COMMENTS:
Voted : here's what i think
Pogroms on the Jewish community have been happening for thousands of years. The dramatic rise of Christianity goes a long way to explaining why the Jews have been persecuted, as the Bible documents the death of Christ, with the blame falling largely on the shoulders of the Jews. As for the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, the Jews were the obvious target. They were relatively economically prosperous compared to other Germans so the Nazi’s chose to ostracise the Jewish community. The fact that Israel is their holy land doesn’t help matters either, as its also significant to the Christians and the Muslims. There is no doubting the fact that the Jewish community has had a hard time of it, and it doesn’t look like its going to become any easier for them in the near future.
okay but what happened before christianity and islam? how do you account for the egyptians and assyrians? that was long before christianity and islam.
Voted : here's what i think
Small minorities like the ancient Jewish community are always easy to exploit and abuse. The fact that, except for comparatively short periods of time, Jews have almost always lived as religious minorities among members of much larger religious majorities probably made them much easier targets for abuse than they would have been otherwise.
This is practically just guesswork on my part, and I'm really tired, so those two factors probably made this a really shitty comment. Sorry 'bout that.
"okay but what happened before christianity and islam? how do you account for the egyptians and assyrians? that was long before christianity and islam."
Sorry Kev , I am not very learned in the Eygptian or Assyrian dominance of the Jews, but Himself is probably right, the Jewish community has never been a particulary large one, and this would have led to them being dominated by other cultures.
Voted : here's what i think
Typically they're a minority population within whatever country they are residing, as they don't tend to convert many people to judiasm. They tend to be wealthier than average and they often live in distinct communities with their own unique culture.
Having wealth and being seen as distinct from the general population doesn't exactly engender love and respect.
I can't explain the old testament enslavement except perhaps that a great many people were slaves back then, but the jews were the only ones who held together a coherent culture for long enough to remember such times. Some of my ancestors were probably slaves, but we didn't keep track of our history so well.
The different nature of their religion may have had something to do with it too, at least early on. With the Egyptian and Assyrian religions being polytheistic, and the Jewish religion being monotheistic, it seems like they would have had more than their fair share of religious and/or moral disagreements.
Voted : here's what i think
Here is bigmouth forgetmenot with my “opinion”. Sorry my response is so long, but I felt the need to include what I did. To start with, I think this is an exceptionally good and honest ballot. It asks an excellentl question.
Much of why the Jews have been persecuted has to do with what Judaism asks of Jews. According to the Jews, God is a jealous God and does not want his faithful (of any religion) to share themselves with any other “god”. A “god” that could take one away from Jehovah God could be popularity, shopping, sports, fame, etc. The God of the Jews demanded that if they wanted to be His "Chosen People" (and I will explain "Chosen" later), they had to be for God only, that is, they must make themselves so unpopular with any community they found themselves in that they would become despised. To be popular with another group would dilute their commitment, their “marriage” to god. To be good Jews, the Jews had to repudiate every custom of whatever community they came in contact—they had to make themselves unpopular, unloved and unloveable. To be hated by others was to be loved of God.
God asked the Jews if they were willing to do this, to make themselves despised and untouchable so that when they came to God they would not be tainted with any of the customs or practices of any other peoples. This was not because the other group was evil or dirty. It was because God wanted the love, the devotion, of a group of people all to Himself. He wanted the group to be admired by no one else but Him. Admiration is a seductive god.
God told the Jews if they would be willing to do this—to sacrifice acceptance, esteem, a comfortable lifestyle, the illusory satisfaction of being popular, in order to be loved by God. They said, "yes", and only because of their willingness to give everything up to be loved by God, were they then "Chosen". If they had said, “No”, they would not have been "Chosen". God would have gone to a different tribe of people and asked them the same question. Being chosen has nothing to do with being God’s favorite or being admired by God. It has only to do with doing what God required of a people who were committed to Him.
The Jews knew that when they allowed themselves to be “Chosen”, they were being “Chosen” to be hated, condemned, falsely accused, murdered, executed, and enslaved. That’s the ONLY thing that being Chosen meant to the Jews, and they were willing to do it for God.
No one should really complain that they Jews were the "Chosen People" unless they are jealous of what the Jews have gone through.
^The first line of the fourth paragraph should read: God “asked” the Jews if they would be willing to do this…..
I cannot believe that Jewish people have purposefully gone out of their way to be hated by others
Historically and biblically--yes, even up to the 1940's. I guess after Nazi Germany, they said, "Enough is enough". A very compelling book is "Why the Jews?" It basically says the same things I did.
Voted : here's what i think
I will provide a couple of quotes from opposite sides and then say what are not the reasons.
On April 11, 1944, Anne Frank wrote in her diary:
Who has made us Jews different from all other people? Who has allowed us to suffer so terribly until now? It is God Who has made us as we are, but it will be God, too, Who will raise us up again.
Who knows - it might even be our religion from which the world and all peoples learn good, and for that reason and that reason alone do we now suffer.
HITLER said, "The Ten Commandments have lost their vitality. Conscience is a Jewish invention; it is a blemish like circumcision."
"Even had there never existed a synagogue or a Jewish school or the Old Testament, the Jewish spirit would still exist and would exert its influence. It has been there from the beginning, and there is no Jew – not a single one – who does not personify it."
Bogus reasons given for hating Jews
- Being a lazy and inferior but also for dominating the economy and taking over the world.
- Maintaining separateness but when Jews do assimilate, they are a threat to racial purity through intermarriages.
- They are pacifists and warmongers, capitalist exploiters and communists, etc.
Jews have too much wealth?
If you remove all the supposed wealth and power from the Jews, does anti-Semitism go away? Did it vanish when the Nazis put hundreds of thousands of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto? There were zero “all powerful” Jewish businesses. In fact none at all. Still the Nazis proceeded to murder millions more Jews.
Too much power?
If Jews control governments then why were the Jews unable to get even ONE SINGLE country to accept refugees who were struggling to escape the Holocaust in Europe? They couldn't even get the US to take in ONE boat full of refugees. You cannot say these countries like the US and Britain did not know what was happening to the Jews. They did know.
For all this power, why are entirely incapable of stopping resolution after resolution attacking Israel in the UN. Whole genocides of people take place without as much as a single resolution. See Pol Pot and Cambodia. Pol Pot and Cambodia. repeat.
Is it because of the “Chosen People” thing?
No. Total rejection of any difference or “choseness” does not stop anti-Semitism. Jews were probably the best assimilated in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. How did that work out?
Jews are not the only people to have claimed any type of “choseness”. The people in China gave their country that name because it means “center of the universe." Japanese people have had a long history of viewing themselves as superior.
There is no anti-Semitic equivalent hatred of Chinese or Japanese people.
Jews killed Jesus?
No. It was not until several hundred years after his death that hatred of Jews for apparently killing “Jesus” developed. This despite the fact that according to the New Testament, it was only the Romans who killed Jesus. Jews are merely accomplices. Matthew, John, and Mark all specifically mention the Romans killed Jesus.
So, shouldn’t Christians hate Romans or their descendants at the level of hate directed at Jews?
Sigmund Freud: Jews are hated not so much because they killed Jesus, but because they produced him.
Why then?
- The Jews were the first to have a monotheistic religion
- They have a very well defined set of rights and wrongs (not only the Ten Commandments but with other concepts and laws in the in the Torah). “Love you neighbor as you love yourself”, etc.
- Importance of the family
- Rights for all people (even at the time of slavery, it was never permanent and slaves had to be treated well)
- Charity (mandated in the Torah and elsewhere in Judaism)
Many do not like these concepts. Everything is fluid. There is no right or wrong for many. “Victimless” crimes. I should be able to do whatever I want. Judaism does not teach that (neither do Christianity and Islam both of which sprang from Judaism). Jews do not live like that. It is inevitable that some people will hate those who do not have a fluid sense of morality.
Voted : here's what i know
They were different in one way or another from other groups. Given the common human insanity, that's enough.
Voted : here's what i think
Basically, after the death of Jesus it wouldn't do for christians to be going around making noise about how the Romans crucified him because that would be a quick way to get crucified yourself. Hence all the blame was put on the jews.
Voted : here's what i think
Since anceint times, whether it was overt or not, deliberate or not, or whether they were just acting in one accord in foreign land's, the Jews engage in injudicous acts that are contrary to the interests of the indigenous population, citing authorty to justify it from God.
From the old testament: They've engaged in wars against neighboring States, committed genocide of the entire population of *enemy States, seized wealth and resources from enemy States, control large portions of national economic interests, and historically, exploitted non-Jewish people in favor of Jews in partisan politics, laws and national policy.
In the new testament (which, by the way, is accepted at present as a historical record), Jewish Officials were in cahoots with the Roman Emporer and were corrupt in both officiating the temple and in overseeing the civil populations. Many times condemned by Christ as vipers, thieves, and murderers. The Christain Church, until the fall of Rome in 95 A.D. went underground and hid because Roman Law and Jewish enforcement persecuted Christians putting them to death.
Historically, Jews undermind and corrupt governments, cheat and take advantage of the weak and ignorant, gain wealth and power by unscrupulous means, and over populate regions to gain political influence.
No, I am not anti-semitic, I just answer the question factually as told by scripture, and by what the Mossad and Israeli Government engages in today against Palistine (populating Palistinian territories, seizing the land and displacing the Arab populations).
Some people just hate they because several of them have been successful in what they do.
"Why then?
- The Jews were the first to have a monotheistic religion
- They have a very well defined set of rights and wrongs (not only the Ten Commandments but with other concepts and laws in the in the Torah). “Love you neighbor as you love yourself”, etc.
- Importance of the family
- Rights for all people (even at the time of slavery, it was never permanent and slaves had to be treated well)
- Charity (mandated in the Torah and elsewhere in Judaism)"
Im sorry, but that just sounds overly idealistic to me. People hate them because of their charity? Cmon, you basically just made a facetious attempt at answering the question as a platform from which to praise the Jewish faith.
Personally, I hear too many things, both bad and good, about the Jewish faith throughout the ages to be sure. I think this ambiguity is shared by a lot of people besides myself, and may be a primary reason for distrust of the Jewish faith, and subsequent persecution in some cases.
'The Christian Church, until the fall of Rome in 95 A.D. went underground and hid because Roman Law and Jewish enforcement persecuted Christians putting them to death'
Firstly, what do you mean by the fall of Rome in 95AD? Secondly, the christians were persecuted by various Emperors for different reasons. Often it was merely a convenient way of finding a scapegoat. It also owed much to the distrust of the monothiestic 'foreign' religion emerging at a time of increasing religous conservatism and threats form abroad, especially in the Third Century AD under the likes of Emperor Diocletian. In particular, the christians refusal to make sacrifices to the benefit of the Emperor caused a great deal of distrust. Thus, Jews had little to do with the persecution of christians under Rome. Persecution of christians by Rome has also been greatly exaggerated. So there!
Voted : here's what i think
great comments and insight. i think it's a combination of many of these factors. a friend of mine who is jewish said that as part of their faith, they are taught from an early age that jews are special -- he went so far as to say that they are conditioned to believe they are superior. anyway, his take on it was also that as part of their religion or culture, they're also raised with the mission of helping each other out -- pretty much saying that a jew should hire a fellow-jew before hiring a non-jew. like i said, this is just him saying that. but i've heard that before too.
what really strikes me is that the persecution started long before christianity or islam came about -- the babylonians, the assyrians, the egyptians, etc.
docdraw makes a good point in that i too have heard too many good and bad things about the jewish faith to really know the right answer -- if there even is one.
what passiveson said is prevelant too. i've heard lots of people say that stuff, including jewish people.
In ancient times, one of the prevailing industries of most, if not all, cultures was the manufacturing and selling of idols for their various gods. This was big business and the mainstay of many areas. Whenever Jews came in and in their monotheistic religion took hold, the chief industry of many areas died and the cities died with them. This could be a very good reason for despising these people who “poisoned” their cities, and for getting the word out about how the Jews are “killers”. The Jews would, of course, become personas non grata wherever they went, and they would be exiled from every community far and wide, that had been advised of the Jewish “treachery”.
Chompsky, The Roman Empire lost it's hold over Judea in 95 A.D. Up until that point, Rome forbid teaching the doctrine of Christ at the insistance of the Judean authority.
Rome feared that if they didn't suspress Christianity as Pharisees requested, the Jews would revolt against the empire. Rome wanted to avert an uprising.
After 95 A.D., the Jews play a minor role in the persecution of Christians since Judea no longer had Rome to enforce their desire to crush the Christian Church beyond Judea and Judea couldn't very well go abroad to persecute the Christian Church.
Yes, Rome did continue persecuting the Christians at various points in history after 95 A.D., but since the ballot pertains to the Jews, it's moot what Rome did after that point, isn't it?
Voted : i don't know
I really wish I knew. I was engaged to a Jewish woman back in the 80s, and she didn't have a clue.
Voted : i don't know
I don't have any facts or logic about the jews...
Draw. They Jews brought to the something totally new to the world - a monotheistic religion and one which was not based on a physical idol or being. Before this all religions we based on nature or multiple gods. Fertility rites, human sacrifice and physical idols were the norm.
Some people don't like having to be responsible. They don't like having restrictions on what they can and cannot do. They don't like having a firm sense of right and wrong. Idealistic? Of course.
"they are taught from an early age that jews are special -- he went so far as to say that they are conditioned to believe they are superior"
I believe I answered that. So have many other groups. Jews only believe they are "chosen" or "special" inn that they have been given a unique mission. Even most Christians and Muslims would agree with that although they would say Jews failed at carrying it out. Jews believe that other countries or groups are chosen to do other very important things.
"Historically, Jews undermind and corrupt governments, cheat and take advantage of the weak and ignorant, gain wealth and power by unscrupulous means, and over populate regions to gain political influence."
Yeah, sure. Give some examples. I'm trying to figure out the "taking advantage of the weak and poor". Might I remind you that Jews have led the liberal wing of the democratic party for a long time. They have been heavily involved in the provision of a safety net for the poor. Little things like Social Security, Medicare, etc. These social programs are the primary reasons why Jews still vote heavily democratic despite the growing often anti-semitic leftist wing. Jews were also heavily involved in the civil rights movement in the 60s. They continue to be prominent supporters of civil rights for the poor, gays and lesbians, the disabled and other less fortunate. The percent of Jews involved in this far exceeds any other group. W.E.B Du Bois joined with other black leaders, and Jewish activists, such as Henry Moskowitz, Julius Rosenthal, Lillian Wald, Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch, Stephen Wise to create to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. Jewish philanthropists have actively supported the NAACP and various other civil rights groups, and schools for African-Americans. Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald funded the creation of dozens of primary schools, secondary schools and colleges for disenfranchised black youth. He personally gave and led the Jewish community in giving money to fund around 2,000 schools for black Americans. This includes the Howard, Dillard and Fisk universities. At one time, as many as 40% of all blacks attending a university were attending those specific ones.
The civil rights movement in the 60s. Jewish Americans were several times more likely to be actively involved in the civil rights movement than any other group in America except the black community. Jews made up NEARLY HALF of the volunteers involved in the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer. Around 50% of the civil rights lawyers who worked in the south at that time (and who risked their lives) were Jewish.
In fact, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 AND the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were drafted in the conference room of Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism under the aegis of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights - which itself was founded by three people: A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins (Executive Secretary of the NAACP), and Arnold Aronson (a leader of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council).
Some taking advantage of the weak and poor. Find me a group who contributed more to the civil rights movement (other than African-Americans).
Oh... here is Martin Luther King with one of his closest friend and aide Abraham Joshua Heschel. 
"Jewish Officials were in cahoots with the Roman Emporer"
That is blatantly false. Jews in the land of Israel were notoriously the most rebellious province in the entire Roman empire. They were never "in cahoots with the Romans". They despised them.
The rest of your comment is really too ludicrous for me to even bother to respond to. I really cannot believe the negative stereotypes you stated without any proof whatsoever. I can't imagine what you would say about African-Americans. _beelz. I really expected better from you as well.
Many hate the Jews because they won't do what others want. It wasn't until Jews rejected Mohammad that he turned negative on them.
"Historically, Jews undermind and corrupt governments, cheat and take advantage of the weak and ignorant, gain wealth and power by unscrupulous means, and over populate regions to gain political influence."
Fiddle, the key word here is Historically. The Bible documents ennumerable accounts where Jews undermind pagan nations, swindled desperate cultures and wiped out entire populations to make room for Jewish expansion. They're doing it today with expanding Jewish settlements in Palistine.
Refresh reading the New Testament Man. Herod was a Jew, appointed Governor of Jerusalem and paid tribute to Augustus Ceasar. The pharisees treated the poor and the crippled like they were dung.
Tell me they had Gods Blessing as told by the new tewstament. I think not my friend. Everything I presented appears in the Bible. So argue if you will, but that's how history records it.
We will all know in the end when we meet our Maker. Remember, the Bible says that anyone who harms an innocent person in My Name will wish they had never been born. I hope none of us, not a one, has ever done that.
And that everything stated above was said in innocent belief, without any attempt to malign.
Truely, No malice intended here. I state what history recounts from scripture. It is not to malign or criticize, but to answer Kevs question.
'Yes, Rome did continue persecuting the Christians at various points in history after 95 A.D., but since the ballot pertains to the Jews, it's moot what Rome did after that point, isn't it?'
I disagree. The point I am making is that the Romans always had a mistrust of christians, at no point did they need the jews to 'egg them on', so to speak. This idea that the jews were responsible for the death o Jesus is a reflection of the situation that Jesus' followers found themselves in after his crucifiction, i.e. operating within the confines of the Roman Empire. As I have said, they could not blame the death of Jesus on the Romans as this would lead to their own deaths, so they blamed the jews, and so began 2000 years of anti semetism.
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