A place to begin is the position Jews held in the ancient worlds of Greece and Rome. Jews were thought to be people that dressed differently and, in Palestine, spoke in a strange tongue; although outside Palestine, they spoke Greek like the rest. They were labeled atheists because they did not believe in any of the Greco-Roman gods or goddesses. Worse still, they were called “enemies of the human race” because they did not eat the foods that others did or mingle with them in gymnastics, the theater, race courses, or similar social pursuits. These accusations left them despised and at the same time grudgingly admired for their love of learning, their shrewdness and, in the case of a few, their skills in the art of medicine.

In Roman times Jews were citizens, but in the later middle Ages they were treated under the law as

People persecute those who they fear or don’t understand, ignorance, in most cases is the leading cause of discrimination and persecution. Jews presented a fear of the unknown to most “Gentiles.” In the case of women, it was not fear, rather the ability to exert power over a weaker individual. Still today in the modern times of the year 2003 we see discrimination and hate crimes all around the world. It is human nature; majorities will flock together against the minorities. There is no remedy for it, save education. But in some cases even that is in vain because some seek to only educate themselves on what they want to learn. They fail to see both sides to the story and in most cases distort the facts. Maybe one day in a more perfect world we will see the last of this ignorance float away, but until then minorities will just learn to flourish and endure regardless of any barriers they may find along the way.

The fate of most of these Jews lay in the hands of the Catholic Church. The Church held a lot of power and enforced many laws protecting Jews basic rights, but it did not stop basic day to day persecution. In the twelfth century, Jews were accused of murdering Christian children in order to make matzos for Passover. Although the Church denounced thi

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