answersLogoWhite

0

In Europe there was a widespread tendency for Jews not to own land and become gentry. They were allowed to be merchants and to manipulate money as the ruling class considered such activities beneath upper class dignity.
Enter William Shakespeare and the introduction of a very unflattering characterization of Shylock, a cruel and usurious Jew in the classic, The Merchant of Venice.
General antisemitism as well as the Third Reich's racist Propaganda made much of this which definitely combined to cement the 'cheap Jew' racist mythology which is still widespread today.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?