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I had the same question. I read Paul Johnson’s great book A History of the Jews, and got some insight.

Since the Jews were pushed out of their homeland after the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD, they had no home of their own. They scattered to wherever they could live, in any lands that would have them.

There’s a saying that Jews didn’t keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath kept the Jews. And this is very true. They kept alive their traditions every week, passing them down from generation to generation for nearly two thousand years.

Because the Jews didn’t assimilate into the community, doing their own thing, keeping their own traditions, having their own religion, they were viewed as outcasts, disowned by the world, and some wanted them out of their communities, especially while Europe was being Christianized in the middle ages. And when problems arose, they were blamed, etc. Scapegoat is the right term.

But they persevered. They were scattered across the earth from 70 AD to after World War II, when they returned to their native soil as if nothing happened. They are an amazing people. I’ve been to Israel and want to return.

“They are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this Earth. The Romans and their empire were but a bubble in comparison to the Jews. They have given religion to three-quarters of the globe and have influenced the affairs of mankind more and more happily than any other nation, ancient or modern.” - John Adams

Best answer so far. Jews were already scattered throughout the Roman Empire by the 2nd revolt. Contrary to popular belief Jews remained in Palestine after the destruction on the Temple. Hence the Palestinian Talmud. Anyway the church played on the claim Jews killed Christ. Accepted Gospels clearly exonerated The Romans lay the blame on the Jews. The Jews stayed to themselves as you noted but the real issue was in many communities they were the money lenders. The Church considered usury (charging interest) to be a sin but Jews had no such rules. They became the money lenders. Life was tough the Jews in Western Europe were generally better educated, and they made convenient scapegoats. However, keeping to themselves was not always voluntary laws prevented them from participating in all aspects of society. In Eastern Europe they were confined to the Pale or Ghettos. Whenever an excuses was need for something bad that happened, the local Christian leaders would blame the Jews and initiate a progrom. Burning looting and killing Jews was a good way to keep the populace from blaming and killing the Christian leaders. Accusations of blood libel, urinating on hosts i.e. the body of Christ all sorts of bizarre claims that were stilled believed into the last century. I read recently that a book the “Elders of Zion” was once more being widely read. That is frightening because it has been a source of antisemitic claims since Josef Stalin.