Word for the wise ©
With J, we have reached the 10th letter of the alphabet. Not bad going, eh? The Word for the wise © today centres on a people who have faced perennial malice and massacre. They were the first group of foreign merchants to establish themselves in England early in the 11th century, but as aliens they were regarded with suspicion and were vulnerable to hostility and frequent royal confiscations. They were expelled with popular approval in 1290 during the reign of Edward I.
Jew is recorded in English from 1606 on in the sense of "a grasping or extortionate money-lender or usurer." Although the Jews had lent substantial sums to the Church for the building of monasteries and cathedrals, they were forbidden under the Ordinances of 1253 to "enter any church or any chapel save in passing through, nor stay therein to the dishonour of Christ" (Bland, Brown and Tawney, 1933). It would seem that envy and xenophobia were the main drivers of the stereotype, and despite the deportation and the passage of time, the opprobrious figurative use of the word "Jew" that became part of English some 400 years ago lives on.Along with disfiguring the English language, hatred of Jews has perverted European society and when Pope Benedict XVI visited the Cologne synagogue on 19 August, he warned of rising anti-Semitism saying, "How can we fail to see in this a reason for concern and vigilance?" Among the vigilant is UN Watch, an NGO in Geneva that combats anti-Semitism and the discriminatory treatment of Israel at the United Nations. It's currently seeking an Assistant Executive Director."
Next week, we're at "K". Candidates include "karaoke", "kebab" and "kismet".
