antisemitism

I agree thats just the worst parts of man. as long as your happy with who you are. I don’t agree with Jewish beliefes but thats no reason to hate people

Because some people are uneducated, irrational, and they like to hurt others so that they can feel better about themselves. Just ignore them, don’t let them get to your head!

I hate to pick on Christians, but much of the history of anti-Semitism comes from Christianity in one form or another. In most of the places where Christianity has been in the majority and in control of the government, life for the Jews has not been good. It probably became widespread with the militant brand of Christianity supported by the Byzantine Empire, which had a number of anti-Semitic laws designed to actively convert the Jews, or persecute them for refusing. It continued in Europe during the Middle Ages when Jews were seen as “Christ’s killers”. Also during that time, since the Jews were the only ones allowed to loan money for interest, they became the financier class, which earned them even more hatred and suspicion. Their adherence to the Torah, Talmud and texts other than the Christian Bible, as well as refusal to partake in Christian religious services, made them easy targets for blame during difficult times, when it was assumed God was displeased with a community because of lack of faith. Later on, the more powerful European government actually passed laws to expel the Jews, and over time they became scapegoats for many of Europe’s problems. In Germany, they were seen as having subverted the war effort during World War I, a sentiment Hitler would later capitalize on.

Sorry for the history lesson, but anti-Semitism runs deep in the Christian West, which makes it all the more interesting that so many right-wing American Christians are die hard supporters of Israel. Islamic countries have actually treated Jews more favorably for most of history, up until now of course. The establishment of Israel and its treatment of the Palestinians are the main sources of anti-Semitism in the Muslim world.