Jews have been on the receiving end of hatred and abuse throughout history. The brutality directed against them is far greater than any other people group. Why have they been the target of so much persecution?

Some of the hatred directed their way, while not justified, at least can be understood. Palestinians are angry at Jewish people because the two groups claim the same homeland, and the Jews (or Israelis) clearly have the upper hand there.

The antipathy between Jews and Muslims, as a whole, is similar. Muslims and Jews both claim Jerusalem as a holy place. Jewish/Muslim relations have always been complex and strained but the establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948 has been a particular sore point for Muslims. With most Jews adamant about Israel as a homeland, and with the constant presence of militants within Islam, this disagreement seems intractable. 

But what is the explanation for hatred of Jews in Europe and even in the United States? For Adolph Hitler and the Nazis, Aryan racial purity was a defining dogma that “justified” their aims to “inferior”, non-Aryans. The Jews were caught up in the demented Nazi whirlwind. The Nazis murdered 17 million people, with the largest victim group being 6 million Jews.

There are still clusters, usually angry white men, who like to wear swastika tattoos and stahlhelme. Mostly, this “badass” dress-up is only an inferiority coping mechanism. But act a part long enough and the act becomes a new reality. 

Admiration for Nazis astonishes me. Yes, the Nazis had their way for a time, but they did lose their war…badly. They lost 5 million of their own soldiers. Most significant German cities were leveled by allied bombings. An estimated one million Germans civilians were killed. Germany was partitioned, and East Germany remained occupied by the Russians for 45 years. Hitler and many of his associates chose suicide rather than face their conquerors. Many other high-ranking officials scattered like roaches to South America. Thirty-seven high ranking Nazis were sentenced at Nuremberg and were subsequently executed. The goose step and Nazi salute may feel like cathartic defiance, but Nazi regime sucked personal freedom out of Germany while marching to its own destruction. Why would anyone want this?

I suspect another reason for hatred against Jews is envy. Broadly speaking, Jews are bright, creative people. Their gifts have brought them prominence in many areas, such as in education, science, psychology, politics, music, and business. Had Jews been more inclined to cultural assimilation, their contributions would have been appreciated without hesitation. But Jews have tended to identify, some more, some less, with their ethnicity and faith. This social bond adds to their group power, while also inspiring fear in others. Group bonding is not unique to Jews, of course. It is common among minority groups, wherever they may live. But the fact that a people is smart, creative, and mutually supportive is not a fault. These are characteristics to be emulated, not despised. 

I worked for many years in a quasi-City corporation that was deeply enmeshed in local politics. My corporation was unofficially ceded to the local African American power brokers. One day I was in a meeting with my two African American superiors, who happened to also be the most self-serving individuals I’ve ever known. They were carrying on, bad-mouthing the white “good ol’ boys” who exercised power in the City. They were arrogant, which meant they weren’t overly concerned about tact. Making me uncomfortable was a part of how they were entertaining themselves.  

As I listened to them, it became clear that they didn’t hate those white “good ol’ boys”; they wanted to be them. They just wanted the good ol’ boys to be black. Theirs was a blatant racism. Racism is the fear that those from other tribes will be my enemy, without regard for my character or integrity. It assumes that my own tribe will stand with me even when my behavior is worthless. This tribalism undermines the principles of fairness and respect. The embrace of tribalism assumes that people are only skin deep. It’s a sad and pathetic philosophy that divides and subdivides peoples until each person is completely isolated. But all of us know others who’ve proven that the spirit within them is of far greater importance than their skin color or cultural background. We ought to be able to appreciate our own tribes without feeling negatively towards others. Mostly, I think the racial expressions we see in others are no more than the racial fears they see in us.

The last justification for Jew-hating that I will bring up here is the old canard that Jews killed Jesus. Technically, it was not the Jews who killed Jesus because, as an occupied people, the authority to execute was withheld from them. The Romans crucified Jesus. Of course, it was the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem who pressured the Romans into the act. So, were the Jews responsible for the death of Jesus? The answer is “yes”, but for the answer to be truthful it also must have its context.

Jesus’ disciples were Jews. Those who cared for Jesus’ body and provided a place for his burial were Jews. Those who mourned over him were Jews. His parents and family were Jews. The early Christian Church, while it expanded rapidly in the Roman Empire, drawing in gentile converts, was initially entirely Jewish. 

Jesus was a Jew. 

The story of Jesus’ life is a Jewish story. To hate Jews because they killed Jesus is a lot like hating Americans because an American killed Lincoln.

But beyond all that, if people are really concerned about Jesus being murdered, they should also be concerned about what Jesus had to say about it. On the cross he called out, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Saul was a Jewish Pharisee who persecuted the early Church, even overseeing the murder of Stephen, a deacon of the Church. However, Jesus personally recruited him, and then sent him off to be the number one missionary in Church history. Jews brought Christianity to the world.

And, finally, a warning. 

Moses, writing in the book of Genesis, described humans as beings created in the image of God. We typically think of this implying certain high capacities that separate us from the animals, such as creativity, morality, complex language, and the ability to develop culture, etc. But it is likely that Moses had another concept in mind, as well.

In the ancient world there were rulers who had power over expanses inhabited by multiple ethnic groups. The ruler would appoint ambassadors to represent him in the various regions. The ambassador would be given a statuette or “image” of the ruler, which he would carry with him when he stood before the people. The ruler would often pick unimpressive-looking representatives. They might be short or deformed or might even have a speech impediment. The point was to remind the subjects that, while the ambassador might be unimpressive, the orders were from the one whose image he bore. To disrespect the image bearer was to defy the ruler. Occasionally image bearers were not afforded proper deference.  Such failures were typically met with brutal repression, providing examples for all others who would dare resist the ruler’s image bearer.

Moses, raised in the Egyptian Pharaoh’s court, would likely have had this idea in mind when he selected the wording for describing God’s relationship with Adam and Eve. As image bearers, it would have been Adam and Eve’s responsibility to represent God. By extension, this responsibility falls to all humans. (This means you!) Failure to recognize the assignment does remove the responsibility. 

The second implication, and the one more relevant to this discussion, is that all people are entitled to the treatment of an image bearer of the King of Kings. It doesn’t matter the sex or race or intelligence or age or health or strength or beauty…the person standing before you is one God sent to represent himself. It also doesn’t matter whether the person represents the King well. Sadly, none of us represent him well. Some do not acknowledge the King. Some scoff at him. Nevertheless, the person was created for the purpose of imaging God. This, in and of itself, demands a kind of reverence. When we encounter a stranger on the street, or when we encounter someone we’ve known for 50 years, there should be a subtext to our encounter: “My God, your image-bearer stands before me!” 

This is different from apathy. This is different from taking for granted. This is different from disdain. This is different from exploitation. This is different from hatred. This is different from inflicting terror. This is different from murder.

Carelessness towards others is a double offense. To despise someone else is to fail to acknowledge that God has created him or her to bear His image. The act of despising is a failure to bear His image.

Persecution of the Jewish people is a profound sin. Persecution of anyone is a profound sin.

But the avoidance of abuse does not fulfill the demand of bearing God’s image. To bear God’s image requires a perpetual bearing of the olive branch. The image bearer strives for peace with all other image bearers. But that is not enough—the image bearer strives for communion with all other image bearers. But that is not enough—the image bearer strives for committed love with all other image bearers. This is God’s nature and, so, the role of the image bearer.

There is no place for racial hatred in the world. Woe to those who continue to embrace it!