The Chosen People or the Persecuted People?

According to Hashem's words in the Torah, the Jewish people are the chosen people, a treasured nation, distinct from other nations. However, when we examine history, we find that no people have suffered more than us from persecution, exile, suffering, and antisemitism. So, are we the chosen people or the persecuted people? And if we are indeed chosen, why is it that we have suffered so much historically? Is there no privilege that comes with this designation? "The answer is simple yet profound," says Rabbi Eli Omer. "The Jewish people received a historic role at Mount Sinai: to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. On one hand, it is a privilege and an honor, but on the other hand, it creates a framework of responsibilities. Hashem says: If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments... no sword will pass through your land. But, on the other hand, if you despise my statutes, meaning if the Jewish people forget their role, Hashem will need to give us reminders because we made a covenant. When the Jewish people deviate from the path of Torah and commandments, Hashem gives us a strike to awaken us to fulfill our duties." Rabbi Pinchas Bedosh provides a more social explanation. "Naturally, siblings always resent the favored child," he explains. "People are envious of those who receive more love and privileges. That's why we have suffered more from the nations of the world, without an apparent reason. Hatred towards Jews has existed since the days of Abraham our forefather, and especially since the giving of the Torah. The Sages ask, why is Mount Sinai called so?. The Sages explain that at that time, hatred descended upon the Jewish people from the nations of the world. Nonetheless, the hatred also unites us and prevents assimilation." Can't we try to find favor in the eyes of the non-Jews? "If we examine, we will find that whenever Jews tried to find favor in the eyes of non-Jews, they suffered because of it. And conversely, the more they preserved their uniqueness, the better their relations were with non-Jews. It is known that in Europe, there were attempts to assimilate, and in such places, hatred grew. This was the case, for example, before World War II. At that time, Jews in Eastern countries behaved more appropriately, and the non-Jews respected them and did not harm them. "How did the Kotzker Rebbe put it? If the Jew does not make *kiddush* for himself - that is, does not sanctify himself - the non-Jew makes *havdalah* for him. But if the Jew makes *havdalah* for himself - the non-Jew sanctifies him".