Sunday, July 6, 2025

Jews

In the news yesterday Trump was criticized for using the term shylock. This is considered antisemitic based on the character in a Shakespear play who loaned money at interest. For most of the history of Christianity, led by the Roman Catholic Church, lending money at interest was forbidden. Jews were allowed to charge interest on money loaned to non-Jews. During the first 1,500 hundred years of Christianity most people were illiterate with the priest being the exception. The Jews, on the other hand, taught their sons to read and write. As the only members of the community who were literate and could lend money at interest, it was not unexpected that the Jews would become bankers. This led to jealousy among the general public toward the Jews, much of which is alive and well today.

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