Judaism

Judaism is the first Abrahamic faith to emerge and the progenitor faith from which Christianity and Islam emerged. One who subscribes to Judaism is known as a Jew. Judaism emerged over 3,000 years ago in what is now Israel where it remained largely isolated to until the Jews were expelled over the course of the first century CE by the Roman Empire, causing Jewish enclaves to be established across Eurasia and Northern Africa. A key aspect to Judaism is that of Jewish Law.

Unlike Christianity or Islam, Judaism is not assimalitve in nature and does not try to actively convert members of the non Jewish population to Judaism. As such with a few exceptions, Jews have lived as a minority religion among other populations for the last 2000 years.

Antisemitism

Over the last 2,000 years the Jews as a people have have been targets of negative mythology and prejudices , especially in the Christian world, although recently this has shifted more to the Islamic world. These stem from religious reasons, cultural bigotry, class conflicts, legal discrimination, stereotype and -- after the 19th century -- psuedoscientific racial theories and conspiracy theories (largely fabricated by the Tsarist secret police to further the reactionary agenda of Tsar Alexander III).

This bigotry is collectively known as antisemitism and is for the most part completely unfounded, with what little that does have some foundation in reality being the result of imposed conditions (for example, the reputation of Jews as money lenders, which in medieval Europe was often one of the few economic activities in which Jews were allowed to engage).