Jodenvervolging door de kruisridders 1784

Cornelis Bogerts created this print, “Persecution of Jews by Crusaders,” sometime between 1745 and 1817. This work is part of a long history of antisemitic imagery, and it is important to consider the social and cultural context in which it was made. Bogerts lived in a time of significant social and political upheaval. The Enlightenment was challenging traditional forms of authority, yet deeply embedded prejudices persisted. This print reflects the complex and often contradictory attitudes of the era. It depicts Jewish people as victims of violence, evoking both pity and perhaps a sense of justification for their suffering. The figures are highly emotional, their faces contorted in fear and agony. One can almost feel the desperation of the mother clutching her child, and hear the cries of those being attacked. Bogerts’s print forces us to confront the legacy of intolerance and the ways in which it continues to shape our world. It reminds us of the human cost of prejudice and the importance of challenging narratives that dehumanize others.