In the Lions' Den - Part 1

The phenomenon of Anti-Semitism did not exist during the first Beit HaMikdash period. The Babylonian conquest of Yehuda was part of a regional struggle, and not aimed specifically at the Jewish faith. The rise of Anti-Semitism during the Second Beit HaMikdash period may relate to the fact that the Jewish Nation was the first nation to be exiled and still retain its national spirit. Its people, as Daniel and his companions demonstrate, were shown to be courageous and talented. This was a threatening phenomenon, which might have given rise to hatred.