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Article: Jewish attitudes toward other faiths: the Italian model.
- Article from:
- Journal of Ecumenical Studies
- Article date:
- March 22, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Journal of Ecumenical Studies. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Jewish attitudes toward Christianity and Islam are complex, multifaceted, and often confusing. Much depends on the time in history, the events affecting Jewish life and Jewry, the prevailing treatment of Jews, and the quality and nature of the Jewish spiritual and intellectual leadership. When well treated, as in the Golden Age in Spain, Jews preserved a more benevolent attitude toward the "other." However, when oppressed and persecuted, as in the era of the Crusades, Jews' attitudes toward Christians were often bitter, antagonistic, and even hostile and demeaning. Essentially, isolation led to insularity; persecution created particularism; inquisition bred ...