[h.a. cherev]

Would it surprise you to learn that there are some who find that Hitler's rise to power unsurprising given the anti-Jewish history of Christian Europe?

[RobbyS]

Well, it surprised the German Jews. They thought their acceptance of "Enlightenment" ideals instead of their own religion and the decline of Christianity among the European elite would mean full acceptance of Jews. They ddn't figure on the rise of racism, which is a secular phenomenon,and the rise of men like Hitler whose hatred of them was based on crackpot science and a resentment of Jews that had nothing to do with their religion. The irony is that Jews were strong German nationalists who supported the new German empire created by Bismarck.