Martyrdom in Judaism
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Martyrdom in Judaism is one of the main examples of
The opposite or converse of kiddush Hashem is
In Hebrew a martyr is known as a kaddosh which means "[a] holy [one]", and martyrs are known as kedoshim meaning "holy [ones]". Thus the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust are known as the Kedoshim.[3][4]
Jewish history is replete with many episodes in which Jews who lived in different times and places chose to become individual and mass martyrs.
In the Hebrew Bible
Judaism, and the
Binding of Isaac
The events described in the Bible known as the Binding of Isaac is the primal and archetypal example of martyrdom in the Torah. Abraham is called upon to fulfill God's commandment to slaughter his son Isaac,[5] and Isaac to willingly submit to this and offer his life up as a korban[6] or "sacrifice" and hence, if need be, dying as a martyr[7] because God had so commanded it.[8]
At the last minute God instructs Abraham to stop and to slaughter and offer up a
Martyrs during war
There are times that the Hebrew Bible records that the
Some Biblical examples of martyrs
In
Jewish-Babylonian War
Since these events took place so long ago, the main records are Biblical as well as some information gleaned from archaeology. Certainly many thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Jews were killed and martyred during this period in history.
An indication of how seriously Jews and Judaism regard the scope, tragedy and impact of the destruction of the First Temple and the catastrophic impact on their land, the Kingdom of Judah, and their subsequent Babylonian captivity. Many Jewish fast days and mourning periods were instituted and observed since ancient times, all of which also commemorate the martyrdom of Jews in those times:[citation needed]
Maccabean Revolt and Book of Maccabees
1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees recount numerous martyrdoms suffered by Jews resisting Hellenization, being executed for such crimes as observing the Sabbath, circumcising their children or refusing to eat pork or meat sacrificed to foreign gods.
During the Maccabean Revolt from 167 to 160 BCE, during at least seven wars between the Jews and the Seleucid Greeks, tens of thousands of Jews died in battle or were killed as martyrs, including some of the original Maccabees. Some of the best known Jewish martyrs of this period is the story of the woman with seven sons and Eleazar (2 Maccabees).
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah commemorates and celebrates the miracle of the triumph of the Jews against the ancient Greeks and of Judaism and Torah over classical Greek culture.
A number of Maccabees died as martyrs.[14] Judah Maccabee, the leader of the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid Greeks was killed in the Battle of Elasa (160 BCE) and together with his men, they died as martyrs. Jonathan Maccabee was captured by a Seleucid king and executed. Eleazar Maccabee was killed in the Battle of Beth Zechariah (162 BCE). Simon Maccabee was assassinated in 135 BCE.
Jewish-Roman Wars and the destruction of the Second Temple
Martyrdom of Jews is a prominent aspect of the three major
Among other massacres Jews were massacred during the
During the Roman Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) alone, according to Josephus, over one millions Jews died.
In Judaism and Jewish liturgy, recounting the killing of the Ten Martyrs, as taught in Midrash Eleh Ezkerah, by the Romans is considered by many a solemn high point of the Yom Kippur prayer service. The most prominent of these martyrs was Rabbi Akiva, the famous Talmudic sage.
Jews and Judaism commemorate the tragedies leading up to and including the destruction of the Second Temple, its catastrophic aftermath, and the martyrdom of so many, on the solemn fast day of Tisha B'Av.
Under the Byzantines
The Jewish revolt against Heraclius (602-628) during the era of the Byzantines resulted in the deaths and martyrdom of thousands of Jews. See the section Jewish revolt against Heraclius: Massacre of the Jews as one example.
Under Christianity
There have been times of great upheaval between Jews and Christians and hence between Judaism and Christianity starting from the inception of Christianity as a religion independent and apart from its Judaic roots. This has resulted in the death and martyrdom of countless Jews and Jewish communities dating from Roman times to the present as outlined in the various sections of this article.
Crusades
The Crusades took place from the 11th to the 17th century during which time tens of thousands of Jews were martyred.[16][17][18] Rabbi Ephraim of Bonn (1132-1196) chronicled the fate of Jewish communities in Germany, France and England from 1146 to 1196.
Examples of this are:
Germany
There are testimonies about these events such as the Solomon bar Simson Chronicle, the Eliezer ben Nathan Chronicle, Mainz Anonymous Chronicle. During the Rhineland massacres (1096) and the Worms massacre (1096) thousands of Jews were martyred notable amongst them was Kalonymus ben Meshullam and his sons (died 1096) and Minna of Worms (died 1096).
A special Hebrew prayer,
The Rintfleisch massacres (1298) notably Mordechai ben Hillel (1250-1298). Erfurt massacre (1349) notably Alexander Suslin (died 1349).
England
There were massacres of Jews and their subsequent martyrdom in London, where
France
Jews in the areas of modern-day France were subject to the Crusades and many suffered martyrdom.[19] Historian Ephraim ben Yaakov (1132-1200) describes Crusaders' massacres of Jews, including the massacre at Blois, where approximately forty Jews were killed following an accusation of ritual murder:
As they were led forth, they were told, 'You can save your lives if you will leave your religion and accept ours.' The Jews refused. They were beaten and tortured to make them accept the Christian religion, but still they refused. Rather, they encouraged each other to remain steadfast and die for the sanctification of God's Name.[20]
Spain and the Inquisition
There were many instances of anti-Jewish violence under both the Muslim and Christian regimes in Spain with the subsequent killing and martyrdom of Jews, such as the.
During the Spanish Inquisition, many of those who were executed were Jews who refused to convert to Christianity. The status of those crypto-Jews who had pretended to adopt Christianity in an attempt to avoid persecution is unclear in Jewish Law that forbids Apostasy in Judaism under all circumstances. True adherents of Judaism were expelled from Spain following the Alhambra Decree of 1492 while remaining in Spain would mean death and martyrdom.
Maria Barbara Carillo (1625-1721) was burned at the stake for seeking to return to Judaism.
Blood libels and scapegoating
Jews were falsely accused of anti-Christian or anti-Muslim acts and activities and were often scapegoated and consequently thousands of Jews were killed and martyred over many centuries. Examples are the
During the Khmelnytsky Uprising
The Khmelnytsky Uprising was known to Jews as Gezeiras Tach VeTat,[21][22] meaning the "Decree of [years] 408 and 409" (corresponding to 1648 and 1649). Some historians estimate that between 100,000 and 500,000 Jews were slaughtered during the Khmelnytsky Uprising from 1648 to 1658. See the section Khmelnytsky Uprising: Jews for an outline of the discussion about the actual numbers of Jews killed by the Cossacks.
Notable martyrs of this period include Rabbi Yechiel Michel ben Eliezer (died 1648) who is also known as the Martyr of Nemirov. Rabbi Samson ben Pesah Ostropoli (died 1648) was martyred together with 300 of his followers.
Pogroms
Black Death
During the time of the
Russian Empire
The modern notion of Pogroms began mostly in the Russian Empire during the early 19th century, beginning with the Odessa pogroms. Over more than a hundred years, tens of thousands of innocent Jewish civilians, men women and children were massacred by rampaging mobs. Those who were murdered in this barbaric fashion are regarded as Jewish martyrs.
The Pogroms overlap with the beginnings of the Holocaust as well as happening during and after the Holocaust.
The 1991 Crown Heights riot in Brooklyn, New York is regarded as a latter day Pogrom that resulted in the killing of Yankel Rosenbaum and another man who looked like a Hasidic Jew.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust | |
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Part of Auschwitz in May 1944; left image, chimneys of crematoriums II and III of Birkenau. 3rd row: corpses in April 1945 in the already liberated Nordhausen concentration camp (left). Crematory ovens in Buchenwald with bones of German women opposed to the Nazis, April 1945 (right). 4th and last row: Auschwitz | |
Location | Nazi Germany and German-occupied Europe |
Description | Genocide of the European Jews |
Date | 1939–1945 |
Attack type | Genocide, ethnic cleansing |
Deaths |
|
Perpetrators | Nazi Germany and its collaborators List of major perpetrators of the Holocaust |
Motive | Antisemitism |
Trials | Trial of Adolf Eichmann, and others |
The approximately six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust during the period of the Second World War are regarded as martyrs by most Jewish religious scholars.[23] In Hebrew they are referred to as kedoshim ("holy ones") who died al kiddush Hashem ("for [the] sanctification [of] God's name").[24][25][26][27]
Some famous rabbis who chose martyrdom al Kiddush Hashem ("for the sanctification of God's Name") immediately before they were murdered by the Nazis include Avraham Yitzchak Bloch, Elchonon Wasserman, Azriel Rabinowitz, Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, Menachem Ziemba, and Ben Zion Halberstam.[citation needed]
The State of
Under Islam
Many Jews have perished and been martyred during the rise, and under the rule, of
Muslims and the Holocaust
During the Second World War, some Muslim leaders such as Amin al-Husseini colluded with the Nazis and hence contributed to the Holocaust and hence to Jewish martyrdom.[29]
Arab–Israeli conflict
There are special Jewish memorial prayers, known as hazkaras in Hebrew, (see El Malei Rachamim), that are recited in synagogues and at special gatherings for the thousands of Jewish Israeli soldiers and civilians who are regarded as martyrs (kedoshim meaning "holy ones" in Hebrew) who have been killed in the course of the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Modern Israel has instituted and dedicated a special day known as Yom HaZikaron ("Day [of] the Remembrance") in memory of those Jews killed in the service of building up and defending the state of Israel as well as in memory of those killed in terrorist attacks.[30]
Victims of Antisemitism and Anti-Judaism
Jews who are murdered because of their race or religion (victims of antisemitic or anti-Judaic hate crimes), as in the 2019 Jersey City shooting, the 2019 Poway synagogue shooting, the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the assault against the Chabad house at Nariman House in India (one of the 2008 Mumbai attacks), the 1946 Kielce pogrom, are all regarded as martyrs by most Jewish religious scholars, and they are known as kedoshim ("holy ones") in Hebrew, Jews who have died al kiddush Hashem ("for [the] sanctification [of] God's Name).[31]
See also
- Expulsions and exoduses of Jews
- Persecution of Jews
- History of antisemitism
- Timeline of antisemitism
- Self-sacrifice in Jewish law
- Anusim
- Kedoshim, the name for a weekly Torah portion
- Religious antisemitism
- Antisemitism in Christianity
- Antisemitism in Islam
- Jewish martyrs
- Christian martyrs and Saint
- Jihad and Shahid in Islam
References
- ^ Marvin Bash Messages of the Chofetz Chaim: 100 Stories and Parables 2006 Page 91 "Section VII Sanctification of the Name: An Introduction It is written in the Torah, as one of the commandments, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 19:2). According to this Biblical verse, the Jew is obligated to be holy, ..."
- ^ Concepts, Jewish. "Kiddush Ha-Shem and Ḥillul Ha-Shem". jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Backenroth, Gili (7 August 2019). "Six Million Kedoshim". yated.com. Yated Ne'eman. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Lopiansky, Ahron (9 May 2009). "The Six Million Kedoshim: Why we refer to those who perished in the Holocaust as "kedoshim."". aish.com. Aish HaTorah. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Jewish Virtual Library. "Akedah".
- ^ "Sanhedrin 89b:7". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
- ^ Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Akedah". britannica.com. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
{{cite web}}
:|last1=
has generic name (help) - ^ Schertz, Chaim E. (16 November 2016). "The ethical framework of the Akeida: The binding of Isaac is our greatest Biblical challenge". Israel National News. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ Cohen, Alfred (Spring 1992). "On Yeshiva Men Serving In The Army". Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society. XXIII. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ Tzvi, Freeman. "What is the Jewish View on Martyrdom?". Chabad.org. Chabad. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Marc, Brettler (2002). "Is there Martyrdom in the Hebrew Bible?". Academia.edu. Sacrificing the Self: Perspectives on Martyrdom and Religion. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Marc, Brettler (2002). "Is there Martyrdom in the Hebrew Bible?". Academia.edu. Sacrificing the Self: Perspectives on Martyrdom and Religion. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Mendel, Weinbach. "The Weekly Daf: A Fate Worse Than Death". ohr.edu. Ohr Sameach. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Lander, Shira (December 11, 2003). "Martyrdom in Jewish Traditions". St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, MD. Post-70 Roman Period Traditions (Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee Meeting: Bishops Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the National Council of Synagogues). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Lander, Shira (December 11, 2003). "Martyrdom in Jewish Traditions". St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, MD. Martyrdom in Second Temple Judaism (Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee Meeting: Bishops Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the National Council of Synagogues). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Lander, Shira (December 11, 2003). "Martyrdom in Jewish Traditions". St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, MD. Medieval Martyrdom (Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee Meeting: Bishops Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the National Council of Synagogues). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ISBN 978-2-503-52523-5.
- ^ Eisen, Yosef. "The Bloody Crusades". chabad.org. Chabad. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ISBN 9780521842815. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Chabad.org
- ^ The Yivo Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. "Gzeyres Takh Vetat". yivoencyclopedia.org. Yivo. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ Berel Wein adapted by Yaakov Astor (21 November 2011). "Tach V'Tat". jewishhistory.org. Destiny Foundation. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ Lander, Shira (December 11, 2003). "Martyrdom in Jewish Traditions". St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, MD. Post-Shoah Notions of Martyrdom (Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee Meeting: Bishops Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the National Council of Synagogues). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Backenroth, Gili (7 August 2019). "Six Million Kedoshim". yated.com. Yated Ne'eman. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Lopiansky, Ahron (9 May 2009). "The Six Million Kedoshim: Why we refer to those who perished in the Holocaust as "kedoshim."". aish.com. Aish HaTorah. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Schindler, Pesach. "The Holocaust and Kiddush Hashem in Hassidic Thought" (PDF). Tradition. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ Wiesel, Elie (January 17, 1988). "Praising His Name in the Fire". The New York Times. Section 7, Page 11. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ "Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day Law" (PDF). The Knesset. April 17, 1959. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ "Hajj Amin al-Husayni: Wartime Propagandist". encyclopedia.ushmm.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- ^ "Yom Ha-Zikaron – Israeli Memorial Day". Jewish Virtual Library. 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ Backenroth, Gili (7 August 2019). "Six Million Kedoshim". yated.com. Yated Ne'eman. Retrieved 13 February 2020.