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Does Picking Up Fallen Change Make Jews Look Cheap?

By Heshy Fried / May 9, 2009

I am walking down the street and suddenly I see a penny on the ground, I resist the urge to bend down and grab it and keep walking. I think about the penny on the ground and walk back, casually looking around me and trying to see if I can bend down without anyone noticing. What is wrong with me, I debate whether I should remove my yarmulke to go in for the kill, and then just like that I pick it up and keep walking – no need to make a big scene, lest someone decide to call me a cheap kike or a shylock.

I thought I was the only one who went through the "I don’t want people to justify the cheap Jew stereotype" but it turns out that I’m not. In fact. it turns out that plenty of people think along these lines as they ponder picking up pennies from the sidewalk, left on a counter or from the "take a penny leave a penny" bucket commonly found at gas stations. Jews around the world are faced with a decision every time they come across a free penny: if I pick this up, will people be justified in their anti-Semitic stereotypes? I rarely remove my yarmulke for any reason. I will walk into a bar, club, concert, movie or rural area devoid of Jews while wearing my yarmulke. I am a proud Jew and have even come to the conclusion that even if were not religious I would still wear my yarmulke proudly, my yarmulke is more cultural then religious – I like being different and yarmulkes are a great way to be that – except when comes to fallen change. College was especially hard for me, because college kids just leave change everywhere. I would find stray quarters by the parking meters, in the bookstore, on the lunch counters and in lecture halls – and I would have to do a reconnaissance mission before I could deem whether it was safe to pick it up or not.   Everyone picks up fallen change, but its sad that as a Jew I have to worry about what others think when I bend down to pick it up.

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  • Gil Tal
    By Gil 5/27/09 at 9:11 a.m. UTC

    Its one thing to pick up a penny off the ground, but if you take a penny out of the "leave a penny, take a penny" thing on the counter of a store for a purpose other than making exact change to pay for whatever it is you are paying for at the moment, than yes, you are absolutely playing into the stereotype. 

    As a Jew, I have to say that it wasn’t until I once took a job in a retail store that I became very conscious of these issues.  The worst thing is that I began to see allot of stereotype confirming behavior from our Jewish customers (complaining about prices, asking for deals or discounts when things were already on sale, asking for services for free), and wether its justified or not, it was always noticed by the non Jewish employees in the store….

     

  • carl s. grant
    By c grant 5/26/09 at 1:43 a.m. UTC

    Yes my grandfather also heard the streets were paved with gold.  He got here and found out that they weren’t paved at all.  What was worse he was going to be paving them.  That aside, the best way to deal with most predjudice is to ignore it.  If you do what you do naturally without concern for what people think, perceptive people will find it ok, and as for the rest, who cares?

  • FD Burke
    By FDBurke 5/17/09 at 7:57 p.m. UTC

    One, a penny is still currency. And for another, if Abe is looking at you, it’s good luck. 

    It’s too bad you actually debate whether or not to take off your yarmulke.  Are you nuts? Screw the knuckledraggers. 

  • Angie
    By GA-PEACHES72 5/14/09 at 2:08 p.m. UTC

    I think only the smart people pick up the change. Now a days you have to make every penny count. So do your part and pick it up.

  • Yonah Lavery
    By Yonah 5/10/09 at 11:27 p.m. UTC

    I actually figure that dropped change is like forgotten sheaves, and that you shouldn’t pick it up unless you would have also qualified for gleaning back in the day. I used to be an avid penny person, though.

  • Daniel Lewis
    By googooww 5/10/09 at 9:01 p.m. UTC

    Yeah, remember that Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry throws down a five dollar bill at a memorial service so he can escape in the ensuing mayhem? That drove me crazy. Like, what right does Larry David have to stereotype us on HBO?

    Anyways, I always pick up change too, but not for the money. I just hate having litter everywhere. 

  • By Uber-jew 5/10/09 at 6:13 p.m. UTC

    If you’re a jew who cares about picking up pennies, then pick them up.  Sad is having to take off your kipa because just wearing it endangers you.  What is not sad, but rather inevitable, is that stereotypes will continue to be hased and rehashed forever. I say bend down and pick the penny up–it will strengthen your back bone, which is what it sounds like you a need a little more of to start. 

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