Writers from Shakespeare to Dickens would identify Jewish characters by giving them red hair. In Italy, red hair was associated with Italian Jews. ![]() ![]() During the Spanish Inquisition, all those with red hair were identified as Jewish. Red hair was especially closely linked with Judas Iscariot, who was commonly shown with red hair to identify him as Jewish. This stereotype probably originated because red hair is a recessive trait that tends to find higher expression in highly endogamous populations, such as in Jewish communities where Jews were forbidden to marry outsiders. In European culture, prior to the 20th century, red hair was commonly identified as the distinguishing negative Jewish trait. ![]() Watercolor illustration by Joseph Clayton Clarke of Fagin, a stereotypical red-haired Jewish criminal from Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist
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