Jewish communities are often insular, which leads to an impression of otherness. Orthodox Jews may not frequent non-jewish run restaurants or other businesses due to religious restrictions/ pressure (i.e dietary restrictions). Often, those communities congregate in the same neighborhoods, within walking distance of synagogues and schools (prohibitions against driving on the Sabbath). There is pressure to frequent businesses and professional services of those neighbors. Also, the closer you live to someone, the more likely you are to have a relationship with those people (propinquity), which strengthens community integration. They are a minority religion, with obstacles to new participants joining. They may dress in identifiable ways. Wrap all of that together and you have a group of people that are often easily identified and perhaps perceived as “too good for” my restaurant, or my store or my school…etc… they become easy targets for hate.

Ironically, almost everyone else does the same thing, it’s just less noticable especially in larger cities or towns. But go to any small town, and it’ll be easier to see the similarities. Again people’s relationships are strongly informed by religion and propinquity… But because they are a blue eyed 'merican, who never misses the baptist sermon on sunday, and wouldn’t be caught dead in Pam’s hair salon because word on the street is she might be gay, they are seen as “normal.”