why does everyone hate the jews??

Question

seriously, what is this world comming to? is it because your all jealous or is it because we have achieved so much? why teh hell does everyone hate the jews, we really are nice people!

Answer 1

I am still shuddering from the shootings at the Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles. Why would anyone do such a thing? It seems so unfair to single out Jews for this violence. How can this be prevented in the future? What should be the response of American Jewry? And what can I do to help?

Please! Help me understand this tragedy.

THE AISH RABBI REPLIES:

Make no mistake: This was an attack specifically against Jews. After Furrow was arrested, he said the shooting was "a wake-up call to America to kill Jews." Police also discovered a map with circles around Los Angeles Jewish landmarks like the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the University of Judaism and the Skirball Cultural Center.

So we have to ask ourselves: Why were the Jews targeted? And why have Jews been targeted for anti-Semitism in the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Pogroms, the Holocaust – and ever since the days of Abraham when King Nimrod threw him into a fiery furnace?

The Torah teaches that anti-Semitism will exist. The Talmud (Shabbos 69) declares:

"Why was the Torah given on a mountain called Sinai? Because the great 'sinah,' the great hatred of the Jews, emanates from Sinai." (Sinah, the Hebrew word for hatred, is pronounced almost identically to Sinai.)

Before the Torah was given, people built their lives on a subjective concept of right and wrong. At Sinai the Jewish people were told that there is one God who makes moral demands on human beings. You can't just live as you please; there is a higher authority you are accountable to.

The Jewish people were commanded to be a "Light Unto the Nations," to communicate the message of morality to the world. So despite the fact that Jews were never more than a tiny fraction of the world's population, Jewish ideas became the basis for the civilized world. And with that, the Jews became a lightening rod for those opposed to the moral message.

Hitler stated:

"Providence has ordained that I should be the greatest liberator of humanity. I am freeing man from the restraints of an intelligence that has taken charge, from the dirty and degrading self-mortifications of a false vision called conscience and morality, and from the demands of a freedom and personal independence which only a very few can bear." (from "Hitler Speaks" by Herman Rauschning)

Anti-Semitism cuts to the core of what it means to be a Jew. But tragically, some Jewish leaders have tried to skirt the issue by viewing the Los Angeles attack in a universalistic mode, "as an American issue, not a Jewish issue." By doing so, they reduce the incident to dumb luck. There is nothing to learn from this event, they say. Furrow could've picked any target; the Jews were simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.



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I disagree.

If we don't understand the root of anti-Semitism, then we have gained nothing from the experience, and we have created no barrier against its being repeated.

I recently heard an incredible story. A Russian who had immigrated to Israel brought his son to enroll in yeshiva, a school of Talmudic study. The dean of the yeshiva was a bit surprised, seeing that this man and his son were clearly not observant. "I'll gladly to enroll your son," said the dean, "but please tell me - why did you choose a yeshiva, rather than some secular school?"

"I'll explain," said the man. "When I was a little boy in the Ukraine, the Nazis came and ordered every male out into the town square. There, everyone was ordered to drop their pants. Whoever had a circumcision was shot on the spot.

"So I figured, if an anti-Semite like this should ever come again, at least my son should understand what it's for."

Can such a thing happen in America today? We can only pray that would-be imitators sleep soundly through Furrow's hellish alarm. But the recent rash of anti-Semitic incidents rattles the nerves. And new statistics released by law enforcement agencies showed a total of 1,750 hate crimes in 1998, an average of nearly five per day. In California alone.



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It seems to me that with all the options for assimilation in America today, every Jew has two choices: Either opt into the Jewish future, or opt out.

If monsters like Furrow try to kill us because of our Jewish heritage and values, shouldn't we know what that heritage and those values are? If, G-d forbid, one should ever die because he or she is Jewish, what an even greater tragedy that the person died without knowing what it meant to be Jewish.

In the concentration camps, the Nazi guards wanted to humiliate the Jews and make them suffer emotionally. One time they took an Ark cover out of a synagogue, and hung it above the entrance to the gas chamber. "Let's see your God save you, now!" they mocked.

Then something extraordinary happened. Certain Jews, standing in line for the gas chamber, began dancing and singing in small circles. The Nazi guards were shocked - their fun was spoiled. What the guards did not realize was the meaning of the Hebrew words written on the Ark cover: "This is the gate of God, the righteous shall enter therein." (Psalms 118:20)

You see, the solution to anti-Semitism is the flip-side of the cause. Jewish values are the cause of anti-Semitism, and Jewish values are the solution. Only by studying Torah – and teaching it to others – can Jews ever hope to bring the world to a point where evil is eradicated.

When human beings embrace the moral doctrine that Judaism brought to the world from Sinai – that there is a God who demands ethical behavior from every human being – then there will be no holocausts.

And that is the exquisite irony of Jewish history.



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In practical terms, Furrow's murderous rage and cynical smirk might serve as a wake-up call to us Jews.

There is a special custom during this Jewish month of Elul to blow the Shofar every morning in the synagogue. The Shofar sound, according to Maimonides, is literally an alarm clock designed to arouse us from our spiritual slumber: "Awaken to examine your actions, return and remember your Creator."

There are many good Jewish programs which provide an excellent framework and overview of Jewish history, philosophy, and literature – and can jump-start a renewed Torah connection. One popular program is called the Discovery seminar (http://www.discoveryseminar.org).

Of course, it is encouraging that time and again, we see many Jews – even those completely non-affiliated with the Jewish community – demonstrating an inexplicable but powerful urge to stand firm in their Jewish identity.

But isn't it worthwhile to know what for?

Answer 2

I have a comment to make about this ... I frankly think that hatred of Jews has grown worse and I blame the media: The Jews have been made into a sainted people ... and they're obviously not. Jews are just people, that's all. But when the media continues to push the issue of that holocaust in Germany almost non-stop, IT GETS OLD, people get tired of hearing about it and here's why: There have been MANY holocausts during our long human history on this planet. How often do we hear of the Armenian holocaust in the early 1900s? Almost never. How often do we hear of what the Euro Christians did to the Indians here in the Americas? Not that often. (And it was thousands of times worse than what happened to the Jews, by the way). And when was the last time you heard of what The Vatican did in Eastern Europe during the 1940s and 1950s? Probably never. (Download and read, "The Vatican Holocaust," by Avro Manhattan. It's a free download). If these holocausts were covered in a balanced way, if there weren't SO much emphasis on the suffering only of the Jews, people could appreciate that more. But on TV we're ALWAYS seeing one program after another, one movie after another, one commentary after another, about the Jews in Germany. And some of us want to say, "Yeah, ok, we get it! Enough already!" What I'm saying here is something to consider. All peoples on the planet have suffered horribly and brutally all through the ages, and when you make certain groups special, when you make it appear that they've "suffered more" than other groups, there WILL be resentment, believe me. Focusing on only one of those groups is a very unbalanced way of viewing history. Very much so ...

Answer 3

Not everyone hates Jews. I think the ones who do confuse the Israeli government's unjust and inhumane practices with all Jews. Just like we confuse the works of a few terrorists with Muslims. People shouldn't be judged based on the behavior of a few. If we do that we'd have to hate everyone at some point and what kind of humanity would that be?

Answer 4

Well I don't know I guess throughout history they have been portrayed as very wealthy and greedy people.Even through times of hardship, the jews were always the best off and those who were in a bad way resented this and the feelings were passed on through out the generations.

Personally I don't have any issues with Jews especially not a hatred but thats just why I think people feel the way they do.

Answer 5

Historians have classified six explanations as to why people hate the Jews:
Economic -- "We hate Jews because they possess too much wealth and power."
Chosen People -- "We hate Jews because they arrogantly claim that they are the chosen people."
Scapegoat -- "Jews are a convenient group to single out and blame for our troubles."
Decide -- "We hate Jews because they killed Jesus."
Outsiders -- "We hate Jews because they are different than us." (The dislike of the unlike.)
Racial Theory -- "We hate Jews because they are an inferior race."

Every other hated group is hated for a relatively defined reason. Jews, however, are hated in paradoxes: Jews are hated for being a lazy and inferior race - but also for dominating the economy and taking over the world. They are hated for stubbornly maintaining their separateness - and, when they do assimilate - for posing a threat to racial purity through intermarriages.They are seen as pacifists and as warmongers; as capitalist exploiters and as revolutionary communists; possessed of a Chosen-People mentality, as well as of an inferiority complex. It seems that they just can't win.

So there are various reasons for why Jews are hated and they differ from culture to culture. One of the more famous and relevant is the false story of how the Jews killed Jesus, even though historically there is no truth to this. Today anti-semetism is rampant mostly through-ought the Muslim world and is fed by false blood libels and the demonetization of the state of Israel. Anti-semetism is based on irrational and false accusations on how a group of 13 million people claim to take over and corrupt the world. Most cultures who have harbored anti-semetic leanings have done this to scapegoat the Jews as an effort to create a common enemy and blind the masses to the true troubles of the country. In short Jews are hated because they are an easy target and many cultures still have an irrational hate and loathing of Jews from generations past.

Answer 6

Hey, it's not true that everyone hates Jews. I don't. You see the majority of answerers here are saying this and the three answerers that express hatred for Jews seem to be a bit confused mentally.

Answer 7

I do not hate the Jews, I do not hate anyone I feel you should practice you beliefs in any way you see fit. And for people to kill in the name of God is just wrong and hate and that is not how God cratered us.

Answer 8

Everyone doesn't hate jews.

Only some people do. They are just jealous because jews are among the most successful religious group in the world.

Answer 9

A lot of people think that if the Jews repopulate and secure their homeland, it will lead to Armageddon (according to scripture?)

Answer 10

I'm sorry you feel that way, I don't hate Jews, I guess I'm not everybody.