Jew with a coin: Difference between revisions
Adding local short description: "Stereotypical genre" (Shortdesc helper) |
→Ethnographic analysis: interesting comparison, wikilink |
||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
According to [[Haaretz]], murdered Jews were a source of enrichment for Poles who charged high prices for hiding Jews and plundered Jewish property., as detailed in the book ''Klucze i Kasa''. According to Haaretz, The association of Jews with money may have risen from this process, and may be the cause behind the existence of the figurines in Poland.<ref name="haaretz20141120"/> |
According to [[Haaretz]], murdered Jews were a source of enrichment for Poles who charged high prices for hiding Jews and plundered Jewish property., as detailed in the book ''Klucze i Kasa''. According to Haaretz, The association of Jews with money may have risen from this process, and may be the cause behind the existence of the figurines in Poland.<ref name="haaretz20141120"/> |
||
Jonny Daniels, activist promoting the dialogue between Jews and Poles, considers this item an “insensitive but ultimately harmless expression of nostalgia,” comparable to the [[cigar store Indian]] in the United States.<ref name="JTA20180818" /> |
|||
Literature researcher {{ill|Bożena Umińska-Keff|pl|Bożena Umińska-Keff}} asserts that the imagery and superstitions surrounding the figurines contain all the basic elements of antisemitism - a non-personalized soulless man embodied by money,<ref name="Tartakowsky"/> and sees the figurines as part of a wider tradition of antisemitic images in Poland (Jewish wizards, Jews making blood from children, [[Judensau]], [[Żydokomuna]], etc.).<ref>[https://www.rp.pl/artykul/877193-Zyd-o-imieniu-Zyd.html A Jew named Jewish (Polish)], Bożena Umińska-Keff, 19 May 2012, originally published in [[Przekrój]] republished on [[Rzeczpospolita]]</ref> |
Literature researcher {{ill|Bożena Umińska-Keff|pl|Bożena Umińska-Keff}} asserts that the imagery and superstitions surrounding the figurines contain all the basic elements of antisemitism - a non-personalized soulless man embodied by money,<ref name="Tartakowsky"/> and sees the figurines as part of a wider tradition of antisemitic images in Poland (Jewish wizards, Jews making blood from children, [[Judensau]], [[Żydokomuna]], etc.).<ref>[https://www.rp.pl/artykul/877193-Zyd-o-imieniu-Zyd.html A Jew named Jewish (Polish)], Bożena Umińska-Keff, 19 May 2012, originally published in [[Przekrój]] republished on [[Rzeczpospolita]]</ref> |
||
Revision as of 13:40, 23 May 2019
Jew with a coin (Polish: Żyd z pieniążkiem), "Little Jews" (Polish: Żydki), or Lucky Jew, are images and figurines of Jews holding coins. In Poland, they are popular items that are common and widespread.[1][2][3][4]
While the figurines draw upon traditional antisemitic caricature of Jewish moneylender,[5][6] opinions on the nature of the modern figurines vary, ranging from harmless folklore or nostalgia to offensive or antisemitic.[7][2][1][8]
History
Research by Erica Lehrer, who curated the Souvenir, Talisman, Toy exhibit at the Ethnographic Museum of Kraków, shows that while figurines of Jews existed in the past in Poland the contemporary figurines connecting traditionally dressed Jews with coins is recent. Prior to World War II, Jewish figures were present in Christmas and Easter rituals and in particular in the Emaus Easter market fair in Krakow. During the communist era in Poland figures of Jews at work as well as suffering in the Holocaust were available for sale in the Cepelia ethnic art stores. [1] According to Bożena Umińska-Keff, while Jews were connected to money in the past in Poland, the rise of the coin imagery in post-communist Poland is not coincidental as Jews have become associated with success in the West.[1]
The figurines were first described in articles from 2000 whose authors state the phenomena is recent, the figurines probably date back to the times following the transition of government in 1989.[9] According to Ruth Ellen Gruber, the figurines, were hand-crafted in the 1990s. However, as of 2011 many of figurines are mass produced in standardized forms that are widely available and popular.[10]
In 2017 Rafał Pankowski, co-founder of the Never Again anti-racism organization, condemned the sale in the Parliament of Poland of "lucky Jew" figurines as "deeply rooted in negative stereotypes". Following Pankowski's condemnation, the figurines were removed from sale from the parliament 's souvenir shop.[11][2]
Ethnographic analysis
According to Erica Lehrer who curated the Souvenir, Talisman, Toy exhibition, Jews who travel to Poland often see the figrues as "inflammatory and shocking, and mostly it gets read in the context of antisemitism". Lehrer says that while one can not understand the figurines with the coin without referring the history of antisemitic imagery, the figurines are rooted in a long history that is more complex than just antisemitism. According to Lehrer, the folk artists creating the figurines, especially the older ones, treat the figurines with artistic, sensitive treatment. One use of the charms is as tourist keepsakes and tokens of nostalgic or political attempt to connect with Jewish past, whereas a second use is as a good luck charm bringing prosperity. Lehrer states that the figurines are seen in Polish folk society as innocent and even complimentary towards Jewish people.[8][9]
According to historian and sociologist Alina Cała, three points of reference stand out in the figurines. The first is reminiscent of figurines in the traditional Emaus Easter fair, the second is black magic, whereas the third is the traditional antisemitic caricature of Jewish moneylender which was exploited in Nazi and Polish iconography. However, whereas classical moneylender tropes often presented assimilated Jews the current Polish figurines present Jews in traditional Orthodox dress.[5]
Cultural studies scholar Paweł Dobrosielski,[12] notes the use of the antisemitic motif associating money with Jews, however according to Dobrosielski this tamed and redirected to a positive meaning in supporting Poles seeking wealth. Dobrosielski also ties the modern phenomena to the complex Polish discourse on the Holocaust.[9]
According to Polish anthropologist Joanna Tokarska-Bakir, the figurines fill a role similar to a series of other domestic demons – in this case protecting Polish homes that were "purified of Jews". According to Tokarska-Bakir, the placement of the figurines in the hall to the left of the doorway is the same as the placement of old Slav ancestors. Tokarska-Bakir that given that Polish society has enriched itself as a result of the "disappearance" of the Jews, the custom is grotesque – a demonism transformed into a triviality. Turning to Sigmund Freud's Totem and Taboo, Tokarska-Bakir contrasts the Polish custom with totemic religion which is the product of guilty sons attempting to atone for the founding murder of legendary horde leaders. Cast in this manner, Tokarska-Bakir considers the grotesque practice as less irrational – the protection of the home by the Jew who was expelled from the home being a twisted sign of moral initiation.[3][13]
Sociologist Ewa Tartakowsky ties the popularity of the figures to the public discourse on the Holocaust in Poland, that began with Jan T. Gross's publication of Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland. According to Tartakowsky, even if the figurines are not an expression of antisemitism by the Polish State, they are affected by the dis-inhibition of xenophobic rhetoric and marking of those designated as "enemies of the state". Tartakowsky notes that freedom of expression in post-1989 Poland is reflective of the American model, as opposed to the French one, favoring freedom of expression over the outlawing hate speech. Tartakowsky notes the re-appropriation of Jewish figures is deeply ambiguous, but is troubling due to the modern political context and stereotyping.[9]
According to Haaretz, murdered Jews were a source of enrichment for Poles who charged high prices for hiding Jews and plundered Jewish property., as detailed in the book Klucze i Kasa. According to Haaretz, The association of Jews with money may have risen from this process, and may be the cause behind the existence of the figurines in Poland.[1]
Jonny Daniels, activist promoting the dialogue between Jews and Poles, considers this item an “insensitive but ultimately harmless expression of nostalgia,” comparable to the cigar store Indian in the United States.[2]
Literature researcher Bożena Umińska-Keff asserts that the imagery and superstitions surrounding the figurines contain all the basic elements of antisemitism - a non-personalized soulless man embodied by money,[9] and sees the figurines as part of a wider tradition of antisemitic images in Poland (Jewish wizards, Jews making blood from children, Judensau, Żydokomuna, etc.).[14]
According to Simon Wiesenthal Center director for international relations Dr. Shimon Samuels, superstition lies behind the figurines. Samuels likens the figurines to a phantom limb, as while only 20,000 Jews reside in modern Poland, the stereotypical Jewish figurines serve as an item that may be "scratched".[15]
Usage and customs
The figurines are common and widespread in Poland,[1][9] and are present in homes and shops.[4] According to a 2015 survey, 65% of respondents identify the figurines and 18% of respondents had such a figurine at home; Recognition of the symbol does not vary with respondent age, indicating that the practice started recently.[9]
The figurines are often given as gifts.[2] Some owners of the figurines flip them over on Friday night[2] or Saturdays,[9][4] some placing a coin behind the figurine,[9] so that money and good fortune may fall upon the family living in the house.[9][2][4] At homes the figurines are placed in the hallway to the left of the door.[9][3] In addition, the figurines are placed in offices and in shops next to cash registers.[4]
The figurines are used as a good luck charm to become rich.[9] As well as good luck charms by football fans who then blame the Jew if their team loses.[15][16] The figurines are often referred to in the pejorative diminutive "żydek" (singular, "żydki" plural).[9][10]
According to Joanna Tokarska-Bakir, the figurines are often accompanied with the saying "Żyd w sieni, pieniądz w kieszeni" (Jew In the hall, coin in your pocket), a saying with roots pre-dating the Second World War. While the original meaning of the saying was that at long as the Jew stayed at the entrance of the house the money in the house remained safe, in contemporary popular usage the meaning has been reversed: the Jew in the hall brings fortune to the house.[9] A recent saying accompanying the figurines is "Aby kasa w domu była, I się nigdy nie skonczyła, Żyda w domu trzeba mieć ! We pieniędzy będzie strzec" ("So that the money stays at home, and that it does not leave, keep a Jew in your house, he will keep the dough"). The saying "Kiedy bida, to do Żyda" (when poverty is there, go to the Jew) is also used, referred originally to Jewish moneylenders.[9]
Exhibits and performances
The 2013 Souvenir, Talisman, Toy exhibit at the Ethnographic Museum of Kraków, curated by Erica Lehrer, explored the development of Jewish figurines in general and the Jew with a coin in particular.[5][1] The exhibit was subsequently extended and displayed at the Galicia Jewish Museum.[17][18]
As part of the 2017 Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków, inaugurating Festivalt site-specific events, a trio of street performers dressed in traditional Orthodox garb sat behind a desk, surronded by a mock picture frame, and laden with old-style inkwell, accounting ledger and quill pen. Bringing the figurines to life, the performers offered "good fortune" to passerby in exchange for a few coins.[19] One of the performers, Michael Rubenfeld, continued performing in 2018.[20][2]
In 2019, the Jewish Museum London ran an exhibit titled Jews, Money, Myth exploring antisemitic imagery linking Jews with money. Alongside manifestations of antisemitic imagery dating back to Judas and Thirty pieces of silver, the exhibit featured a display case of the popular Polish clay figurines "lucky jews".[21][22]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Why Are the Poles Amassing Jewish Figurines?, Haaretz, Benny Mer, 20 November 2014
- ^ a b c d e f g h Why ‘Lucky Jew’ imagery is so popular in Poland, Times of Israel (JTA reprint), 18 August 2018
- ^ a b c A Jew with a coin conquers Poland (Polish), Joanna Tokarska-Bakir, 18 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Real Jews are scarce in Warsaw, but ‘lucky Jew’ figurines are everywhere, Times of Israel, 29 December 2014
- ^ a b c Cała, Alina. "„Pamiątka, Zabawka, Talizman/Souvenir, Talisman, Toy”(wystawa w Muzeum Etnograficznym w Krakowie, 2013 rok, kuratorka: Erica Lehrer)." Studia Litteraria et Historica 3-4 (2015): 265-271.
- ^ Luck Jews? Pictures + Essay by Erica Lehrer in Jewish Museum London's 2019 Jews, Money, Myth exhibition catalog
- ^ Hey Poland, What's Up with Those Lucky Jew Statues?, Vice, Ilana Belfer, 10 October 2013
- ^ a b USHMM VOICES ON ANTISEMITISM PODCAST, USHMM, 1 October 2015
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Tartakowsky, Ewa. "Le Juif à la pièce d’argent." La vie des idées (2017).
- ^ a b Philosemitism in History, chapter by Ruth Ellen Gruber, Cambridge University Press, page 324
- ^ Polish parliament gift shop removes Jewish figurines from sale, The Art Newspaper, 15 December 2017
- ^ dr Paweł Dobrosielski at jis.uw.edu.pl
- ^ The Jew with a Coin: Analysis of a contemporary folkloric emblem (AAPJ), Joanna Tokarska-Bakir, 2019.
- ^ A Jew named Jewish (Polish), Bożena Umińska-Keff, 19 May 2012, originally published in Przekrój republished on Rzeczpospolita
- ^ a b Poland's mantelpiece Jews, The JC, 4 December 2014
- ^ Driving to Treblinka: A Long Search for a Lost Father, Diana Wichtel, 2018, Awa Press, page 144. link to extract from book in Nzherald, published 16 May 2018
- ^ Souvenir, Talisman, Toy, Krakow Post, 10 September 2013
- ^ Popular Images of Jews in Krakow: Folk art or stereotypical caricatures?, Tablet, Dara Bramson, 18 February 2014
- ^ At Krakow festival, ‘Lucky Jew’ character plays on stereotypes to celebrate lost culture, Times of Israel, 28 July 2017
- ^ Meet the Canadian Who Wants to be Poland’s ‘Luckiest Jew’, 13 August 2018, Vice
- ^ Jews Have Been Seen as ‘All About the Benjamins’ for 2,000 Years, New Exhibition Shows, Daniella Peled, Haaretz, 20 March 2019
- ^ Daniel Finkelstein: Next time I’m asked how antisemitism started, I’ll say ‘go to this exhibition’, The Times, Daniel Finkelstein, 20 March 2019
External links
- Lucky Jews online site for 2013 Souvenir, Talisman Toy exhibition at Ethnographic Museum of Kraków, curated by Erica Lehrer
- Lucky Jews Jason Francisco, description of Festivalt performance at annual Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków.