Antisemitism

Antisemitism is hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group. On 8 July 2013, 50 signatories submitted a "Petition to the Libertarian Party Regarding Anti-Semitism." Radical libertarian Susan Hogarth responded: I love Jewish culture and I can't think of any Jew offhand I've known and not liked (even the boss who fired me - totally my fault). I loathe the govt of Israel (along with every other govt). A big FUCK YOU to anyone who can't separate a people from a government - and that goes toward both idiots who DO jew-bash instead of Israel-bash and to people who call me an anti-semite because I despise the govt of Israel and don't mind saying it.

Views
Aside from lingering resentment on the part some Christians concerning Jewish involvement in Jesus Christ's death,  it is unclear why Jews have so often been the subject of such animosity.

Thomas Sowell, in Black Rednecks and White Liberals, notes that Jews are one of many middleman minorities &mdash; i.e. minorities that serve as intermediaries between producers and consumers, whether in the role of retailers or money-lenders &mdash; that have been persecuted for economic motives. Other examples were Chinese minorities in various Southeast Asian countries, Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and Ibos in Nigeria. Ludwig von Mises wrote, "The Nazis have an ally in every town or village where there is a man eager to get rid of a Jewish competitor. The secret weapon of Hitler is the anti‑Jewish inclinations of many millions of shopkeepers and grocers, of doctors and lawyers, professors and writers."

Compared to Christians, over the past two millennia Jews generally have not felt a great need to proselytize (although this has been described as "at least as much a function of historical circumstance as theological commitment"); indeed, it is relatively difficult to join the Jewish community. The perception of Judaism as being somewhat exclusive may partly account for the suspicion attached to it, much as people are also suspicious of Masonic and other secret societies. This is probably heightened by the fact that, as with the Masons, many Jews have become wealthy and powerful.

On 8 July 2012, Julian Heicklen wrote, "There is an undercurrent in the freedom movement which is of great concern to me, and should be to you also. When the Federal Reserve is being criticized, some of you refer to one group of the culprits as Zionists or Zionist bankers. This is out and out Jew hating and should be stopped. Zionism is the movement to make Israel a Jewish nation and help Jews to get there. It has no other purpose or function. If you want to know why this still is necessary, then go to: http://www.jidaily.com/11cf2 Zionism is not connected to the banking industry in any way. Some of the Jewish bankers involved, such as the Rothschilds, are fervent Zionists, but this has no connection to their banking behavior."