Dear Kort,
Thank you for responding to my article, "The Father and the Son". I tremble to debate with one of your ability and gifts.
However, there are a few points that might be considered. Many times "favor" and "choose" are synonymous. At this time do you wish chocolate or vanilla? "I favor/choose chocolate." Since belief systems need agreement and the believer will go so far as to kill anyone who disagrees with his ideas, I don't know of "other religions" who demand any more than the Jews do that you must be X in order to please their God.
Do wonderful things to promote their religion and give an enormous amount of money to their cause, really love their God, and I doubt that religion X would exclude you. I also do not know of what ordeals and special obligations that the Jews endure that outrank the negative stuff with which life can hit anyone: torture, rape/murder, loss of all property and family, etc. etc. etc.
Many feel tested by God or punished by Karma. Go back in history and you'll find that the Jews were a have-not people living next to have's, and to balance the scales claimed to be chosen by God.
As far as age is concerned, Hinduism is older than the Jewish religious culture, and Egypt probably outranks all of them: both the Jews and Christians borrowed heavily from the Egyptians. As far as standing in place, the Jews have been tossed out of many societies, and Yogananda has predicted that they won't hang on to Israel either.
As for antisemitism, Plutarch claimed that a flatterer cannot be a good friend. He thought a good friend, a true one, would help you to correct your faults.
I'm a great friend to anyone, and will happily point out a fault to help that person grow. No one could last in an all Jewish school and be antisemitic. Watch out for those who keep their mouths shut and who flatter you.
Greta Olsson