What did the Jews do to give themselves such a bad name (being Jewish)?

It doesn't just come from anywhere without reason. Being called Christian or Muslim or Hindu--these other terms are not even close in degree of pejoration.

What did the Jews do to give themselves such a bad name (being Jewish)?
its partially a sick joke origionating from war times


and also in the past the jewish religion has been associated with greed for money





people shouldn't pay attention to these jokes and remarks,


a persons religion does not secide their personality
Reply:They don't really have a bad name. Historically, there have been periods of antisemitism, including - but not limited to - the famous Nazi times. However the major religions also spread hate about other religions, like the obvious Muslims vs Christians, so even this bigotry isn't aimed at giving only the Jews a bad name.


Other than the Jews being a minority in almost any place they have lived in, and thus being targets of prejudice, there is no real cause for Jewish people to think they have a bad name, overall. Of course slaughtering thousands of innocent civilians in the Middle East is slowly ruining their peaceful image, but I was talking about the entire span of history.
Reply:Basically its their habit of secrecy and being insular. In Roman and early Christian history, they tended to keep to themselves, not intermarry and not really participate in mainstream society. That led people to make up all sort of rumours about them that soon became established fact (not that they were true, people just became convinced). In the Middle Ages they were exempt from Papal laws on usury (money lending) and this gravitated to being bankers and lenders. This meant that people needing money had to deal with them (and many countries leaders were among them). This encouraged resentment and often a leader wanting to get out of debt would inflame the people against the 'greedy jews' riot and burn them out, and then be free of debt. Also they still tended to live together in ghettos and their clothing made them easily identifable as well. So they became a easy to find, secretive enemy everyone could hate and make stories up about.
Reply:They weren't CATHOLIC... seriously... The Church demonized them. So great was the damnation of them that it passed from Catholicism to Protestantism.





Another issue: Education... a male of the Jewish faith is required to be able to read from the Torah. This gave them a power and therefore bad reputation during the Middle Ages when almost NO ONE else, in Europe, was literate with the exception of the Clergy.





Another reason: Catholic / Christian teaching %26amp; practice once prohibited the making of LOANS, or "money lending". Jews are not prohibited from such, and therefore MUCH of Middle Age low to middle nobility might end up in GREAT debt to Jewish lenders as they tried to fund their lifestyle on "credit". This gives them the "penny-pinching" stereotype.





As I mentioned... a very LARGE reason would be the Catholic Church !! The Spanish Inquisition was an ecclesiastical tribunal established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the medieval inquisition which was under papal control. The new body was under the direct control of the Spanish monarchy. It was not definitively abolished until 1834, during the reign of Isabel II.





Not to mention the Medieval Inquisition, the Goa Inquisition, the Paris Inquisition
Reply:The Jews have been hated through out history, some would say because they are God's chosen people, and when they sin they are judged. Others would say its stems from their belief that they are god's chosen people and Abraham's fathering of Ishmael.





During the middle ages, the Roman Catholic Church said it was sin to loan each other money. So the Jews, being the only people group in Europe that were not Catholic, created bank and started loaning Catholics money. Jews of course got wealthy and became hated by the people, laying the foundation for many of the prejudices of today.


Many "christian" groups have hated the Jew because they see them as having murdered Jesus, which is a gross misunderstanding of why Jesus came to earth.
Reply:Christians were forbidden to lend money or charge interest by the Church. Jewish merchants had no restrictions so went into this line. Anybody who is chasing people for money owed is not going to be popular!


This money lending became a traditional trade amongst Jews and in times of poverty many Jewish money lenders were seen to be profiting from the misfortunes of others. This is likely to be the reason for Hitler's attitude to Jews.


The Jews are a tight-knit community, which was also seen to be very exclusive by many! What happens to a gentile who wants to marry a Jewish girl, for instance? Unless he is very rich!


All these and many other aspects of Jewish culture led to a "them %26amp; us" or a "they think they are better than us!" feeling amongst many people.


One case in point very recently is in Ethiopia, during the famine, when thousands were dying, There are tribes there who are Jewish in their beliefs. Relief was sent to these people by Jewish organizations but not given to those others locally who were dying but were not Jewish!


A Christian charity would never have done this! What were the people behind this relief thinking!!!?


All of these and more are reasons Jews were disliked. Add to this the formal hatred of Jews preached in the Koran, and the Catholics blaming them for Jesus's death and you can see how they were not top of many popularity polls over the centuries.


Thankfully, many Jewish people have worked hard to change popular perception and it does help if you understand the history behind the bad press!
Reply:I don't think they have a bad name.





The countries that do think so want to destroy them. All Muslim countries oddly enough.
Reply:Well, what Fishin' In The Dark said...and the fact that they apparently "killed Christ".





Or something.





Mikhaela
Reply:because throughout history they have been stereotyped for being stingy and cheap with money.
Reply:Well, they are God's chosen people, maybe everyone else is just jealous.