Antisemitism In The United States
Jewish Americans have flourished since colonial times in what became the United States, which before the Second World War had a general history of racism directed to non-Christian, non-northwest European groups. Antisemitism in the United States has however lacked the extent and severity of its counterpart in Europe. While today the United States has the second-largest Jewish community in the world, before the late 19th and early 20th century they were a much smaller minority. Moreover, its occurrence has been on a generally decreasing trend in the last century consistent with a general reduction of sanctioned racism in the United States, especially since World War II and the Civil Rights Movement.
As racism in general persists, so does antisemitism, although institutional anti-semitism, common before the 1960s, has essentially disappeared. In the United States, most Jewish community relations agencies draw a distinction between antisemitism which is measured in terms of attitudes and behaviors and the security and status of American Jews which is measured by specific incidents.
Read more about Antisemitism In The United States: American Attitudes Towards Jews, Antisemitic Incidents, Holocaust Denial, Antisemitic Organizations, African-American Community, Avowed Racists, College Campuses, New Antisemitism, Hate Crimes
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