The fact that they call themselves "The Chosen People" doesn't help. I think this arouses anger and jealousy in a lot of people--especially those who suspect it is true.
They don't call themselves the Chosen, but God calls them that. God is entitled to his favorites just like you and me.
I seem to remember that the Bible called them the chosen people.
The fact that they are the chosen people is the more significant reason, as has been expounded upon by other posters.
Take it up with God. I DO believe He coined that phrase...
Well then I guess we should hate everybody.
If you study tribal names, or what people call themselves, they translate to the following:
The People
The Real People
The Chosen People
The Special People
The Real Human Beings
The Civilized Ones
And so on and so forth
The other side of the problem is that the Arabs know, biblically, that they are derived from Ishmael, Abraham's illigetmate son that he fathered with his wife's servant girl.
Regarding the tag "the Chosen People", people might not be so jealous if they understood that it means chosen to receive and obey God's commandments. There's at least 613 such commandments, or "mitzvas", as my rabbi explained to me, including Sabbath observance, dietary restrictions, and so on.
As some other posters have stated, the hatred in itself may not be so unique. The fact that the Jewish people has survived may be more unique.
Regarding the cause of that hatred, part of it could be because we do not fulfill our religious responsibilities sufficiently well (including yours truly, no argument there). The hatred may be a sort of divine retribution for that.
Persecution serves to keep a Jew's identity as a Jew alive for him, strengthens his identity with the group. It may be a spiritual/social alarm system to keep him from forgetting who he is.
Hatred can be motivated by fear. Jewish customs are different in many ways from those of non-Jews. This provides fertile ground for schoolyard imaginations to run wild and breathe new life into age-old lies that are retained even into adulthood.
Jews are identified with the Torah (which Christians know as the "old testament"). The Torah contains a lot of very definite statements about what is right and what is wrong. Jews and Christians differ in their understanding of those statements, but it is clear that the Torah does not support the idea of moral relativism, "if it feels good, do it", and so on. The idea that there are absolute moral guidelines disturbs and even angers many people who do not believe in an absolute morality. I think this unconsciously motivate many individual's hatred of Jews and of Israel.
Jews are chosen to keep G-d's commandments. Not just the Big Ten but all 613 commandments given in the Torah. We were chosen because we said at Mt. Sinai "We will do and we will listen." (Or something like that; sorry, I am no Bible scholar) We agreed to follow G-d first and then to hear what the rules would be. We are supposed to be a light unto the G-dless nations. This does not include Christians who are also following the same, One and Only Creator. We are not chosen because we are in any way better, only that we agreed to take on the yoke of serving G-d. This is how I understand it and how I raise my Jewish sons.
To all...
I have a bit of Jewish ancestry, which should spare me from any presumption of being anti-Jewish.
The Old Testament, from what I have seen in it, is bloodthirsty in many places and does little to recommend the God it contains. Kind of like the Koran in that way. Any books that celebrate -- is there another word? -- the genocide of surrounding peoples, as was done in the name of the Gods of Abraham and Mohammed, needs to be followed by a sequel with apology and atonement. Hey, maybe that's what the New Testament was for. Anyway...
European Jewish people are apparently the bearers of some very favorable genetic mutations that affect brain development. Some of these genes, in the wrong combinations, may also be the cause of Tay-Sachs. This could help explain why their/our IQ is statistically higher than much of the rest of the world. At least a little sour grapes for this reason alone could explain anti-Semitism of the anti-Jewish variety. The good news is that these genes are now being spread around the rest of the world. In the name of peace, I wish any anti-Semitic people would investigate medical and nutritional choices for improved brain health. Plenty exist, but I will spare myself and FR any liability by naming even one. PM me if you like. Shalom, Salaam and Merry Xmas.
Actually, I've never heard a Jewish person say this. In fact, the only people I've ever heard use this term were born again Christians...
"The fact that they call themselves "The Chosen People" doesn't help."
I think you'll find other religious persuasions that also call themselves something similar. Every religous group thinks that they alone are chosen by God.