[ExI] Money Games

[Belva Plain]

> BTW, isn't "goldsmith" the noun of a job, in English, from which in
> the cartoon the banker's profession allegedly arose?
> 
> "Miller" or "Taylor" or "Fisher" would have hardly cut it...
> 
> -- 
> Stefano Vaj
>

The legend goes that in medieval Europe, due to Catholic church restrictions
on the lending of money at interest--a practice condemned as "usury"--Jewish
goldsmiths were some of the only people who practiced moneylending. As a result,
the stereotype of the "Jewish moneylender" was born. Furthermore, Jews, who were
often given surnames on the basis of their occupational designations, were much more
likely to be named Goldsmith, or Goldfarb, or Goldberg, than people of other ethic
backgrounds. 

The negative association of Jews with moneylending and banking is long in the history of anti-semitism, ranging
from the character of Shylock to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. And, of course,
hooked noses are anti-semitic shorthand for Jewish faces. 

Tom D   

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