What laws denied Jews citizenship and other rights?

Answer 1

Pick a century. Pick a country.

In order to get specific legislation, a timeframe and place need to be provided. However, if we are talking about generalities, there are some issues that Jewish communities faced that are worth mentioning. Not every Jewish community suffered all of the below problems, but every problem listed below affected at least one, if not more, Jewish communities. The issues are below and listed in no particular order:

1) Housing Discrimination: Jews lived prominently in major cities either because of economic pressures, social pressures, or legal requirements. However, even within the cities Jews were usually prohibited from most districts in the cities. The term "ghetto" actually comes from the name of the small neighborhood in Canareggio which was the only area in Venice, Italy, where Jews could settle and build houses. This combined with the requirement that no Jewish building could be taller than the local churches effectively led to overcrowding and overpopulation. In places like the United States, as late as the early 1900s, there were housing covenants that prevented Jews and Blacks from buying homes in certain areas. Some non-Jews took advantage of the situation and would extort Jews who wished to live outside of the Jewish neighborhoods to ignore the covenants.

2) Employment Discrimination: Especially in Europe, Jews were prohibited from engaging in a vast number of professions by law. Jews were not allowed to be involved in artesanry, weapons manufacture, general sales, store ownership, and several other professions. This led to Jews primarily having jobs as lawyers, bankers, doctors, and merchants which earned them many nasty stereotypes as well. There was also unofficial favoritism of non-Jews over Jews for open positions in many times and places.

3) Over-Taxation: Jews were almost always taxed above what they would be taxed if they were the majority group. There were poll taxes, like the jizya in Arab Countries; there were land taxes, like the kharaj in Arab countries, and there were numerous "protection fees" which predominated in Europe. Additionally, the Jewish Board of Trustees for the Community would have to collect all of these additional taxes for the sovereign, which was additionally burdensome on the Jewish Community.

4) Inability to Self-Defend: Jews were forbidden in most European and Arab World countries from owning, selling, or using any weapon of any sort. When you couple this prohibition with the prevalence of pogroms, the Jews were in a particularly vulnerable position.

5) Exclusion from the Government: In the Arab World and in Europe, Jews were effectively excluded from any serious government positions except in finance. Jews were not allowed to serve as governors, police officers, messengers, or justices of the courts.

6) Service Refusal and Discrimination at Private Institutions: Many establishments refused to serve Jews like certain restaurants, country clubs, and universities. These groups prevented Jews from being members of attempting to integrate with non-Jews. As late as the 1930s, even Harvard had "Jewish Quotas" to prevent Jews from "inundating" the university.

7) Unequal Application of the Laws: Often courts would argue against Jews being able to defend what few rights they did have. Shylock's situation in the Merchant of Venice is crude representation of what often occurred in cases of murder, forcible dispossession of property, and numerous other crimes perpetrated against otherwise well-meaning Jews. Laws would be bent to find excuses as to why the Jew was wrong regardless of the actual legal opinion.

There are also Anti-Semitic problems that governments did nothing to abate and served in many cases to enforce the Anti-Semitic legislation.

1) Blood Libels: Many untruths about Jewish traditions and values were quite popular and often supported by rulers. Jews were accused of murdering non-Jewish young boys and girls to use their blood in the preparation of matzah. The Talmud was alleged to incentivize the raping of young children. Jews think murderous thoughts all of the time, etc. As opposed to simple stereotypes like greed or large noses, these pernicious lies made non-Jews very fearful of Jewish people living in their communities because of the barbarity described.

2) Pogroms and Mass-Murders: On numerous occasions, Jewish communities were physically and violently attacked. Sometimes these attacks were unorganized mobs, sometimes they were coordinated attacks, and sometimes they were whole-scale deportations and systematic genocides.

3) General Anti-Semitic Attitudes: Jews had to deal with general hatred and dislike. They were seen as lesser people and inferior in both right and privilege to the majority. This resulted in popular support for Anti-Semitic measures and a general exclusion of Jews from the public forum. It also resulted cruelties and vulgarities being visited on the Jews without reason or purpose.

4) Religious Vendettas: Some religions, notably certain versions of Christianity and Islam have a narrative that considers the Jews a Satanic Race or People who need to be eliminated for peace to reign over the world. These individuals can make no peace with the Jewish community and therefore make life for Jews very difficult.