Why were Jews seen as the instigators of the Black Death??

[Samof94]

What made this fallacy popular??? This was extreme anti Semitism well beyond “typical” late medieval standards and the Pope himself didn’t see a connection between Jews and the disease.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

I imagine a big part of it was local leaders seeking a convenient scapegoat. But there are also many reports that Jewish hygiene practices also made them less susceptible to the plague, and as such they seemed to be protected from it in a way that aroused suspicion among the ignorant.

[PSOL]

Jewish people were really the only visible ethnic minority around, and due to cultural and religious reasons had higher literacy than the rest of the population making them somewhat wealthier than some dispossessed peasant.

It’s entirely politics, or a distraction from real politics, to shift blame away. We see this now with foreigners accused of spreading COVID-19 to take the fall from a failed response to the pandemic.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

Same reason pagans blamed Christians for the Antonine and Cyprianic plagues.

[Samof94]

Jewish people were really the only visible ethnic minority around, and due to cultural and religious reasons had higher literacy than the rest of the population making them somewhat wealthier than some dispossessed peasant.

It’s entirely politics, or a distraction from real politics, to shift blame away. We see this now with foreigners accused of spreading COVID-19 to take the fall from a failed response to the pandemic.

The “Kung Flu”.

[Agonized-Statism]

The existence of viruses and bacteria was unknown in medieval times. As others have said, Jews were an easy scapegoat, especially since they lived primarily in isolated ghettos surrounded by cities hit hardest by the plague. Since many Jews chose not to use the cities' common wells and were getting sick less, they were accused of poisoning the wells, and this was "confirmed" by "confessions" extracted through torture.

Same kind of thinking that goes into the lab leak conspiracy theory, where an "evil people" with an "obvious motive" is attacked...nevermind that China depends more than anyone on a healthy global economy, as did Jews with healthy urban commerce. Questioning the theory then assumed to be fact makes you some kind of apologist or spy. And maybe if you keep questioning the mob without biting your tongue, you get killed too.

[John Dule]

The existence of viruses and bacteria was unknown in medieval times. As others have said, Jews were an easy scapegoat, especially since they lived primarily in isolated ghettos surrounded by cities hit hardest by the plague. Since many Jews chose not to use the cities' common wells and were getting sick less, they were accused of poisoning the wells, and this was "confirmed" by "confessions" extracted through torture.

Same kind of thinking that goes into the lab leak conspiracy theory, where an "evil people" with an "obvious motive" is attacked...nevermind that China depends more than anyone on a healthy global economy, as did Jews with healthy urban commerce. Questioning the theory then assumed to be fact makes you some kind of apologist or spy. And maybe if you keep questioning the mob without biting your tongue, you get killed too.

The lab leak theory does not require ascribing malice to China or to Chinese people.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Because we are always somehow at fault for everything.

In reality, it's because (as others have mentioned) Jews were a convenient scapegoats and they got sick less.

There is actually a reason for this. Jews adhered to cleanliness practices widely used today, since hand-washing is required in the Talmud (natilat yadayim). This probably makes a big difference when everyone else is literally using urine as proto laundry detergent.

[afleitch]

Anti-Semitism.

I wouldn't put too much weight on personal hygiene practices of Jewish communities as similar and more geographically widespread practices existed in the Islamic world and beyond which was equally as affected as Europe.

The conditions under which Jews lived (again, anti-semitism); more isolated communities, less contact with Christians and less use of local water sources, markets etc probably contributed to less exposure.

[darklordoftech]

Anti-Semitism.

I wouldn't put too much weight on personal hygiene practices of Jewish communities as similar and more geographically widespread practices existed in the Islamic world and beyond which was equally as affected as Europe.

The conditions under which Jews lived (again, anti-semitism); more isolated communities, less contact with Christians and less use of local water sources, markets etc probably contributed to less exposure.

If Jewish and Islamic areas had certain hygenic pratices, why didn’t Christian areas?

[Statilius the Epicurean]

If Jewish and Islamic areas had certain hygenic pratices, why didn’t Christian areas?

Ritual washing is prescribed in Judaism and Islam.

[SInNYC]

If Jewish and Islamic areas had certain hygenic pratices, why didn’t Christian areas?

Ritual washing is prescribed in Judaism and Islam.

Also, the medieval church (in some eras) considered bathing sinful since touching ones private parts might lead them astray. They were especially against public coed bathhouses inherited from the Romans.

But environmental factors played a factor in this too since it wasnt exactly easy for a commoner to take a bath in most of Europe prior to running hot water.

[John Dule]

If Jewish and Islamic areas had certain hygenic pratices, why didn’t Christian areas?

Ritual washing is prescribed in Judaism and Islam.

Also, the medieval church (in some eras) considered bathing sinful since touching ones private parts might lead them astray.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

If you can be blamed for anything you end up being blamed for everything. Jews had been the universal scapegoat for some time and the inevitable occurred. Sometimes the answer is the depressingly simple one.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

If Jewish and Islamic areas had certain hygenic pratices, why didn’t Christian areas?

Ritual washing is prescribed in Judaism and Islam.

And, as we really ought to be aware of as this remains a current issue in India especially, ritual cleanliness is not the same thing as actual cleanliness.