Why did the Nazis hate the Jewish people?
- The Nazis believed Germans were racially superior. They eventually wanted to get rid of all races. They started and focused primarily on Jews, but they also made sure to target people with disabilities, Blacks, Poles, Russians, and gypsies.
- Antisemitism - This existed long before the Nazi party, so Jews were already a group of people that were generally disliked and easy to get people on board with blaming for bad things.
- There was a new belief that Jews were a race and that their blood would taint other races, so it was dangerous to let them stay alive, even if they converted to Christianity.
- Money - Many Jews were bankers because in the Middle Ages, Christians were not supposed to lend money and charge interest. Since the Jewish people ran a lot of the banks, and Germany was poor due to WWI, they blamed the Jews for their financial woes.