“Since ancient times, in every place they have ever lived, Jews have represented the frightening prospect of freedom. As long as Jews existed in any society, there was evidence that it in fact wasn't necessary to believe what everyone else believed, that those who disagreed with their neighbors could survive and even flourish against all odds. The Jews' continued distinctiveness, despite overwhelming pressure to become like everyone else, demonstrated their enormous effort to cultivate that freedom: devotion to law and story, deep literacy, and an absolute obsessiveness about consciously transmitting those values between generations. The existence of Jews in any society is a reminder that freedom is possible, but only with responsibility-and that freedom without responsibility is no freedom at all.
People who hate Jews know this. You don't need to read the latest screed by a hater to know that unhinged killers feel entitled to freedom without any obligations to others. Antisemitism is at heart a conspiracy theory, and one appeal of conspiracy theories is that they absolve their believers of accountability, replacing the difficult obligation to build relationships with the easy urge to destroy. (…) Societies that accept Jews have flourished. Societies that reject Jews have withered, fading into history’s night.”
— Dara Horn, People Love Dead Jews (Chapter 7: Dead American Jews, Part Two)
