1940s: Anti-Semitism was widespread in the Western. world in spite of the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews.

1960s: The consciousness-raising of Americans during the Civil Rights movement helped fuel positive feelings among all ethnic groups, including Jews.

Today: Discrimination toward minorities no longer has official sanction in the United States and other countries, but ethnic conflicts still persist in parts of the world. Hate groups in the United States continue to express racial and anti-Semitic views.

1940s: The State of Israel was still a dream although many settlers had come during the 1930s to escape Nazi persecution.

1960s: Israel was holding its own against attacks by its Arab neighbors. The Middle East became a battleground for the Cold War, with the West siding with Israel and the Soviet Union with the Arabs.

Today: Israel has signed peace agreements with several of its Arab neighbors...