Michael wrote:
>For example, in the South Jewish people commonly ran the general store,
which was a major >source of credit. Interest was high and no doubt seemed
unfair. The Jew, in effect, put >a face on capitalism.
this gets closer to a historical context for this aspect of modern anti-semitism. The usury argument is overblown. Medieval Christians practiced usury regularly, they just hid it in the books. Borrowing from Jewish moneylenders as a last resort and at high interest, not simple usury, is where the Shylock trope comes in.
And none of this is much help in answering Doug's question about anti-semitism in Japan and Malaysia.