““The way a people (whether an ethnic group, a nation, or a religious community) defines itself has enormous significance. That definition indicates who holds power in the group (such as rabbis or priests, kings and noblemen, or men in general) and how the group as a whole sees itself in relation to the larger world. It also determines who belongs and who does not. From the fourth through the eighth centuries of the Common Era, Jews in the Middle East and beyond were increasingly seen as outsiders—people who do not belong. That view had consequences in a world in which politics and religion were tightly linked.””
![“[About Jews] By nature we are like all other human…” quote by I. L. Peretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a2d/i-l-peretz-22812_different_about-jews-by-nature-we-are-like-all-oth_352476.jpg)
