Can someone please explain anti-semitism to me?

[peewee84 10]

The Holocaust has always fascinated and horrified me at the same time, and since the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz recently, I started to look more into the roots of anti-Semitism and where it originated from.

 

Now try as I might, I am still unable to fully understand or get a satisfactory answer as to why anti-Semitism is one of the most widely practised and accepted forms of discrimination throughout the centuries. In short, why do people hate the Jews so much and why have they been a constant target of poor treatment in many different countries at one time or another?

 

You could argue that discrimination by definition is an unfounded and baseless act, but I am truly baffled by this. The other thing they ever seem to have done wrong is be successful??

 

Can anybody help me to understand it better?

[johncocker 10]

When are people going to wake up and realize that being angry at the conduct of jews and the behavior of the jews does not make one an anti-Semite... It's such a willfully blind way of considering criticism. criticism of your behavior is not direct criticism of your existence. Also I would say that a great majority of those who criticize Israel are also very critical of US foreign policy as well... Note that people tend not to say "jews are bad" but "israel is bad," and that it's typically Israelis or American Jews that can't see the difference...

 

 

 

 

if you're angry at jews in general then you're angry at jews in general

if you're anti -semitic it means your angry at these people/

 

 

heres just some of the Semitic-speaking peoples originating in the Near East, including; Akkadians (Assyrians/Syriacs and Babylonians), Ahlamu, Amalekites, Ammonites, Amorites, Arameans, Chaldeans, Canaanites, Eblaites, Dilmunites, Hebrews (Israelites, Judeans and Samaritans), Edomites, Ethiopian Semites, Hyksos, Arabs, Nabateans, Maganites, Maltese, Mandaeans, Mhallami, Moabites, Phoenicians (including Carthaginians), Shebans, Sabians, Ubarites and Ugarites.

_______

...........

Edited February 2, 2015 by johncocker

[chem1st 10]

It seems it is a bit like taking the **** out of Muslims or Christians, but it is pertaining to the Jews, and instead of being encouraged and celebrated, it is frowned upon and punished.

 

The Jews seem to invite it, by demanding special treatment. It is probably so common throughout the ages, because Jews often seem to get special treatment whilst other groups do not.

[Frederick1 10]

How do they get "special treatment"?

In Leeds they have, for donkeys years, just got on with making a business work and have never been any trouble.

Over the years my wife has worked for a few of them and has only kind words for all of them.

 

:confused:

[woodmally 10]

The Holocaust has always fascinated and horrified me at the same time, and since the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz recently, I started to look more into the roots of anti-Semitism and where it originated from.

 

Now try as I might, I am still unable to fully understand or get a satisfactory answer as to why anti-Semitism is one of the most widely practised and accepted forms of discrimination throughout the centuries. In short, why do people hate the Jews so much and why have they been a constant target of poor treatment in many different countries at one time or another?

 

You could argue that discrimination by definition is an unfounded and baseless act, but I am truly baffled by this. The other thing they ever seem to have done wrong is be successful??

 

Can anybody help me to understand it better?

 

It happens to different groups all the time but for some strange reason its given a name when people attack Judaism. I dont understand why.

[peewee84 10]

Thanks for the answers so far but I still don't understand - what behaviours do Jews undertake that makes people so angry?? What's the special treatment? I can honestly say that I've never experienced or heard of any problems with Jewish people - in fact, I couldn't tell you if I've ever seen or met one because I couldn't tell the difference!

[cuttsie 1,090]

It seems it is a bit like taking the **** out of Muslims or Christians, but it is pertaining to the Jews, and instead of being encouraged and celebrated, it is frowned upon and punished.

 

The Jews seem to invite it, by demanding special treatment. It is probably so common throughout the ages, because Jews often seem to get special treatment whilst other groups do not.

They certainly got special treatment in Germany, France, Poland,and Russia from 1930 onwards.

[Flanker7 20]

The Jews are a sub group of Semites. But I guess that you are on about Jews.

 

They are a clearly identifiable minority. But well known enough to be familiar.

It is human nature to be suspicious of anything different from the norm.

 

That's it.

 

Also included in the above definition:-

Left handers, Cyclists, Black people, Catholics, BNP, The rich, The poor, tree huggers, short haired people, long haired people. No-one says it has to make sense.

[peewee84 10]

They certainly got special treatment in Germany, France, Poland,and Russia from 1930 onwards.

 

In what way?

 

The Jews are a sub group of Semites. But I guess that you are on about Jews.

 

They are a clearly identifiable minority. But well known enough to be familiar.

It is human nature to be suspicious of anything different from the norm.

 

That's it.

 

Also included in the above definition:-

Left handers, Cyclists, Black people, Catholics, BNP, The rich, The poor, tree huggers, short haired people, long haired people. No-one says it has to make sense.

 

Is that really it? I understand that different groups of people at one time or another experience discrimination that doesn't make sense. What I don't understand is why the dislike/discrimination of Jews particularly is so ingrained and widespread in so many different countries over the centuries, more so than other groups, meaning they even have a name for it??

[RootsBooster 24]

When are people going to wake up and realize that being angry at the conduct of jews and the behavior of the jews does not make one an anti-Semite... It's such a willfully blind way of considering criticism. criticism of your behavior is not direct criticism of your existence. Also I would say that a great majority of those who criticize Israel are also very critical of US foreign policy as well... Note that people tend not to say "jews are bad" but "israel is bad," and that it's typically Israelis or American Jews that can't see the difference...

 

Generalising the conduct/behaviour of an entire people is usually classed as a prejudice, which would indeed mean that it is anti-scemitic.

[chalga 10]

The Holocaust has always fascinated and horrified me at the same time, and since the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz recently, I started to look more into the roots of anti-Semitism and where it originated from.

 

Now try as I might, I am still unable to fully understand or get a satisfactory answer as to why anti-Semitism is one of the most widely practised and accepted forms of discrimination throughout the centuries. In short, why do people hate the Jews so much and why have they been a constant target of poor treatment in many different countries at one time or another?

 

You could argue that discrimination by definition is an unfounded and baseless act, but I am truly baffled by this. The other thing they ever seem to have done wrong is be successful??

 

Can anybody help me to understand it better?

 

There is no reason,except for them to be made a scapegoat when whatever the country they were living in felt like it,for whatever reason,or simply 'because they could'.

[alchresearch 214]

what behaviours do Jews undertake that makes people so angry??

 

Same here, I even think I've got Jewish Mancunian relatives somewhere.

 

My observations of digs at Jews is mainly in Family Guy, references to them killing Jesus and being money grabbers.

 

I don't think there's any malice in it, but is it wrong for me to laugh at the antics of Mort Goldman?