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Conspiracies are used to justify Antisemitism
The anti-Jewish sentiment within Christianity did not stop with the Protestant Reformation.
In the 18th century, some of the greatest thinkers to have ever lived impacted humanity in a way that few had ever expected (Enlightenment Era). The Enlightenment thinkers pushed for an emphasis on logic and reason which meant the Church began to lose its power. Many of the Enlightenment thinkers called for full rights to Jews which led to many Jews assimilating socially and culturally but the prejudice would not disappear.
In France, 1894, the only Jewish member of the French Army’s general, Captain Alfred Dreyfus was accused and later convicted of passing military secrets to Germany. We know this was not the case as there is proof of forgery confirming his innocence. Dreyfus was used as a scapegoat to cover for the in-built corruption in the French army. The French Revolution proclaimed Liberty, Equality and promised the Jews their freedom. However, a century later, the streets of Paris chanted “Death to the Jews” and “The Enemy is Judaism.”
Despite the power of religion decreasing across the globe, discrimination towards Jews did not stop as we began to see political and social antisemitism. Regardless, Jews who were now freed from the restrictions began to become leading citizens.
