Riginslinger, you have raised one of the ingrained issues.

"it's a wonder they don't do something to make themselves a little more popular with their neighbors"

There are several issues here:
1: Why aren't "they" more like us? If you go back to the Bible, when we accepted the designation by the Lord, it is stated that we shall be a people apart, adhering to G-D's laws. Many Jews still follow this principle.

2: The eternal blame for Christ's death/The Wandering Jew/the eternal guilt as a people, etc. This should have been allowed to die out but there are always haters among us who look for scapegoats, especially among those who are not like them or otherwise stand out.

3: There are quite a few of these issues and variations and, if you really want to spend a day or three discussing this question, which has troubled people for centuries, PM me and I will give you the house phone number. If you will be at Old Songs, I expect to have plenty of leisure there between assignments. If you are there on Sunday, we can invite Rabbi Sol to join us and really thrash this out.