Jew with a coin
Polish good luck charm / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Jew with a coin (Żyd z pieniążkiem,[1][2][3] also little Jew (Żydki),[4] or lucky Jew ("Żyd na szczęście")[1]) is a good-luck charm in Poland, where images or figurines of the character, usually accompanied by a proverb, are said to bring good fortune, particularly financially.[1] The motif was first described in articles from 2000, and probably dates back to the early 1990s.[1][2][5][6] While widely recognized, the figurines are not the most popular good-luck charm in Poland.[1][7][8]
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,[9][10] in particular financial good luck.[1][11][12] The figurines have sometimes been criticized and called controversial as they draw on a traditional antisemitic canard of the Jewish moneylender.[13][14] 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.[4][5][11][15][16]