Jew with a coin

Common card · No. 427618

The Jew with a coin (Żyd z pieniążkiem), also little Jew (Żydki) or lucky Jew ("Żyd na szczęście"), is a good-luck charm in Poland and elsewhere, where images or figurines of the character, usually accompanied by a proverb, are said to bring good fortune, particularly financially. The motif was first described in articles from 2000, and probably dates back to the early 1990s. Scholars offer various interpretations of the motif's nature and origin, though they generally agree that it is used as a talisman for good luck, in particular financial good luck. Opinions about the motif vary; some scholars believe it promotes Polish–Jewish dialogue or view it as harmless folklore or nostalgia, while others believe it is an antisemitic and offensive stereotype. Due to the latter view, the figurines have sometimes been criticized and called controversial as they have been connected to the traditional antisemitic canard of the Jewish moneylender.

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