09 April, 2019

ilikesteel on anti-semetism

https://np.reddit.com/r/news/comments/b9gpkg/hospital_withdraws_job_offer_to_doctor_who/ek4ozp2/?context=1Most modern Western anti-Semitism has its roots in the Middle Ages in and the Middle East. Jews were a minority population in both places not allowed to work the land or own it or often to join guilds. They were relegated to trade, medicine, and moneylending. That's about it.
This last thing, moneylending, is super important. It was a key tenant of Christianity then, and is still a big factor of Islam in several places in the MENA, that moneylending is a sin. So, in order to extend and receive loans, the nobility of a city or country would allow Jews into a quarter of their city in order to be moneylenders. Desperate people took out loans from the Jews. The Jews, in return, were taxed at upwards of 90%. As a result, Jewish populations were villainized for their high interest rates, when in reality they made next to no money and the nobility made a fortune. Then, the nobility would borrow from the Jews to fund wars. If the nobility got into too much debt, they would often expel the Jews and seize their assets or call a progrom and kill/expel them by force.
Imagine what effect creating a whole social/ethnic class to be a scapegoat for high interests loans would have.