What do Jewish sources say about antisemitism?

An old hatred

Antisemitism – hostility to Jews as Jews – is far older than the word, coined in the 19th century. Pharaoh feared the Israelites because they were many (Exodus 1:9–10). Haman described them to the king as “a people scattered and dispersed among the peoples… their laws are different from every people’s” (Esther 3:8) – the pattern of accusation that would recur for centuries.

In the Haggadah

At the Seder, Jews say: “In every generation they rise up against us to destroy us, and the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hand.” The statement is twofold: hatred has returned in many forms – expulsions, blood libels, pogroms, the Holocaust – and the Jewish people has survived it.

Explanations in the sources

The Talmud links the name Sinai to sin’ah, hatred: the nations’ hostility came with the Torah that set Israel apart (Shabbat 89a). Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s saying that “Esau hates Jacob” (Sifrei, quoted by Rashi on Genesis 33:4) is often cited – yet in the same verse Esau embraces Jacob, which many commentators read as a reminder that hatred is not inevitable in every individual.

The response

Jewish tradition does not answer hatred with hatred. Jeremiah told the exiles to “seek the peace of the city” where they lived and to pray for it (Jeremiah 29:7), and the Mishnah teaches to pray for the welfare of the government (Avot 3:2). Righteous gentiles are honoured, and many people of other faiths have stood with Jews. Jewish communities respond by building, educating, defending themselves through lawful means and working with allies, while trusting in the promise that the people of Israel will endure.