It began with hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious or racial group. The definition of anti-Semitism has been the focus of innumerable discussions and studies. While there is no universally accepted definition, there is a generally clear understanding of what the term encompasses. Anti-Semitism is the hatred of the Jewish people. It has existed to some extent wherever Jews have settled outside of Palestine. Religious differences were the primary basis for anti-Semitism.
Wilhelm Marr founded the "League of Anti-Semitism", the first German organization committed specifically to combating the alleged threat to Germany posed by the Jews and advocating their forced removal from the country. He began the idea that Germans and Jews were locked in an ancient conflict, the beginning of which he recognized to race. …
