Jews some improvement   The Protestant Reformation (1517-1648) refers to the widespread religious, cultural, and social upheaval of 16th-century Europe that broke the hold of the medieval Church, allowing for the development of personal interpretations of the Christian message and leading to the development of modern nation-states.  However, Martin Luther, around the age of 35,  after trying to subjugate Jews to his Protestant religion, gave up and became most anti-Semitic.  

 Luther's attitude toward Jews changed over the course of his life.  Luther denounced Judaism and called for harsh persecution of its followers, so that they might not be allowed to teach. In a paragraph from his On the Jews and Their Lies he deplores Christendom's failure to expel them. Moreover, he proposed "What shall we Christians do with this rejected and condemned people, the Jews":

• "First, to set fire to their synagogues or schools ... This is to be done in honor of our Lord and of Christendom, so that God might see that we are Christians ..."
• "Second, I advise that their houses also be razed and destroyed."
• "Third, I advise that all their prayer books and Talmudic writings, in which such idolatry, lies, cursing, and blasphemy are taught, be taken from them."
• "Fourth, I advise that their rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb ..."
• "Fifth, I advise that safe-conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews. For they have no business in the countryside ..."
• "Sixth, I advise that usury be prohibited to them, and that all cash and treasure of silver and gold be taken from them ..."
• "Seventh, I recommend putting a flail, an ax, a hoe, a spade, a distaff, or a spindle into the hands of young, strong Jews and Jewesses and letting them earn their bread in the sweat of their brow ... But if we are afraid that they might harm us or our wives, children, servants, cattle, etc., ... then let us emulate the common sense of other nations such as France, Spain, Bohemia, etc., ... then eject them forever from the country ..."

 

On the Jews and Their Lies was a "blueprint" for the Kristallnacht. Shortly after the Kristallnacht, Martin Sasse, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia, published a compendium of Luther's writings; Sasse "applauded the burning of the synagogues" and the coincidence of the day, writing in the introduction, "On November 10, 1938, on Luther's birthday, the synagogues are burning in Germany." The German people, he urged, ought to heed these words "of the greatest anti-Semite of his time, the warner of his people against the Jews."                                                                  

Differences over religion and Imperial authority were important factors in causing the 30 Years War, most contemporary commentators suggest its scope and extent were driven by the contest for European dominance between Habsburg-ruled Spain and Austria, and the French House of Bourbon.

Luther's On the Jews and Their Lies in 1612  was used to stir up hatred against the Jews of Frankfurt. Two years later, riots in Frankfurt saw the deaths of 3,000 Jews and the expulsion of the rest.

The Jewish population did better by the 17th century after the 30 Years War (1618-1648) because a large number of German states became competitive;  vying with one another in petty magnificence. The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history.  Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle, famine, or disease, while parts of present-day Germany reported population declines of over 50%. 

The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) affected Jews in both positive and negative ways:  Jews were persecuted and refugees were massacred in cities like Mainz and Frankfurt. Legal codes also stripped Jews of their German citizenship, which paved the way for their deportation to concentration camps and ghettos.    The Thirty Years War led to a general disruption of Jewish life. Many ghettos were sacked 

by marauding soldiers, and enormous fines and forced contributions were imposed on the

 various Jewish communities. The Jews did not participate in the fighting, but they suffered

 from both sides.  At the same time a small number of Jews profited considerably from this 

war. In those days there had not yet developed any commissary department to provide for the 

needs of the various armies. The equipment and food for men and animals were supplied by

 private individuals on a contract basis. The rulers, from the emperor on down, frequently 

entrusted the job of finding supplies and sending them to wherever necessary, to any Jew 

who had shown financial skill in other matters. Such Jews now became the official

 purveyors for the royal courts. The Jews were the only group to remain neutral in a war

 with an avowed religious motivation. They could also be trusted to conduct business with

 fellow Jews on the other side of the line. In this way, a small number of Jews became 

wealthy and influential. They could help pay the fines and contributions imposed upon

 their home communities, and very often their influence in high quarters protected the very 

lives of their fellow Jews.                               

Needless to say, I have distant relatives that were such royal court helpers of finance.  My  

father and his brother were not benefiting from such a connection in this generation.

Reference

https://www.worldhistory.org/Protestant_Reformation/

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

https://images.shulcloud.com/590/uploads/Media/Malka-Morris/THEJEWSOFGERMANYANDAUSTRIA.pdf (THE JEWS OF GERMANY, AUSTRIA, BOHEMIA, AND MORAVIA 16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES)