Dear LPG,

Isn’t it funny how people from different countries and cultures get type cast?  The Irish have a reputation for being relatively stupid and gullible, while the Scottish are supposed to be thrifty or ‘tight’ with money, the English are thought to be stuck up, and West Indians are meant to be fairly quick tempered and then there are the Jews…

My West Indian perspective on life has taught me that many of us, including me, and excluding their national and cultural way of dressing, could never identify a Jew in a crowd of predominantly white faces, but it is easy to spot the black faces and, history has evidenced that that clear difference has not helped with the general and obvious problems and difficulties that people that share my origins have faced over the past few centuries and decades.

We all know that most races have faced their own share of national troubles as their history has evolved, but my focus today falls on why so many Caucasians have problems with the Jewish community.

It has been that way from biblical times.  Is it because of their national resolve to remain true to the old testament or is it their reputation as the world’s nation of money grabbers?

I think that we need to define what a money grabber is at this point and ask, are we talking about swindlers or people who know how to make their money work for them? I am of the opinion that we are talking about both.   

A family friend, and ex-barrister at law, once said something that I have always thought about but never said to anyone until now.  He said that, over the years, the Indians and people from that part of Asia have shown themselves to be the national group of money grabbers of modern times and I have to agree with that to an extent.

My agreement is founded in my personal experience, although I would prefer to label members of that nation as financially shrewd.  I have to say that I have never had any experience with any Jewish individual in money matters, and have to conclude that we all need to be able to be sensible with money and perhaps there are things to be learned from the example of any financially shrewd national.

Rudy Morgan.