Why has there been long-standing and wide-spread persecution of Jews?

Solution Preview

Questions on Jews and Overview of Baptists

First, some ideas for why Jewish persecution has persisted:
- They were the only monotheistic culture in ancient times. This seemed like a huge threat to anyone else, though the Hebrews did not intend that themselves.
- They insist on their own homeland, when originally before they became Jews they did not have one (think Abraham - he lived originally in Mesopotamia).
- This homeland is/was the center of trade, commerce, and cultural exchange amongst three major areas: Asia, Europe and Africa. That is not only vastly high-end real estate, that is also the most convenient and common place for conflicting groups to meet and war with one another.
- Their ethnic identity is inextricably linked to their religious practices.
- They do not insist on being shutting others out, but they are very intent on keeping their practices untainted by polytheistic (or atheistic) influence.
- They tend to keep to themselves and do not push their beliefs on other people - things that make them an easy target for uninformed, defamatory "blame-shifting" (think Hitler).

Second, some major differences between Reformed and Orthodox should be covered:
Orthodoxy is actually made up of several different groups. It includes the modern Orthodox, who have largely integrated into modern society while maintaining observance of halakhah (Jewish Law), the Chasidim, who live separately and dress distinctively (commonly, but erroneously, referred to in the media as the "ultra-Orthodox"), and the Yeshivish Orthodox, who are neither Chasidic nor modern. The Orthodox movements are all very similar in belief, and the differences are difficult for anyone who is not Orthodox to understand. They all believe that G-d gave Moses the whole Torah at Mount Sinai. The "whole Torah" includes both the Written Torah (the first five books of the Bible) ...