I am speaking as a Catholic. So it is very hard to summarize in the space allotted, but I will try my best to share the highlights.

Jews are an ethnic group, and Jews are a religious group.

Further to confuse this issue is Israel as a political state. Treated as if it is some sacred cow. To shed blood for, die for, give up your peace and security for.

I want to make excruciatingly clear: racism has no place whatsoever in a Catholic's heart or mind. The information here is about Jewish leadership and the Jewish religion; it is not about every single human being born of a Jewish mother, "the Jews" as an ethnic group, or "the Jews" as a "race." Racism -- any idea that one race is more beloved by God, or is more deserving of respect and charity than another race -- has no place in a Catholic's heart. None whatsoever. The problem here is ideological -- ultimately theological; it's about the beliefs and consequent behaviors of human beings who have interests and goals that are at odds with Christians' interests and goals. Period. Further, it is often Jewish people who end up suffering the most from some of the things being written about here. Here's to the hope that more Jewish people realize this, walk away from post-Temple Judaism and revolutionary politics, and embrace the Logos, Who is Christ.

People who claim to be Christian are even collaborating with plans to rebuild the "Third Temple" (there've already been three, actually, if one counts Herod's rebuilding of the second Temple) in Jerusalem and restore animal sacrifices, all with no qualms about the mosque that is there and the human carnage that would ensue after tearing it down, and not realizing, apparently, that what they are doing is a direct insult to Christ's sacrifice.

The theological and political implications of believing that a certain ethnic group (a literal matter of either DNA or socialization such that one grows up calling one's self "a Jew") has been chosen by God, to the exclusion of other human beings, are simply morally revolting and dangerous to the goal of peace.

Obviously God entered into History and did so through the Hebrews, but this Covenant was not only an honor, but a moral obligation, which was open to all human beings. It had to begin somewhere, but it was not restricted to its familial origins.

Those of us that were brought up in American public schools, have had a steady diet of Hollywood, PBS, NPR, etc., will end up with at least the "sense" of the following equations:

Catholics=bad, Jews=good; Catholics=persecutors, Jews=persecuted. They will end up acquiring a blend of very Anglo-centric, Protestant, secular, Jewish, and Marxist views of such things as the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, the role of Pope Pius XII in WWII, etc. -- views "supported" by wildly exaggerated statistics, omitting context, ignoring the Catholic view of these incidents, out and out blatant falsifications, and by simply not having a clear understanding of political theory (along with, in the case of members of certain Protestant sects, not having a clear understanding of orthodox Christian teaching).

Ignorance of the true nature of Jewish-Catholic relations goes very deep. Writing about it will involve revisiting over 2,000 years of history, taking what we think we know and turning 90% of it 45 degrees right-side up.

I have to go unexpectedly. Here is an excellent article that I suggest you read if you are genuinely interested in learning.

http://holywar.org/mystery.htm