Jewface! The History of Racist Jewish Stereotypes

  Jewface!   Introduction Jewface refers to the creation and propagation of racist Jewish stereotypes and caricatures. After being forced from their homeland in the Middle East over 2,000 years ago, Jews became a nomadic people who eventually spread throughout Europe. As outsiders they were often viewed with suspicion by the locals and many myths were created about them. Jewish people have been stereotyped throughout the centuries and have often been used as scapegoats for a multitude of societal problems.   Racist Jewish Stereotypes Jews have been stereotyped as greedy, nit-picky, misers and they have often been depicted counting money or collecting gold and jewels. Anti-Semitism flourished for centuries and reached a climax in Nazi Germany during World War II with the Holocaust, when Hitler tried to exterminate all of the Jews in Europe. Though anti-Semitism is less overt now in polite society than it has been in the past, the underlying stereotypes and attitudes about what it means