Why Jews are so hated?

What is it about?

This study provides a historical analysis of the evolution of antisemitism in Europe, tracing its roots from early Christian theological constructions to its culmination in modern racial ideology and the Holocaust. It argues that antisemitism developed through the interaction of religious, economic, political, and pseudo-scientific discourses that progressively transformed Jews into a stigmatized “other”. Early Christian narratives, particularly the attribution of collective Jewish responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus and the Adversus Judaeos tradition, established enduring theological hostility that legitimised exclusion, persecution, and violence throughout the Middle Ages. Legal and social restrictions confined Jews to marginal economic roles, including moneylending, fostering resentment and reinforcing stereotypes of Jewish economic exploitation. In the modern era, the rise of nationalism and political antisemitism reframed Jews as alien and disloyal, while contradictory accusations portrayed them simultaneously as capitalist exploiters and revolutionary subversives. These narratives were further radicalised by conspiracy theories, most notably The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which depicted Jews as orchestrating global domination. The emergence of racial theories and eugenics in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries marked a decisive shift from religious to biological antisemitism, rendering conversion to Christianity irrelevant for evading persecution, and framing Jews as an immutable and existential threat. Nazi ideology synthesised these strands into a coherent worldview that justified systematic exclusion, dehumanisation, and ultimately genocide. The chapter also examines how Jewish resilience, educational emphasis, and economic success were distorted into further grounds for hostility, and how Jewish participation in intellectual, political, and philanthropic spheres was reinterpreted through conspiratorial lenses. By situating antisemitism within its broader historical and structural contexts, this study demonstrates how cumulative myths, institutional practices, and ideological innovations created the conditions for the Holocaust, while highlighting the enduring legacy of these narratives in modern antisemitic thought.

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Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Racism is a challenge for any society. In order to resolve it we need to understand its roots.

Perspectives