Dear Readers, These columns began on my area of America Online, called:  Judaism Today:  Where Do I Fit?   People anonymously sent me E-Mail, and I began to choose one for a public response in my Jewish E-Mail of the Week column. The column has become quite popular and is now syndicated internationally in many Jewish papers and websites.  I hope you find they help you as you think about the Ethics, Spirituality and Peoplehood components of the Jewish way of Life.  I welcome your comments... see the end of the column. Gil PS  Teachers and others, feel free to copy my columns and forward them or use them as you see fit.  Please see the friendly copyright notice at the end.

CHEAP STINGY JEWS

I regularly hear from non-Jews who write most respectfully with many questions. Here is an example that I think Jews and non-Jews alike will appreciate...

Hi Gil,

I learned early in life NOT to be fooled by stereotypes. Will you help me to understand these age old ideas we Gentiles have about Jews and money, I have heard it from most Gentiles I have ever known. Why? If a man is rich and hangs onto his money and is a Gentile, then he is just cheap or tight....but if he is a Jew and cheap then well, it's because he's a Jew?

I know from history that many Jews have been merchants, but many have not, many have been poor, I have seen the Jewish ghettos of New York, I have known successful Jews whose fathers had nothing.

This stereotype I have been raised with runs deep. What in history has done this? Are there in your estimation Jews globally positioned to take over the world :-) ?????? What can I retort with? Is the proportion of wealth among Jews disproportionately high? And finally....Why do I never see or hear of any campaigns to counter this stereotype? Help me to understand.

C

Dear C:

If we were in position to take over the world, you would have thought we would have successfully destroyed this and every other rumor about Jews by now! The persistent rumor that Jews are trying to take over the world most likely has its roots in the famous forgery: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

This proven forgery purporting to show that Jews are bent on world domination, is about 100 years old, has been translated into many languages and has taken on a life of its own. It was used against Jews by Czarist Russia, Communist Russia, The Nazis, Arab countries and a slew of other anti-Semites. It continues to rear its ugly head today.

As for your other questions about stereotypes of Jews and money, there are multiple answers. Some are based on half truths or complete falsehoods. A recent book: The Jewish Phenomenon by Steven Silbiger argues that Jews are disproportionally wealthy. At the same time, there are many poor Jews at or below the poverty line in America and around the world -- as I have written about in the past.

When it comes to prejudice and stereotypes, wealthy Jews are often disparaged, poor Jews ignored. One reason I think is that human nature often makes us jealous of others. Historically, some say an explanation can be traced to the middle ages when the church prohibited non-Jews from money lending. At the time, many Jews were impoverished because they were prohibited from owning land and participating in many trades.

Faced with this, some Jews, entered money lending -- an excellent way to have people hate you, especially while other hate was being spread about Jews...like the killing of Jesus. Many people don't realize that though the church considered money lending to be a sin, they endorsed having Jews doing this necessary part of building the economy since we our souls were lost anyway. Guys like Shakespeare didn't help matters with his Merchant of Venice character Shylock, the monstrous Jew usurer..the "devil incarnate" as he is described in the play.

Fast forward to recent times and you will find Jews came to America country as poor as poor gets. Silbiger writes that the average immigrant came to the US with $15 in their pocket...the average Jew came with only $9. Coming with nothing, many had to work low wage jobs or become peddlers. They became noted for being extremely cautious about how they spent their hard earned money. This impoverished history may explain consumer research suggesting that for "everyday purchases, Jews possess and pursue a higher level of product knowledge to get the best" product and value possible.

Anti-Semites spin this negatively, comics like Jack Benny and current comedians have made fun of this (like joking about buying wholesale.) What is not noted is that Jews have devoted huge sums of money toward education and philanthropy.

And the record of Jewish charitable giving is most admirable. To cite just one example, in 1998, Jews gave $750 million to Federation/UJA campaigns...this from less than 3% of the population. By comparison, from the entire US population including Jewish givers, the American Cancer Society raised $566 million, the Red Cross, $543 million. Stingy or cheap is the last adjective you could use to describe Jewish giving.

Anyway, the net net of most prejudice is ignorance often based on a piece of evidence or none at all. Jews are constantly "campaigning" to combat prejudice towards us and other persecuted groups. Consider this column part of that ongoing effort. The best retort I think is the one you already have -- to reject stereotypes. Seeking knowledge and understanding is the best antidote. With this in mind, I thank you for writing and for your questions.

Gil

A FRIENDLY COPYRIGHT NOTICE © Copyright Gil Mann These columns can be found at www.beingjewish.org.  Not only do I give you permissions to copy these Jewish Email columns...I HOPE YOU WILL and that you share them with others!  All I ask is that you never charge anyone for them and that you also include this little copyright notice.  Thank You!

Thanks,
Gil