Julius H. Schoeps

• Medieval sculptures of so-called, Jew-Sows" inside and outside famous Church buildings, especially in the German-speaking countries, have a disastrous tradition and a poisoning impact until today. There are sharp controversies now on how to deal with these "unappetizing" sculptures, visible for example at the City church of Wittenberg, the town where protestant reformer Martin Luther had lived and worked. But the problem goes deeper. Obscene and perfidious representations of Jews, as they were usual in Christian-dominated Europe over centuries, have also penetrated the thought world and language use until today. Swearwords like "Jew-Sow" and "Jew-Pig" are used in order to attack and discredit Jews, non-Jews and disliked coevals. New strategies of combatting this "poisoning traditions" are needed. This article also refers to the roots of early Christian Jew-hatred and recommends an impartial critical discussion on relevant anti-Jewish passages in the Christian Bible.