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Line 18: ==Ethnographic analysis== Scholars have looked at a number of dimensions of those figurines. One of those is the [[Antisemitic canard#Usury and profiteering\|stereotypical connection between Jews and money]]. According to Polish scholar of Jewish history, {{ill\|Bożena Umińska-Keff\|pl\|Bożena Umińska-Keff}}, while Jews were associated with money and financial gain in Poland for many centuries, the rise of the coin imagery in post-communist Poland is not coincidental as Jews have become associated with success in the capitalistic West that post-1989 Poland aspires to catch up to.<ref name="haaretz20141120" /> Sociologist Ewa Tartakowsky ties the popularity of the figurines to the even more recent growth of public discourse on the Holocaust in Poland, that began with [[Jan T. Gross]]'s publication of ''[[Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland]]'' (2001).<ref name="Tartakowsky"/> Journalist Benny Mer, however, proposed an alternative explanation, suggesting that as murdered Jews were a source of enrichment for some Poles who charged high prices for hiding Jews and plundered Jewish property, that the association of Jews with money may be more recent, having risen from that process, and may be the cause behind the existence of the figurines in modern Poland.<ref name="haaretz20141120"/>▼ According to [[Erica Lehrer]] who curated the ''Souvenir, Talisman, Toy'' exhibition, some Jews who travel to Poland often see the figurines as "inflammatory and shocking, and mostly it gets read in the context of antisemitism". Lehrer says that while one can not understand the figurines with the coin without referring the history of antisemitic imagery, the figurines are rooted in a long history that is more complex than just antisemitism. According to Lehrer, the folk artists creating the figurines, especially the older ones, treat the figurines with artistic, sensitive treatment. One use of the charms is as tourist keepsakes and tokens of nostalgic or political attempt to connect with Jewish past, whereas a second use is as a good luck charm bringing prosperity. Lehrer states that the figurines are seen in Polish folk society as innocent and even complimentary towards Jewish people, and that most do not realize such items might be controversial.<ref name="LehrerUSHMM">[https://www.ushmm.org/confront-antisemitism/antisemitism-podcast/erica-lehrer USHMM VOICES ON ANTISEMITISM PODCAST], USHMM, 1 October 2015</ref><ref name="Tartakowsky"/>▼ ▲Another issue is the meaning and impact of this motif. According to [[Erica Lehrer]] who curated the ''Souvenir, Talisman, Toy'' exhibition, some Jews who travel to Poland often see the figurines as "inflammatory and shocking, and mostly it gets read in the context of antisemitism". Lehrer says that while one can not understand the figurines with the coin without referring the history of antisemitic imagery, the figurines are rooted in a long history that is more complex than just antisemitism. According to Lehrer, the folk artists creating the figurines, especially the older ones, treat the figurines with artistic, sensitive treatment. One use of the charms is as tourist keepsakes and tokens of nostalgic or political attempt to connect with Jewish past, whereas a second use is as a good luck charm bringing prosperity. Lehrer states that the figurines are seen in Polish folk society as innocent and even complimentary towards Jewish people, and that most do not realize such items might be controversial.<ref name="LehrerUSHMM">[https://www.ushmm.org/confront-antisemitism/antisemitism-podcast/erica-lehrer USHMM VOICES ON ANTISEMITISM PODCAST], USHMM, 1 October 2015</ref><ref name="Tartakowsky"/> According to historian and sociologist [[Alina Cała]], three points of reference stand out in the figurines. The first is reminiscent of figurines in the traditional Emaus Easter fair, the second is [[black magic]], whereas the third is the traditional [[Antisemitic canard#Usury and profiteering\|antisemitic caricature of Jewish moneylender]] which was exploited in Nazi and Polish iconography. However, whereas classical moneylender tropes often presented assimilated Jews the current Polish figurines present Jews in traditional Orthodox dress.<ref name="Cala">[http://ispan.waw.pl/journals/index.php/slh/article/download/slh.2015.010/1596 Cała, Alina. "„Pamiątka, Zabawka, Talizman/Souvenir, Talisman, Toy”(wystawa w Muzeum Etnograficznym w Krakowie, 2013 rok, kuratorka: Erica Lehrer)". Studia Litteraria et Historica 3-4 (2015): 265-271.]</ref>▼ ▲According to historian and sociologist [[Alina Cała]], three points of reference stand out in the figurines. The first is reminiscent of figurines in the traditional Emaus Easter fair, the second is [[black magic]], whereas the third is the traditional [[Antisemitic canard#Usury and profiteering\|antisemitic caricature of Jewish moneylender]] which was exploited in Nazi and Polish iconography. However, whereas classical moneylender tropes often presented assimilated Jews the current Polish figurines present Jews in traditional Orthodox dress.<ref name="Cala">[http://ispan.waw.pl/journals/index.php/slh/article/download/slh.2015.010/1596 Cała, Alina. "„Pamiątka, Zabawka, Talizman/Souvenir, Talisman, Toy”(wystawa w Muzeum Etnograficznym w Krakowie, 2013 rok, kuratorka: Erica Lehrer)". Studia Litteraria et Historica 3-4 (2015): 265-271.]</ref> ▲According to Polish scholar of Jewish history, {{ill\|Bożena Umińska-Keff\|pl\|Bożena Umińska-Keff}}, while Jews were associated with money and financial gain in Poland for many centuries, the rise of the coin imagery in post-communist Poland is not coincidental as Jews have become associated with success in the capitalistic West that post-1989 Poland aspires to catch up to.<ref name="haaretz20141120" /> Journalist Benny Mer, however, proposed an alternative explanation, suggesting that as murdered Jews were a source of enrichment for some Poles who charged high prices for hiding Jews and plundered Jewish property, that the association of Jews with money may be more recent, having risen from that process, and may be the cause behind the existence of the figurines in modern Poland.<ref name="haaretz20141120"/> Cultural studies scholar Paweł Dobrosielski concurs that the motif associating money with Jews used in such figurines or paintings has antisemitic origins, however according to Dobrosielski this was tamed and redirected to a positive meaning in supporting Poles seeking wealth. Dobrosielski suggests that it may represent a desire to situate Poland in the history of capitalism, stressing the fact that the mercantile Jewish traditions are also Polish traditions. He concludes that this motif has implications for the discussion of "superstitions, capitalism and anti-Semitism" in the Polish society.<ref name="Tartakowsky"/><ref name=dobr>PAWEŁ DOBROSIELSKI, [https://www.nck.pl/upload/archiwum_kw_files/artykuly/6._pawel_dobrosielski_-_zyd_z_pieniazkiem_jako_praktyka_polskiej_kultury_wernakularnej.pdf] „ŻYD Z PIENIĄŻKIEM” JAKO PRAKTYKA POLSKIEJ KULTURY WERNAKULARNEJ Wstępny raport z badań. Narodowe Centrum Kultury Narodowe Centrum Kultury</ref> Sociologist Ewa Tartakowsky ties the popularity of the figurines to the growth of public discourse on the Holocaust in Poland, that began with [[Jan T. Gross]]'s publication of ''[[Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland]]''. According to Tartakowsky, even if the figurines are not an expression of antisemitism, they are affected by the dis-inhibition of xenophobic rhetoric and marking of those designated as "enemies of the state". Tartakowsky notes that freedom of expression in post-1989 Poland is reflective of the American model, as opposed to the French one, favoring freedom of expression over the outlawing hate speech. Tartakowsky notes the [[reappropriation]] of Jewish figurines is deeply ambiguous, but is troubling due to the modern political context and stereotyping.<ref name="Tartakowsky"/> Johnny Daniels, activist promoting the dialogue between Jews and Poles, considers such items an “insensitive but ultimately harmless expression of nostalgia”, comparable to the [[cigar store Indian]] in the United States.<ref name="JTA20180818" />