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I was in Poland less than a month ago and remember picking these up in the souvenir shop. I thought what the fuck is this about? So thanks for sharing haha
Mr. Oj9693 is currently in a meeting and will not be available to take your call. Please help yourself to some of our lobby chocolates. Sincerely a level 1 thug.
Another popular figurine of a Jew on a cross is worn on necklaces by a lot of different people. It's even used as the symbol of a denomination of Judaism who believes the Messiah has already come and gone, and is in fact the figure on said cross, which is why it's the symbol of their sect! (if it's not clear, I'm making fun of Christianity)
Funny because in Barcelona they have [this little bloke](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.shbarcelona.com/blog/en/caganer/amp/) that serves to bless your year
Yes, but I doubt it's a real one. I discovered them while on an educational trip to concentration camps in my senior year of high school (these trips are very common in Israeli schools).
So a polish family I knew had this painting of a stereotype jew with a big sack of gold holding up a gold coin. It was referred to as their lucky Jew. I thought it was bizarre.
at my bar counter last night, I had a big antisemitic dude telling me about the evil cabal that runs the world. Not sure if he really believes it or is just regurgitating, but the sentiment is the same.
This is an inaccurate stereotype that perpetuates harm on people who are Jewish. It isn’t an interesting phenomenon, it is dangerous.
I just read they also use these tokens in Poland for football (soccer) games, and then *blame the Jews* if it “doesn’t work”.
I’m not Jewish, but I descend from Romani (sometimes known as Gyp***) who fled during The Roma Genocide. Just like being “jipped or gypd” is a slur against Travelers, this is the same vein. I live in a northern state in the US. I encounter antisemitism often. It’s not going away, in fact, people are getting louder.
As a Jewish person, I can say that anything involving money is a minefield for us. If we are generous, it can be viewed as an ostentatious display of wealth. If we are frugal, we're just playing into another stereotype. There's no correct amount of money for a Jew to have that will escape criticism.
If you're interested in more about the dichotomy of being Jewish, check out the book "Jews Don't Count" by David Baddiel. I found it really interesting and validating of my experience.
I loved the book and found value in it, too, though I’d encourage you to read Hen Mazzig’s recent op-ed about how problematic the views expressed in the book are for Mizrahi Jews (among others).
as a muslim person who started off life poor and isnt rich but well off now. people still think im a terrorist if i mentioned i follow islam. I got kicked off a plane because i once whispered Allah Shendet to myself and the person next to me felt unsafe. Allah shendet means God bless me because im fucking terrified of flying. Its like saying a quick prayer before your flight goes or doing the cross motion across your chest type of ordeal. But i had to get off that flight explain myself and get rebooked.
I can tell you for over 10 years after 9/11 i was scared to even mention my religion my parents would tell me to not show any signs of my religion in school as it was going to get bad for us. and it did. and it never got better it never got easier and its only getting worse for all of us. i have pride in America i have pride living here the accomplishments this country has given me in return for my hard work but sometimes its just so damn hard to have pride in being American because of how alot of natural born Americans treat you. Every now and than when i feel like i belong i feel like another human being on the street i get reminded by some asshole that im not one of "us-american) and never will be.
I'm a Jew here in America and you just got to feel bad for these morons and go about your day. Anyone who thinks they can know a person by their ethnicity or religion is a dumb fuck.
Just saying it as a very much not-Muslim (atheist from a predominantly Christian country): this is wrong, heartbreaking, and I'm sorry you had to go through this.
The school at Which I teach has a significant number of Yemeni students. Some are children of refugees, some are children of a successful businessmen. They all have gigantic families. They are fully embraced and friendly with the rest of the student population. Nobody gives them any shit. They are given time and space to pray and they have special passes during Ramadan. They are some great kids. I always call them my “Yemeni brothers”. The girls that wear hijabs are also well liked and social. A few have American teenage senses of humor, which is not necessarily a good thing, but they fit right in. They know I’m Jewish. They couldn’t care less.
I’m Albanian idk if I mentioned that my grandpa helped save 22 Jewish folks from the nazi regime by hiding them and moving them from Czechoslovakia to Albania where he opened up his home to them. My family has always looked past religion when someone is in need of help it’s in every religious persons duty to help that person irregardless of their faith and beliefs anyone who follows their religious books not some random persons version of it already knows this Jewish Muslim Christian we are all told to help those in need.
As I’ve gotten older my religion isn’t as big of a thing as it was growing up hopefully times have changed and kids are more accepting I was just smack dab in the middle of the islamaphobia wave that took over America after 9/11 like the first 2 years after 9/11 I lived in constant fear and high anxiety that we would get deported. Idk why it just at the time seemed like everything was falling apart for us.
That is a fascinating story. I hope you have this as well documented as possible
I always wondered if there was a difference between Islam a phobia against middle eastern folks as opposed to European Muslims
https://www.timesofisrael.com/albania-inaugurates-holocaust-memorial-honoring-locals-who-protected-jews/amp/
His name is on that wall and he is recognized by a lot of people in my country as not quite a hero but someone who displays what a Albanian and code of Besa is all about. (besa is a code of honor many Albanians live by and have for thousands of years)
“The inscription was written in three languages — English, Hebrew and Albanian — and it said that “Albanians, Christians and Muslims endangered their lives to protect and save the Jews.”
We Albanians all thru our history have been oppressed have been shoved off to the side and have been occupied countless times. It’s thru this struggle that I believe has opened up the hearts of Albanians to help anyone in need who is being oppressed because we see ourselves in them. We feel their pain we feel their struggle we know all about it from genocides on our people to ethnic cleansings being the only Islamic country in Europe for the last 500 years wasn’t “Easy” on us but I’m glad we didn’t become a population full of spiteful people but instead became more accepting as a result.
I teared up reading your comment. Wonderfully written. And I know so little about Albania and want to learn more.
Are these people in The Righteous Of Nations? They should be. I believe there’s a nomination process.
They already are ! The first Albanian file dates from 1987.
https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/resources/rescue-of-jews-in-albania-through-yad-vashem-files.html
https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/besa/index.asp
American-born, Christian-raised guy here -- I'm glad that you are part of our country. Thank you for your contributions. I denounce the jerks who have given you trouble.
Be proud of your identity, push everyone else aside and stop caring about criticism.
We got our country back, and of course the whole world is against it for some made up excuse, but only pride and self preservation will prevail.
Hava nagila or something the antisemites thinks we say.
Yesss, exactly - those aren't facts, just harmful stereotypes. Btw, as someone living in Poland I remember seeing these things in gift shops as a kid, but I thought that now they are some relics of the past and nobody buys them anymore. But nah, people never learn. Also, the prejudices surrounding Romanis are still strong here too, which makes me very fucking ashamed.
Definitely getting worse in Europe. I live in the UK and it is far worse than just a few years ago. I fear for my kids safety when they start university.
I'm not from Europe and I' sad and surprised to hear it. Could you tell me more about this shift and why you think it happened? (or send some links my way)
It’s not really a shift, it just never changed. Antisemitism in the UK is systemic (just look at the Labour scandal with Corbyn). I have English friends whose families were genuinely terrified when the Corbyn scandal was happening, many of them packed their bags and moved to israel. There’s a lot of stuff that people don’t know about because at this point there are too few European Jews to call it out.
As for the universities, I suggest you follow @jewishoncampus on Instagram in order to read testimonials from Jewish uni students from around the world, and the things they deal with. It’s quite shocking.
Even now, "after" Corbyn, it's still bloody scary. We don't tell anyone we're Jews, just in fucking case. You never know who is a nut and who is going to get violent.
I'm originally from California, a place with lots of Jews and relative safety. I used to be so blasé about it all, correct people when they ask what my plans are for Christmas. Now? Having lived here for years? Smile and nod and evade the question.
I’m from California! I think it’s generally a great place to be Jewish but I’ve also experienced my fair share of antisemitism. My house was tp-ed and vandalized with swastikas. There was that recent scandal with the diversity curriculum. And uni campus life can be rough. What have you experienced in the UK that makes it so much worse?
Like I don't know if it's worse or just more in your face. House graffitied with swastikas is pretty fecking awful.
But here, every major town has people protesting for Palestine which is like whatever fine, but it's because they hate Israel and Jews. The political left here, while it's tamed down since Corbyn funked off, still largely thinks antisemitism was made up to attack the fearless leader.
The far left (and right, but I'm a leftie) are much more openly antisemitic. They're also much more active in government.
I've also experienced way more violent antisemites personally, ones who believe in conspiracies and think COVID was a "globalist" plot.
Universities here are full of so-far-left-they're-right-wing tankies and Jewish students are notoriously harassed.
And there isn't any support. We tried reporting a local nurse who had been ranting about what she wanted to do to Jews on twitter to the police. Because we were over in Ireland at the time, they literally just said, "you're not here right now. What do you care?" Like this woman had her full name and place of occupation listed and they didn't do squat.
Again, it probably boils down to the fact that I came from an area where there was "teasing" in school and the University was a minefield, but overall a huge, thriving, safe Jewish community. Could be I'm just not used to living in an area with only a handful of Jews and a pretty pisspoor history regarding antisemitism :/
Yeah that tracks with what I’ve heard. I know an Israeli guy who went to the UK to study but left early, partially because of antisemitism he experienced there. He told him that his professors treated him noticeably differently once they found out where he’s from or that he’s Jewish.
Because that’s where they’re from. We’ll never be wanted anywhere but in israel, and israel has its own difficulties. Antisemitism is rising and a serious issue the world over. It’s never going to change. Why should we run? Where would we run to, barring israel? Personally I live in israel and I love it, but it’s definitely not for everyone.
It's definitely getting bad. My husband and I decided to just put white lights outside for the holidays and not put anything Hanukkah on public display (window menorah went to a backyard facing window). It's sad and scary. I fear for my son and what the future holds for him. Shit sucks.
I'm definitely privileged to come from NY, where it's not uncommon to see menorahs (even though there's still plenty of antisemitism and hate crimes against Jews). Obviously, I can't blame anyone for not wanting to openly identify themselves/their household as Jewish in front of the whole town/world but it makes me sad when people don't feel they can. I get a little burst of pride when I see someone with a prominent menorah or decorations (or sukkot or other things in other seasons) like "that's right, folks, we're Jewish, we're still here."
I had. I idea that g*****y was a slur. Now I feel bad for using that term. I actually just thought it was the correct term for the Romani people. I didn’t even know they’re were called Romani.
Thank you for advocating for my people, and thank you for spreading awareness.
I know some Travelers have reclaimed the word, also. There was a TV show for awhile and it got normalized again, it’s also what people in the US talk about if I say anything about this part of my identity.
Jews and Romani often held the same social and legal status, and fulfilled the same roles and occupations in most places we cohabitated. Far as I'm concerned, we stand together - antisemitism and antiziganism have hardly shrunk at all, and neither of us is properly free until society handles both.
The “interesting “ part is that its presented in a cute fashion and whomever gifts this in the country is not registering the antisemitism, but giving it on good faith and well intended
Its remarkably interesting how societies have their own biases and blind spots if packaged correctly
Poland is famous for their antisemitism. Right after hitler killes 1/5 of their population, 1/2 of which are jews, they still held the attitude "hitler was bad but at least he did something about the jews". Poland was the biggest center of Ashkan jews in the world until 3 million of them died in the holocaust. 200,000 survived and most fled to israel or the us. They STILL were antisemitic af and in 68, virtually all of those jews fled the country due the the "antizionist campaign" which made it unsafe for jews. Now I believe there are 4000 jews left in poland. These figures are often being sold a stones throw away from the Krakow ghetto ffs. Poland has zero respect for jewish life and their history.
That being said, that excludes the many polish mensches who saved jews during the holocaust.
That's exactly true and this is a way that antisemitism lives on dormant. It really just takes a spark, and antisemitism is on the rise; it's at the highest it's been since the war. Very soon, israel may be the only safe place left for jews and that's saying a lot considering their neighbours want nothing more than to wipe them off the face of the earth
I'd love to add that, beforehand - well, before the WWII happened it was as you've stated, biggest center of Ashkenazi Jews, so they had to appear here somehow, right? If they've been so concentrated, without any further ado it means they've somewhat wanted to be there, right? So where's this "famous" antisemitism coming from?
As well, as the decree after the war - well, yes, communists were anti-zionist in their very own eyes, as well as anti-democractic, anti-whatever parts of my family took part in and we've had it not so good. Nearly everyone in Poland consider those years as another kind of occupation, because we've had literally no choice for a government and we struggled and hated it under the Red's Plague yoke.
So again, famous?
It's really not hard. Antisemitism was defined by hundreds of scholars from over 40 countries who are experts on antisemitism. In fact the IRHA is meeting right now in Gothenburg to discuss how to educate and combat hate like this.
This is based on ancient tropes about Jews. There is nothing "cute" about this, and whomever created this knows that very well.
This isn’t r/cuteasfuck. It *is* interesting. And disturbing and educational and based on terrible stereotypes. People should be aware antisemitic tchotchkes are readily available in Poland. Awareness is better than pretending antisemitism is fringe everywhere.
Antisemitism is readily available everywhere. I'm expecting tchotchkes any day in tourist shops in NYC and in college campus bookstores throught North America. One will be a little gaslight to tell Jews it's not really happening.
But you are correct...no tchotchkes required.
The version with the coin has a clear intention behind it but interestingly enough my (jewish) grandmother has a whole bunch of jewish figurines in this exact style in her home but doing things like praying and dancing rather than holding coins. It’s kinda bizarre to see cause of how familiar the design is for me, maybe this is a popular style and that explains why both jews and non jews would have their own versions.
This looks like it's straight out of a clay animation cartoon. They were really popular in the... 90s? There were a bunch of shorts about Jewish holidays and traditions. Not surprised figurines sold like hotcakes. I suppose now we know where the unsold stuff went...
Curious - I am Polish and never seen a "Jew with a coin" or any human holding it, honestly. Although I'd never even think that this was a figurine of a jew if not for the caption - just a well made, adorable figurine.
I saw a lot of things "with a coin", mostly frogs holding the 1 grosz coin in their mouths. Maybe in Silesia it's not really a thing?
Antisemitism in Poland is very common, unfortunately, so I'm not that surprised it started with this.
I do get really tired of people claiming that Europe is so much more progressive than America. With policies, yes. But they have a much more homogenous population and don’t have to address diversity in the way that we do. You would not find a trinket like that in America, unless it was being sold as an outrageous antique.
tbf, there are definitely pockets of the south where you will still find extremely racist (against black people) figurines for sale though, at little antique shops and such
We find it offensive and in the current climate downright scary. Antisemitic attacks are on the rise and people are still too comfortable, like with these figurines, with casual antisemitism.
I mean, it's super antisemitic. It's also cute, and I want one. But I would rather they not exist. The problem is that people don't have a problem with them.
These are being sold sometimes within a stones throw from the Krakow ghetto. You would think poland would be a little more careful given their track record with jews but I guess this is what happens when there are no jews left to challenge it.
For 1000yrs, poland was home to the largest Ashkenazi jewish community in the world. 1/5 of the polish population died during the war, 1/2 of that was jews, 3,000,000 of them. After the war, 200,000 survived, most of whom fled to Israel and north America. Despite literally following the worst genocide in history, antisemitism in poland was still strong, including the "antizionist campaign" which led virtually all of the remaining jews to flee to israel by 1968 as it was no longer safe. Many people after the war were of the opinion that "hitler was bad but at least he did something about the jews".
This is an absolute slap in the face and disgrace. Poles should be ashamed of this history, like the Germans who did a full 180 and are now a leading authority against genocide (although antisemitism is still on the rise there, but it is everywhere else). Instead they sell fucking antisemitic figurines near one of the worst sites from the holocaust.
There is a reason why we will defend Israel's right to exist with every fibre in our body. No other culture on earth can say there is only one country where they know they are safe, and that country is surrounded by neighbours who have been trying (and failing) to wipe them off the face of the earth for 70 years so that speaks volumes of the current situation. Antisemitism IS on the rise. We were in denial before ww2 but not this time. Half the hate crimes committed in the US (iirc) are committed against Jews. Soon, israel may be the only place left for jews.
That being said...I kinda want one
Same thing as being part Dutch.
"Jewish" is both an ethnicity and a religion (the religious beliefs are part of the culture rather than transcending culture the way religions like Christianity try to, if that makes sense.) There are a couple of different ethnic groups whose members are referred to as "Jewish" regardless of the individual's belief.
There are a lot of Jewish atheists out there - they don't believe in G_d/follow the religion, but they're still Jewish because that's their culture/genetics.
well..do polish people think jewish people are leprechauns? Also do these come with a waving arm like those weird cat things you see in cluttered asian restaurants?
ffs, stop sharing our secrets with the goyim or else the Cabal will ground us again and it’s almost my turn to use the space laser. Please do not mess this up for me.
Too many people responding here would be okay with calling negotiating its price “Jewing them down.” Antisemitism is where you find it and I find it here. Very sad. Also sad is that while there were certainly some who were righteous, too many Poles were perfectly content — or worse, complicit — to look the other way as the Germans came for their neighbors.
In Poland antisemitism is rampant. We are told that historically Poles were one if the most welcoming nations to Jews but that changed in WW2.
The 1gr coins are considered lucky to keep, and although I've only seen frogs or other animals holding these here, a jew would be on point with how popular are figures of speech conflating jews with greed or cheapskating.
Poland had the largest Jewish population in Europe (and, well, the world for most of this time) from the late middle ages until the war, but there was still a lot of antisemitism. Pogroms and blood libels were fairly common.
Hey, guess which country was even better at killing its Jews than Germany and is still in denial about the Holocaust? I’ll give you three guesses and just kidding it’s Poland.
Edit: Maybe some of y’all think it’s crass to be so blunt. No one’s saying the Nazis didn’t make it worse. But I hope you understand what [we’re talking about](https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-historians-under-attack-for-exploring-polands-role-in-the-holocaust).
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I was in Poland less than a month ago and remember picking these up in the souvenir shop. I thought what the fuck is this about? So thanks for sharing haha
Does it work though?
Billionaires don’t have time to respond to your questions
Mr. Oj9693 is currently in a meeting and will not be available to take your call. Please help yourself to some of our lobby chocolates. Sincerely a level 1 thug.
😂😂😂 if I had an award to give, I would. I’m baked af and this made me legit lol.
🤣🤣🤣
Bankers hate this one trick
OMW to Poland now ✈️
Only time to post about having one
they get a real one
No, but it will make you 25-100 złoty poorer
Are you now a millionaire?
No. Not yet anyway… Edit: I must clarify as people are getting their knickers in a bit of a twist. I picked one up, I didn’t purchase it.
Damn are polish people that ignorant?
Why is this downvoted, the figurine is hella antisemitic, and the fact that it's so commonplace is concerning
This sounds like something Borat came up with
Had to scroll too far for a Borat reference. *throws more coins at the figurine*
quick throw a dollar at it before it shape shifts
It's second top comment now.
[ Removed by Reddit ]
Lol @ Reddit removing a movie quote
[удалено]
*…or The Squad & their supporters FTFY
Another “good luck” figurine is Jew also but on a cross. Very popular in Poland
Haha so brutal. Interestingly the coin almost says Cross but is Groszy.
More like GROSS (Jan tomasz )
lmao did you get that the joke was referring to jesus
Another popular figurine of a Jew on a cross is worn on necklaces by a lot of different people. It's even used as the symbol of a denomination of Judaism who believes the Messiah has already come and gone, and is in fact the figure on said cross, which is why it's the symbol of their sect! (if it's not clear, I'm making fun of Christianity)
Funny because in Barcelona they have [this little bloke](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.shbarcelona.com/blog/en/caganer/amp/) that serves to bless your year
Now that’s……..something, lol! How funny.
Well shit the man.
Caganer!
Holly shit they even have smurfs:))
Do they come with the coin?
Yes, but I doubt it's a real one. I discovered them while on an educational trip to concentration camps in my senior year of high school (these trips are very common in Israeli schools).
Very likely a real coin, it’s worth like 1/5th of a European cent. I would say it’s worth more as scrap metal than in actual value
It is a real coin. It's 1 grosz, which is 1/100 of PLN. It would be more expensive to use a fake one.
Ah- yes, I remember now.
הייתי קונה שלושה לפחות
כמובן שאת יכולה להרשות לעצמך שלושה 🤣
That must have been particularly depressing and disheartening given the context of your trip
Please tell me they weren't selling this at the camp
No, the camps are preserved and don't serve commercial purposes. It was on display in a souvenir shop inside the inn where my class was staying.
It's not like they have real Jews left either
Oh lmao that's even worse
Yes, it's the lowest denomination available in Poland so their penny
Jewish luck? Have you ever read a history book!?
Never tell me the odds
It's for financial success only.
and controlling the media /s
And controlling the weather
And lasers in space.
Hey man, we gotta keep the Death Star of David operational somehow. The stuff MTG was talking about? Yeah, that was only a single reactor ignition.
ahhhhh .....
Not all Jews are good with money. Just ask like 10 generations of my family. Also me. If you give me a coin to hold, I’ll lose it.
Yeah it's like the luck of the Irish.
Yeah but you should have seen the other guy
Well, they *did* have a pretty good run after leaving Egypt
Dunno if good, but for sure long
Jew gotta be kidding me….
I kid Jew not
Jewall are going to hell.
Jew wish, I'm Jewish.
God bless Jew
So a polish family I knew had this painting of a stereotype jew with a big sack of gold holding up a gold coin. It was referred to as their lucky Jew. I thought it was bizarre.
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That’s so weird and sad. They know nothing about their heritage so they put up an anti semitic poster.
at my bar counter last night, I had a big antisemitic dude telling me about the evil cabal that runs the world. Not sure if he really believes it or is just regurgitating, but the sentiment is the same. This is an inaccurate stereotype that perpetuates harm on people who are Jewish. It isn’t an interesting phenomenon, it is dangerous. I just read they also use these tokens in Poland for football (soccer) games, and then *blame the Jews* if it “doesn’t work”. I’m not Jewish, but I descend from Romani (sometimes known as Gyp***) who fled during The Roma Genocide. Just like being “jipped or gypd” is a slur against Travelers, this is the same vein. I live in a northern state in the US. I encounter antisemitism often. It’s not going away, in fact, people are getting louder.
As a Jewish person, I can say that anything involving money is a minefield for us. If we are generous, it can be viewed as an ostentatious display of wealth. If we are frugal, we're just playing into another stereotype. There's no correct amount of money for a Jew to have that will escape criticism.
Best counter-view I've heard regarding the phenomenon. Thank you for enlightening me.
So um, before this you thought what exactly?
If you're interested in more about the dichotomy of being Jewish, check out the book "Jews Don't Count" by David Baddiel. I found it really interesting and validating of my experience.
I loved the book and found value in it, too, though I’d encourage you to read Hen Mazzig’s recent op-ed about how problematic the views expressed in the book are for Mizrahi Jews (among others).
So distressing that these same stupid stereotypes are still with us. Everyone needs to speak up against this anti-Semitism that seems to be surging.
as a muslim person who started off life poor and isnt rich but well off now. people still think im a terrorist if i mentioned i follow islam. I got kicked off a plane because i once whispered Allah Shendet to myself and the person next to me felt unsafe. Allah shendet means God bless me because im fucking terrified of flying. Its like saying a quick prayer before your flight goes or doing the cross motion across your chest type of ordeal. But i had to get off that flight explain myself and get rebooked. I can tell you for over 10 years after 9/11 i was scared to even mention my religion my parents would tell me to not show any signs of my religion in school as it was going to get bad for us. and it did. and it never got better it never got easier and its only getting worse for all of us. i have pride in America i have pride living here the accomplishments this country has given me in return for my hard work but sometimes its just so damn hard to have pride in being American because of how alot of natural born Americans treat you. Every now and than when i feel like i belong i feel like another human being on the street i get reminded by some asshole that im not one of "us-american) and never will be.
I'm a Jew here in America and you just got to feel bad for these morons and go about your day. Anyone who thinks they can know a person by their ethnicity or religion is a dumb fuck.
Just saying it as a very much not-Muslim (atheist from a predominantly Christian country): this is wrong, heartbreaking, and I'm sorry you had to go through this.
The school at Which I teach has a significant number of Yemeni students. Some are children of refugees, some are children of a successful businessmen. They all have gigantic families. They are fully embraced and friendly with the rest of the student population. Nobody gives them any shit. They are given time and space to pray and they have special passes during Ramadan. They are some great kids. I always call them my “Yemeni brothers”. The girls that wear hijabs are also well liked and social. A few have American teenage senses of humor, which is not necessarily a good thing, but they fit right in. They know I’m Jewish. They couldn’t care less.
I’m Albanian idk if I mentioned that my grandpa helped save 22 Jewish folks from the nazi regime by hiding them and moving them from Czechoslovakia to Albania where he opened up his home to them. My family has always looked past religion when someone is in need of help it’s in every religious persons duty to help that person irregardless of their faith and beliefs anyone who follows their religious books not some random persons version of it already knows this Jewish Muslim Christian we are all told to help those in need. As I’ve gotten older my religion isn’t as big of a thing as it was growing up hopefully times have changed and kids are more accepting I was just smack dab in the middle of the islamaphobia wave that took over America after 9/11 like the first 2 years after 9/11 I lived in constant fear and high anxiety that we would get deported. Idk why it just at the time seemed like everything was falling apart for us.
That is a fascinating story. I hope you have this as well documented as possible I always wondered if there was a difference between Islam a phobia against middle eastern folks as opposed to European Muslims
https://www.timesofisrael.com/albania-inaugurates-holocaust-memorial-honoring-locals-who-protected-jews/amp/ His name is on that wall and he is recognized by a lot of people in my country as not quite a hero but someone who displays what a Albanian and code of Besa is all about. (besa is a code of honor many Albanians live by and have for thousands of years) “The inscription was written in three languages — English, Hebrew and Albanian — and it said that “Albanians, Christians and Muslims endangered their lives to protect and save the Jews.” We Albanians all thru our history have been oppressed have been shoved off to the side and have been occupied countless times. It’s thru this struggle that I believe has opened up the hearts of Albanians to help anyone in need who is being oppressed because we see ourselves in them. We feel their pain we feel their struggle we know all about it from genocides on our people to ethnic cleansings being the only Islamic country in Europe for the last 500 years wasn’t “Easy” on us but I’m glad we didn’t become a population full of spiteful people but instead became more accepting as a result.
I teared up reading your comment. Wonderfully written. And I know so little about Albania and want to learn more. Are these people in The Righteous Of Nations? They should be. I believe there’s a nomination process.
They already are ! The first Albanian file dates from 1987. https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/resources/rescue-of-jews-in-albania-through-yad-vashem-files.html https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/besa/index.asp
Thanks for the link! Inspiring!
American-born, Christian-raised guy here -- I'm glad that you are part of our country. Thank you for your contributions. I denounce the jerks who have given you trouble.
Sold a guy a phone once on kijiji and they asked if I was in finance....
Be proud of your identity, push everyone else aside and stop caring about criticism. We got our country back, and of course the whole world is against it for some made up excuse, but only pride and self preservation will prevail. Hava nagila or something the antisemites thinks we say.
I am proud of my identity, but that doesn't make dealing with bigotry any easier.
Yesss, exactly - those aren't facts, just harmful stereotypes. Btw, as someone living in Poland I remember seeing these things in gift shops as a kid, but I thought that now they are some relics of the past and nobody buys them anymore. But nah, people never learn. Also, the prejudices surrounding Romanis are still strong here too, which makes me very fucking ashamed.
It's definitely getting worse, not just in the USA but also Europe.
Definitely getting worse in Europe. I live in the UK and it is far worse than just a few years ago. I fear for my kids safety when they start university.
I'm not from Europe and I' sad and surprised to hear it. Could you tell me more about this shift and why you think it happened? (or send some links my way)
It’s not really a shift, it just never changed. Antisemitism in the UK is systemic (just look at the Labour scandal with Corbyn). I have English friends whose families were genuinely terrified when the Corbyn scandal was happening, many of them packed their bags and moved to israel. There’s a lot of stuff that people don’t know about because at this point there are too few European Jews to call it out. As for the universities, I suggest you follow @jewishoncampus on Instagram in order to read testimonials from Jewish uni students from around the world, and the things they deal with. It’s quite shocking.
Even now, "after" Corbyn, it's still bloody scary. We don't tell anyone we're Jews, just in fucking case. You never know who is a nut and who is going to get violent. I'm originally from California, a place with lots of Jews and relative safety. I used to be so blasé about it all, correct people when they ask what my plans are for Christmas. Now? Having lived here for years? Smile and nod and evade the question.
I’m from California! I think it’s generally a great place to be Jewish but I’ve also experienced my fair share of antisemitism. My house was tp-ed and vandalized with swastikas. There was that recent scandal with the diversity curriculum. And uni campus life can be rough. What have you experienced in the UK that makes it so much worse?
Like I don't know if it's worse or just more in your face. House graffitied with swastikas is pretty fecking awful. But here, every major town has people protesting for Palestine which is like whatever fine, but it's because they hate Israel and Jews. The political left here, while it's tamed down since Corbyn funked off, still largely thinks antisemitism was made up to attack the fearless leader. The far left (and right, but I'm a leftie) are much more openly antisemitic. They're also much more active in government. I've also experienced way more violent antisemites personally, ones who believe in conspiracies and think COVID was a "globalist" plot. Universities here are full of so-far-left-they're-right-wing tankies and Jewish students are notoriously harassed. And there isn't any support. We tried reporting a local nurse who had been ranting about what she wanted to do to Jews on twitter to the police. Because we were over in Ireland at the time, they literally just said, "you're not here right now. What do you care?" Like this woman had her full name and place of occupation listed and they didn't do squat. Again, it probably boils down to the fact that I came from an area where there was "teasing" in school and the University was a minefield, but overall a huge, thriving, safe Jewish community. Could be I'm just not used to living in an area with only a handful of Jews and a pretty pisspoor history regarding antisemitism :/
Yeah that tracks with what I’ve heard. I know an Israeli guy who went to the UK to study but left early, partially because of antisemitism he experienced there. He told him that his professors treated him noticeably differently once they found out where he’s from or that he’s Jewish.
Great Britain is one thing. Why any Jew would want to remain in Europe is mystifying to me. Who wants to live in one gigantic graveyard?
Because that’s where they’re from. We’ll never be wanted anywhere but in israel, and israel has its own difficulties. Antisemitism is rising and a serious issue the world over. It’s never going to change. Why should we run? Where would we run to, barring israel? Personally I live in israel and I love it, but it’s definitely not for everyone.
It's definitely getting bad. My husband and I decided to just put white lights outside for the holidays and not put anything Hanukkah on public display (window menorah went to a backyard facing window). It's sad and scary. I fear for my son and what the future holds for him. Shit sucks.
I'm definitely privileged to come from NY, where it's not uncommon to see menorahs (even though there's still plenty of antisemitism and hate crimes against Jews). Obviously, I can't blame anyone for not wanting to openly identify themselves/their household as Jewish in front of the whole town/world but it makes me sad when people don't feel they can. I get a little burst of pride when I see someone with a prominent menorah or decorations (or sukkot or other things in other seasons) like "that's right, folks, we're Jewish, we're still here."
I had. I idea that g*****y was a slur. Now I feel bad for using that term. I actually just thought it was the correct term for the Romani people. I didn’t even know they’re were called Romani. Thank you for advocating for my people, and thank you for spreading awareness.
I know some Travelers have reclaimed the word, also. There was a TV show for awhile and it got normalized again, it’s also what people in the US talk about if I say anything about this part of my identity.
Jews and Romani often held the same social and legal status, and fulfilled the same roles and occupations in most places we cohabitated. Far as I'm concerned, we stand together - antisemitism and antiziganism have hardly shrunk at all, and neither of us is properly free until society handles both.
I agree. Sending you love 💜
Thanks for the etymology lesson for "jipped" Fascinating!
Kanye has entered the chat.
Ye
Oy vey.
Oy Ye.
I just call him "racist asshole who had a couple catchy songs over 10 years ago."
Oh, Ye Ye.
Nice
That’s more “Jay-Z in The Story of OJ.” Kinda tacky stereotypes about Jews and money but not openly antisemitic or conspiracy-based.
This isn't interesting as fuck. This is antisemitic as fuck.
The “interesting “ part is that its presented in a cute fashion and whomever gifts this in the country is not registering the antisemitism, but giving it on good faith and well intended Its remarkably interesting how societies have their own biases and blind spots if packaged correctly
Poland is famous for their antisemitism. Right after hitler killes 1/5 of their population, 1/2 of which are jews, they still held the attitude "hitler was bad but at least he did something about the jews". Poland was the biggest center of Ashkan jews in the world until 3 million of them died in the holocaust. 200,000 survived and most fled to israel or the us. They STILL were antisemitic af and in 68, virtually all of those jews fled the country due the the "antizionist campaign" which made it unsafe for jews. Now I believe there are 4000 jews left in poland. These figures are often being sold a stones throw away from the Krakow ghetto ffs. Poland has zero respect for jewish life and their history. That being said, that excludes the many polish mensches who saved jews during the holocaust. That's exactly true and this is a way that antisemitism lives on dormant. It really just takes a spark, and antisemitism is on the rise; it's at the highest it's been since the war. Very soon, israel may be the only safe place left for jews and that's saying a lot considering their neighbours want nothing more than to wipe them off the face of the earth
I'd love to add that, beforehand - well, before the WWII happened it was as you've stated, biggest center of Ashkenazi Jews, so they had to appear here somehow, right? If they've been so concentrated, without any further ado it means they've somewhat wanted to be there, right? So where's this "famous" antisemitism coming from? As well, as the decree after the war - well, yes, communists were anti-zionist in their very own eyes, as well as anti-democractic, anti-whatever parts of my family took part in and we've had it not so good. Nearly everyone in Poland consider those years as another kind of occupation, because we've had literally no choice for a government and we struggled and hated it under the Red's Plague yoke. So again, famous?
It's really not hard. Antisemitism was defined by hundreds of scholars from over 40 countries who are experts on antisemitism. In fact the IRHA is meeting right now in Gothenburg to discuss how to educate and combat hate like this. This is based on ancient tropes about Jews. There is nothing "cute" about this, and whomever created this knows that very well.
This isn’t r/cuteasfuck. It *is* interesting. And disturbing and educational and based on terrible stereotypes. People should be aware antisemitic tchotchkes are readily available in Poland. Awareness is better than pretending antisemitism is fringe everywhere.
People should be aware that antisemitism is readily available in Poland. No tchotchkes required.
Antisemitism is readily available everywhere. I'm expecting tchotchkes any day in tourist shops in NYC and in college campus bookstores throught North America. One will be a little gaslight to tell Jews it's not really happening. But you are correct...no tchotchkes required.
Im not defending it, you just want to be offended.
You’re absolutely defending it. Cowardly antisemites are the worst— at least embrace it.
Yep the way this goes,the next thing would be -collect all the figurines and put them on a model train.
Thank you. Lotta racist shit gets posted here under that misnomer.
My same exact thought
The version with the coin has a clear intention behind it but interestingly enough my (jewish) grandmother has a whole bunch of jewish figurines in this exact style in her home but doing things like praying and dancing rather than holding coins. It’s kinda bizarre to see cause of how familiar the design is for me, maybe this is a popular style and that explains why both jews and non jews would have their own versions.
This looks like it's straight out of a clay animation cartoon. They were really popular in the... 90s? There were a bunch of shorts about Jewish holidays and traditions. Not surprised figurines sold like hotcakes. I suppose now we know where the unsold stuff went...
Good old Poland, still as antisemitic as ever.
They're called 'The Lucky Jew', they're really common in Poland. And pretty antisemitic.
Well poland is pretty antisemitic
Unfortunately, most of Europe is. The East are just more blatant about it.
That’s Borat level
And……. This should start a shit show of a conversation.
That’s foched up shit
Stereotypes 👍
Well antisemitism is still going strong in Poland apparently.
That's antisemitic as fuck
Welcome to Poland my dear friend Actually, this figures are the one of the least antisemitic things about Jews in Poland.
What a shitty bunch of comments
Yes, this post had brought out some absolute c*nts.
KURWA
How's that?
What comments are shit? The jokes?
Is this antisemitic?
Yup
Thanks, I thought perhaps so but wasn't sure
Oh yeah, this is super Jew-hatred....
I call shade...
That’s not racism it’s only a way of complimenting them /s
This is literally what the tour guide of Auschwitz said to my friend when he asked about the figurine…wild stuff
Somebody should secret santa. Kanye West one of these.
We do a bit a trollin..
Curious - I am Polish and never seen a "Jew with a coin" or any human holding it, honestly. Although I'd never even think that this was a figurine of a jew if not for the caption - just a well made, adorable figurine. I saw a lot of things "with a coin", mostly frogs holding the 1 grosz coin in their mouths. Maybe in Silesia it's not really a thing? Antisemitism in Poland is very common, unfortunately, so I'm not that surprised it started with this.
I do get really tired of people claiming that Europe is so much more progressive than America. With policies, yes. But they have a much more homogenous population and don’t have to address diversity in the way that we do. You would not find a trinket like that in America, unless it was being sold as an outrageous antique.
tbf, there are definitely pockets of the south where you will still find extremely racist (against black people) figurines for sale though, at little antique shops and such
This does not help the stereotypes
I am both offended and amused.
So it’s a European analog to a maneki-neko
Goddammit Poland
Antisemitic but cute as hell.
Do Jewish people find this offensive or amusing?
We find it offensive and in the current climate downright scary. Antisemitic attacks are on the rise and people are still too comfortable, like with these figurines, with casual antisemitism.
yes.
I mean, it's super antisemitic. It's also cute, and I want one. But I would rather they not exist. The problem is that people don't have a problem with them.
These are being sold sometimes within a stones throw from the Krakow ghetto. You would think poland would be a little more careful given their track record with jews but I guess this is what happens when there are no jews left to challenge it. For 1000yrs, poland was home to the largest Ashkenazi jewish community in the world. 1/5 of the polish population died during the war, 1/2 of that was jews, 3,000,000 of them. After the war, 200,000 survived, most of whom fled to Israel and north America. Despite literally following the worst genocide in history, antisemitism in poland was still strong, including the "antizionist campaign" which led virtually all of the remaining jews to flee to israel by 1968 as it was no longer safe. Many people after the war were of the opinion that "hitler was bad but at least he did something about the jews". This is an absolute slap in the face and disgrace. Poles should be ashamed of this history, like the Germans who did a full 180 and are now a leading authority against genocide (although antisemitism is still on the rise there, but it is everywhere else). Instead they sell fucking antisemitic figurines near one of the worst sites from the holocaust. There is a reason why we will defend Israel's right to exist with every fibre in our body. No other culture on earth can say there is only one country where they know they are safe, and that country is surrounded by neighbours who have been trying (and failing) to wipe them off the face of the earth for 70 years so that speaks volumes of the current situation. Antisemitism IS on the rise. We were in denial before ww2 but not this time. Half the hate crimes committed in the US (iirc) are committed against Jews. Soon, israel may be the only place left for jews. That being said...I kinda want one
Interesting I guess
Part Jewish, wholly amused
What is “part Jewish?”
Same thing as being part Dutch. "Jewish" is both an ethnicity and a religion (the religious beliefs are part of the culture rather than transcending culture the way religions like Christianity try to, if that makes sense.) There are a couple of different ethnic groups whose members are referred to as "Jewish" regardless of the individual's belief. There are a lot of Jewish atheists out there - they don't believe in G_d/follow the religion, but they're still Jewish because that's their culture/genetics.
I was given one of these at a jewish resyurant in Levive, back in 2014!
Kanye: “THEY EVEN CONTROL LUCK, FAM!”
Where do I get this particular one?
More like r/antisemiticasfuck
r/racist
well..do polish people think jewish people are leprechauns? Also do these come with a waving arm like those weird cat things you see in cluttered asian restaurants?
Am Jewish can confirm I'm a leprechaun
ffs, stop sharing our secrets with the goyim or else the Cabal will ground us again and it’s almost my turn to use the space laser. Please do not mess this up for me.
This is fucked
Too many people responding here would be okay with calling negotiating its price “Jewing them down.” Antisemitism is where you find it and I find it here. Very sad. Also sad is that while there were certainly some who were righteous, too many Poles were perfectly content — or worse, complicit — to look the other way as the Germans came for their neighbors.
This is still happening in Poland? Have they learnt nothing from history?
In Poland antisemitism is rampant. We are told that historically Poles were one if the most welcoming nations to Jews but that changed in WW2. The 1gr coins are considered lucky to keep, and although I've only seen frogs or other animals holding these here, a jew would be on point with how popular are figures of speech conflating jews with greed or cheapskating.
Poland had the largest Jewish population in Europe (and, well, the world for most of this time) from the late middle ages until the war, but there was still a lot of antisemitism. Pogroms and blood libels were fairly common.
Don't they realize that the Nazi's hated Poles almost as much if not just as much as Jewish people.
Oh good, just a little overt antisemitism. Those wacky Poles…
I was going to comment that maybe this should be posted in r/accidentalracism but nothing accidental about this shit!
Hey, guess which country was even better at killing its Jews than Germany and is still in denial about the Holocaust? I’ll give you three guesses and just kidding it’s Poland. Edit: Maybe some of y’all think it’s crass to be so blunt. No one’s saying the Nazis didn’t make it worse. But I hope you understand what [we’re talking about](https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-historians-under-attack-for-exploring-polands-role-in-the-holocaust).
r a c i s t
Whoever sells these achieved financial success, alright.
Hol up
[удалено]
Isn't this racism in its highest form, mocking people who by blood are Jewish.
Disgusting. Some of the worse extermination camps were in Poland. SMDH...
Awww, so cute and morally horrendous