Why do Germans hate Jews?

Answer 1

First, there certainly was a time when Germans as a group hated the Jews, but it is not accurate to say the average German today still feels that way; most Germans are deeply ashamed of what the Nazis did, and there is little desire to repeat it. As for why Germans hated Jews in the past, they were taught to do so-- the Lutheran church, sad to say, had a history of being anti-Jewish, and since Lutheranism was the dominant faith in Germany, children would have learned all kinds of negative stereotypes about Jews and Judaism, and adults would have heard their preachers reinforce these "lessons." Jews dressed differently, ate different food, and they refused to accept Jesus: that was enough to arouse the public's suspicion. (It is worth noting that the Lutheran church finally apologized in the mid-1980s for its history of anti-Semitism; it is doubtful the average Lutheran preacher today would teach what was commonly taught in the Nazi era.)

Further, in a culture that already mistrusted Jews and thought of them as different (in other words, not Christians, not "pure" Germans), that made it easier for demagogues like Hitler to blame the Jews for all of Germany's problems (given that Jews made up perhaps 3-4% of Germany, it is doubtful the problems had anything to do with them, but Hitler was able to persuade ordinary Germans that getting rid of "the Jews" would make things better). It is also true that politicians often seek out scapegoats to fire up the public, and Jews were a convenient group to blame, since they had been demonized and persecuted throughout Europe for centuries.

Answer 2

Who says they dislike the Germans? Some do, some don't.