People are antisemitic for many reasons, but none of them are rational or justified. Antisemitism is a form of prejudice and hate, not a reasonable response to anything Jews have done.
What antisemitism is
Antisemitism means hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against Jews as a group, whether they are seen as a religion, an ethnicity, or a “race.” It treats Jews as a monolithic group and blames them collectively for imagined wrongs or conspiracies.
Deep historical roots
Negative ideas about Jews go back many centuries, especially in Europe. In Christian history, Jews were often falsely blamed for killing Jesus or for rejecting Christianity, which turned religious disagreement into hatred and violence.
Scapegoating and conspiracy myths
In many crises—economic crashes, wars, political upheavals—Jews have been used as scapegoats, blamed for problems they did not cause. Modern antisemitism often relies on conspiracy theories that imagine Jews secretly controlling finance, media, or governments, giving people a simple enemy to hate instead of facing complex realities.
Racism and “othering”
From the 19th century on, Jews were increasingly described as a separate, inferior, or dangerous “race,” even if they converted or assimilated. Because Jews were often a small minority with distinct religious and cultural traditions, they were treated as perpetual outsiders and “the other,” which made it easier for bigots to justify exclusion or violence.
Why it keeps going today
Today, antisemitism is kept alive by extremist ideologies, online hate networks, and people looking for someone to blame for inequality, globalization, or social change. Old stereotypes have simply been updated and attached to new events (for example, economic issues or conflicts in the Middle East), instead of being abandoned.
If you want, the next step can be to talk about how to recognize antisemitic ideas in everyday life and how to push back against them.
