Jewish people are not hated for any legitimate reason; the hostility they face is called antisemitism, and it is rooted in prejudice, fear, and misinformation, not in anything wrong with being Jewish. This hatred has shifted forms over time—religious, racial, economic, and political—but the core is irrational scapegoating.
What antisemitism is
Antisemitism is prejudice, hostility, or discrimination directed at Jews as a religious, ethnic, or perceived “racial” group.
It has existed for over two thousand years and is often called “the longest hatred” because it keeps reappearing in different societies and eras.
Historical religious roots
In parts of the ancient Greco‑Roman and later Christian world, Jews were resented for having different religious beliefs and for refusing to worship local gods or accept Christianity.
After Christianity became dominant in the Roman Empire, church leaders and laws increasingly marginalized Jews, sometimes portraying them as cursed or eternally guilty for rejecting or “killing” Jesus, which fueled persecution for centuries.
Scapegoating and conspiracy myths
During crises like wars, plagues, or economic collapse, Jews were frequently used as scapegoats, blamed for everything from military defeat to diseases and financial problems.
False conspiracy myths—such as claims that Jews poison wells, control governments or banks, or secretly plot against others—have been used to justify exclusion, violence, and, in Nazi Germany, the Holocaust.
Social difference and “othering”
Jewish communities often kept distinct religious and cultural practices, sometimes by choice and sometimes because societies forced them into separate neighborhoods or legal categories.
Because they were visibly “different” yet lived among the majority, Jews were turned into an “other” that people could blame for social tensions or rapid change, rather than addressing real structural problems.
Modern forms and why it’s still wrong
In the modern era, antisemitism has adapted to new ideologies, including racial pseudoscience and political extremism, but it still functions as an irrational way to explain complex problems by targeting a minority.
There is no factual or moral justification for hating Jewish people; antisemitic ideas are built on distortions and lies, and challenging them means recognizing that individuals should be judged as individuals, not as stereotypes of a group.