Reply #47: Okay, you make lots of points: [View All]

'they didn't exactly throw a dart on a world map and decide that where it landed was "it."'

Not exactly. There were multiple candidates, with multiple advocates.

'What you need to do is figure out what exactly you are objecting to: the current political situation or the idea of a Jewish homeland at all.'

See my above post. They had a UN-designated homeland, the government of Israel decided it wasn't enough, other nations decided it was too much, and war happened.

I'm fine with religions having a homeland like the Catholics do, give them all 1 mile square, and be done with theocracy in a nation for all but the most extreme zealots. I'm also fine with nations united by language, which may require more than 1 square mile, but I am not comfortable with the mingling of democracy and theology... let alone democracy, theology, culture, social status, and cultural tradition defining who is, and isn't, a "citizen".

'I am a WASP originally from Texas where I knew only a handful of Jews growing up'

....okay, that's just weird to me. Then again, I have spent only 9 days of my life in Texas, 2 of which were spent on driving in and getting out. (It's freaking HUGE).

'The really interesting thing about such Jew hatred is how much of it is based on successful Jewish individuals in many fields: government, entertainment and other arts, science, business. This strikes me as a very significant point. It always seems to pop up, though. Why is that?'

I would guess that the issue can be found by chopping up your phrase as follows:
'The really interesting thing about such hatred is how much of it is based on successful individuals in many fields: government, entertainment and other arts, science, business.'

The hatred is because of success, the excuse for hatred is being Jewish.*

*I'm glossing over some historical points here, in modern terms, for modern reasons. **

**Okay, two splats deep, if you're really curious, you should investigate usury, taxation, cultural values about preserving information, fields that were "allowed" for Jews, and religious exemptions.