The bank-controlling "Greedy Jew" syndrome is not new. Slogans such as "Zionists control Wall Street", "Hitler's Bankers Wall St." or "Humanity versus the Rothschilds" heard and/or read at the Occupy Wall Street gathering and other "Occupy 'Your Home Town'" around the nation are nothing but a repackaging of an old anti-Semitic libel.
Middle Ages Libel
As a matter of fact, it is one of the oldest libel against my people that goes back to the Middle Ages. Around the time of the First Crusade of 1096. One of the results of the Crusades was that many new routes became open to the Orient and money was quickly becoming the primary commodity for trading.
Money lending was forbidden by the Church, and Christians were allowed to borrow money ONLY from Jewish people, who in turn would collect the money back with interest (one of the few ways for Jewish people to make a living back then). The Kings of Europe started taxing the Jewish moneylenders on their profit. Taxes kept increasing, so the Jewish moneylenders had no choice but to increase their interest rates to continue to simply make a living. The process went on for a while and gave birth to the myth of the “greedy Jew”, a myth picked up in Shakespeare’s Shylock character and that is obviously still going strong in the 21st century. So much so that today it is not uncommon to hear people with no anti-Semitic inclination say: "he Jewed me down!" referring to a transaction where bargaining took place in an effort to reduce cost.
The Myth of Money-Loving Jews
People, for the most part, have been desensitized, as the myth of the "money-loving Jew" continues to infiltrate all segments of the population with its pernicious and libelous message.
Now we witness it's resurfacing at the various Occupy Wall Street (OWS) demonstrations and very little is being said, maybe because very few are even noticing the wrong of it. As a result, people are currently arguing and trying to decide if the OWS gatherings are of anti-Semitic nature.
One fact is that OWS is not really a structured movement or protest with well-defined leadership. Based on principles that are reminiscent of the Anarchist movement, it is a protest of the people against corporate greed and injustice within our society. In a nutshell, it appears to be a protest of the 99% (referring to the abused and under-payed population) against the 1% (referring to corporate billionaires). I am sure that there is some validity in the cause behind the OWS protest, but the fact that it doesn't benefit from any sort of leadership makes it a magnet for weirdos, fringe people, and conspiracy theorists. In their midst will undoubtedly be some anti-Semites who, pulling from their extensive panoply of lies will jump on the occasion to vilify the "Zionist Bankers.”
Is Occupy Wall Street Anti-semitic?
So is it fair to say that Occupy Wall Street is anti-Semitic? I think not!
This being said, if OWS is not infected by the virus of anti-Semitism, it most certainly shows symptoms of it. If it is not specifically driven by anti-Semitism, it still is attracting anti-Semites into its ranks. And, as the global economy continues to weaken, a culprit must be designated.
Since OWS is mostly made of disgruntled liberal leftists who already have a very warped view of Israel and the Jewish people, the most natural thing for them to do would be to put the blame on the scapegoats of humanity. They are trying to do just that, and who fits the bill better than the “greedy Jew”?
While I applaud the Los Angeles Unified School District for firing Patricia McAllister after she said: "the Zionist Jews who are running these big banks and our federal reserve — which is not run by the federal government — they need to be run out of this country", I continue to worry about my people, mainly because much of what is being stated against Israel and the Jewish people is increasingly reminiscent of pre-WWII Nazi Germany anti-Jewish propaganda. Back then we didn't have a country to go back to. Today, Israel is the safest place for our people and maybe we need to start taking the handwriting on the wall more seriously!
At the very least, true Bible-believing Christians must make their voices heard in support of Israel and the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3) as well as let my people know what it means to be a follower of Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth (Isaiah 52:13-53:12, John 1:12)
A witness who does nothing becomes a bystander and the bystanders simply facilitate the work of the perpetrators.
Olivier Melnick
www.newantisemitism.com