At school we were discussing the Holocaust and trying to figure out why still today in society Jewish people have been labelled by many as very tight and obsessed with money. Is this unfair stereotype linking back to Nazi propaganda or thoughts that have been buried into peoples minds during WWII?
This stereotype probably stems from the economic position of Jews in society.
From the early medieval period, Jews were the only group allowed to loan money (with interest) and, as a result, Christians had to go to the Jews for financial aid. In times of economic problems, Jewish money lenders would recall their loans to support their families but often damaging their customers. Obviously the link between Jews and money lending was heavily weakened by the Nazi period but this attitude towards Jews remained.
Also Jews historically were better educated than the Christian population. Judaism encouraged individuals to be literate so they could read religious texts, whereas Christians did not have the same focus on education. Because Jews tended to be better educated they often held more 'middle class' jobs, in finance (again leading them to be accused of being stingy), law, or medicine. These jobs were more resilient in times of economic crisis again enabling them to stay afloat when Christian struggled.
Many of the stereotypes about Jews are based on semi-truths, often misinterpretation of Jewish customs which became engrained in peoples minds and were exploited by the Nazi party.
What's up with the deleted comments? some anti semitism going on?