Why are Jews greedy and why do they get special treatment?

Answer 1

They aren't. Their perceived greediness was an anti-Semitic canard which began way back in Europe when they were dirt poor. They were excluded from labor-guilds, and their only way of making money was to lend what little money they had and charge interest on it. No one likes to pay off a loan so the debtors would call Jews greedy. Also, because Jews handled money (such as jobs in finance and banking), and are today relatively well off compared to others in America . But people don't call Christians that are rich "greedy" or Muslims that are rich "greedy." I'm not sure you can say Jews are greedy cause there are no legit statistics to back that up and hateful stereotypes tend to be misleading.

I will prove that statement wrong right now. I'm Jewish and I'm not greedy. I sponsor a child in Nicaragua and also give money to schools in Uganda and Haiti.

Answer 2

I'll answer that by saying that, unless you've personally conducted a statistically

significant survey of Jewish personality types and characteristics and formulated a

conclusion based on your own observations, then the reason it "seems" that way

to you is the fact that it's what you've been taught and told from so many directions

for so long.

-- One reason for the stereotype may be the casual observer's misunderstanding

of Jewish culture. Jews often use their intellect to succeed rather than their hands,

which often leads them into business roles and entrepreneurship instead of physical labor.

-- How did that get started ? Why are Jews not factory workers or farmers like

everybody else ? In the Middle Ages, Jews were excluded from the tradesmens'

guilds, and prohibited by the church from owning land, but they were still required

to pay the king's taxes. The only remaining honest means of making a living were

banking and business ... which made it easy for their anti-semitic detractors to

grab the convenient and available stereotype of greed.

-- The very existence of The United States of America can be traced to the generosity

of a Jew named Haim Solomon who funded George Washington's efforts and died a pauper

because of it.

-- In Jewish culture, it is considered of the utmost importance that you are able to

provide for your family. If you should die, or if your son or daughter should come down

with some horrible and very expensive medical condition, or if a tornado should destroy

your home and all of your belongings, you want to have enough money for your family

to survive. It is not wealth that's important; it's financial security.

-- The commandment of charity (Deuteronomy ch.15) is central to Judaism.

If you'd like to conduct a survey that makes sense, go on line and search the

names of schools, hospitals, and nursing homes in different cities. See how many

"Jewish names" pop up in that kind of search, then ask yourself "How do they get

their names attached to those places ?". Hint: It's usually not because somebody

knew the architect and slipped him a few bucks to put their name on the building.

-- Full disclosure: There are Jews who are greedy. There are also Baptists, Amish,

Methodists, Catholics, Anglicans, Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists, Uighur, and Atheists

who are greedy. To imply that all Jewish people have the same personality trait, or

even that it 'seems' so, is absurd.

Answer 3

In short, they aren't.

Followers of Judaism aren't a different race, they just have different beliefs to non-Jews, as do all religious groups. It is unfair and untrue to say that Jews are dishonest by definition.

Answer 4

In the Middle Ages, Jews were often excluded from the tradesmens' guilds and prohibited from owning land, yet they had to pay the king's taxes. In many cases the only choice was to engage in banking and moneylending. Someone who wished to insult Jews would find it easy to seize upon the anti-Semitic stereotype of greed.