Can someone explain Anti-Semitism to me please?

[PyongyangKipperbang]

I am not trying to enflame, I just dont get it.

I can sort of see it in a historical context where immigrant Jews did well and were resented by natives of whatever country they happened to settle in. Similar to the racism suffered by immigrants to the UK in the 50's and60's (of which my STB X MIL was one).

What I dont get is why there is still such resentment now. I was reading about the attacks in the SE and I was just thinking "Why?!" Where is this hatred coming from? What is "their" logic?

Or am I ascribing a level of intelligent thought to a group that have none?

@MargaretThursday
Sorry, I misunderstood.

Three people at least recommending Jews don't count! That's a good bet OP. He's from my neck of the woods.

Anti semitism is. I find it odd. It's so everywhere. So constant. Through history. Again and again and again. Hated at every turn. Everywhere.

I grew up and have always lived in an area that is quite interesting in terms of diversity (hate that word now). We have everything you can think of. Closed Christian community where you can't watch telly or read the news etc. Loads of RC schools, c of e schools and also Jewish schools with religious entry criteria. Stamford hill not far. There's a centre for a 70s cult down the road. Not kidding. Spiritualist meeting places. Jehovah's meeting places. Massive Hindu temple down the road. Mosques not so much tbf but I was at school with Muslim girls. And Jewish girls and RC girls and CofE girls and etc...

So that's kind of normal.

The things I see, the questions ask make me realise that where I live is unusual. And tbf it is. It must have let lines or something

How do Jewish people even get noticed?

Some have certain religious clothes etc.
Round here. Schools. Uniform. Children. The uniform of a Jewish school.
Those schools get targeted. Bomb threats. Vandalism. Etc.

Synagogues. You go on a sat. Church is sun. So also targets.

OP that book by David baddiel on my to read pile... Just buy it and have a read?

In this area with all the stuff I mentioned. Growing up in the late 70s/early 80s. People were stopping a bit with the racist jokes. And some other stuff.

What didn't stop?

'harmless' jokes about Jews.

(And about women but that's another thread).

The current situation in the middle East is awful and scary and a topic of conversation. But not on threads like this.

Agree with PPs on this and other threads.

The political situation across the world. Is an excuse for loads of people to openly express antisemitism.

On another thread I which was all. Well you can imagine.

I mentioned that when I was a teen. The ethnic cleansing. Torture, mass rape, mass murder. Which is seen as the biggest atrocity since ww2. And that was turned a blind eye to.

Was as ever complex but religion it was Christians slaughtering Muslims.

At the time did anyone ask how I felt about what the Serbs were doing as fellow Christians? No. Did I feel guilty personally or complicit? No. How many UK Christian people did? They would have said. WTF?

The school I went to was 50% Jewish. Many of those children's grandparents had come in ww2. They have children of their own. In their teens, older. Grandchildren even.

Just how long does someone have to have family going back as born and raised here before they stop being seen as other?

I do know that loads of areas have very different mixes.

@GintyMcGinty

Why are people racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, disablist, ageist, islamaphobic, anti-catholic, anti-protestant?

Anti-semitism is no different to other prejudices and bigotries.

Ignorance, lack of education, lack of intelligence, fear. Could be peer or cultural pressure. They may have been brought up to hate others.

This.

Sectarianism is still rife in sections of my extended family.

Anti Semitism is still alive. I taught at a Birmingham school a few years ago and I taught a lovely Jewish girl who was 11. She was bullied for being Jewish and it got worse when Israel and Palestine conflict was on TV a lot. It was as if she was being blamed for the conflict.

Oodie I take your point.

The thing I see though is that Jewish people are other everywhere.

And while people bite back on racist stuff etc. The Jewish stuff is somehow different.

On loads of threads I've seen well they don't look different and they generally are well off....

There is a different feeling about Jewish people somehow. I can't quite explain. Like they're fair game somehow.

I don't know OP it's a question I've asked myself many times. I will never understand how anyone can hate a whole group of people. It makes me sad that this still goes o, it's like we never learn.

No we don't learn sadly.

Even when it comes to more recent events in Europe classed as genocide.

Not just individuals. Europe watched it happen. There were ? peacekeepers or something on the ground. Who reports from the time say. Literally watched. And did nothing.

My point is we are all human beings. We are all the same. There is nothing except society/ attitudes that are different. We tend to being tribal and othering.

The current situation in Palestine/ Israel is an excuse to (having seen threads on here) express negative views about Jewish people/ Muslim people.. And interestingly both.

I'm English. We have a history of conquer, exploitation. Murder, slavery. Etc etc.

The history with Ireland. Northern Ireland there has been violence not seen for years.

I just see it as, humans being awful. And finding comfort in saying those people are not like us, they are other.

The thing with Jewish people is that wherever they are, and however long they've been there. They seem to remain other. And that seems just not worried about.

The UK party of lefty niceyness took no action on massive antisemitism for years.

Yes all prejudice is bad.
To say they all come from the same place is simplistic IMO.

i think there are, astonishingly, some Christians in the world who still hold Jewish people responsible for the crucifixion

but Jesus was a Jew!

Yep.

Also not v white and fair haired probs..

@goshthatsawful

i think there are, astonishingly, some Christians in the world who still hold Jewish people responsible for the crucifixion

but Jesus was a Jew!

I know that, but there's an historical tradition of the Catholic Church blaming Jewish people. I believe the Pope only announced that the church no longer did so in c.1960.

@PyongyangKipperbang

I am not trying to enflame, I just dont get it.

I can sort of see it in a historical context where immigrant Jews did well and were resented by natives of whatever country they happened to settle in. Similar to the racism suffered by immigrants to the UK in the 50's and60's (of which my STB X MIL was one).

What I dont get is why there is still such resentment now. I was reading about the attacks in the SE and I was just thinking "Why?!" Where is this hatred coming from? What is "their" logic?

Or am I ascribing a level of intelligent thought to a group that have none?

I don't get it either OP and am I right I'm guessing you are from Northern Ireland too? It's something that doesn't seem to come up much here, probably due to the fact that we have a very small Jewish population/everyone's preoccupied with our own religious divide.

I find the whole thing baffling. I remember learning at school about the Hebrews and the Gentiles, and doing a bit about anti semitism when we did Shakespeare in English and the world wars in history. I really thought anti semitism was something that was confined to history. I was really surprised to hear about the accusations of anti semitism in the Labour Party and baffled as to why. I have so much to learn about this and it's hard to know where to start.

Everyone should read Jews don't count by David baddiel

Anti semitism seems to be ongoing, global, and kind of not anything like the same as racism.

I don't know why.