Anti-Semitism: The Causes and Effects of a Prejudice

This study examines the long history of hatred Jews have endured at the hands of the Catholic Church from ancient Rome to the twentieth century.

Anti-Semitism is one of the oldest, most persistent, and most virulent forms of hatred to plague the world. The Holocaust of World War II was the bitter fruit of centuries of prejudice passed down in Christian teachings and perceptions about the Jewish people. In this book, Paul E. Grosser and Edwin G. Haplerin present a historical analysis of anti-Semitism from the Roman Empire, through the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Reformation, and the twentieth century.

Through their analysis, Grosser and Halperin reveal a pattern. They shed light on how, where, and when anti-Semitism has spread; how it is temporarily brought under control; and how it suddenly, in some far part of the world, becomes endemic again. The authors provide an illuminating survey of the causes of anti-Semitism and share theories of how the Jews have been able to survive. In conclusion, they offer some hope for the future.