The involvement of Jews in the money trade has been attested since the Middle Ages. In medieval Europe, lending money was by far their most important, even if not their only, livelihood. Credit operations went hand in hand with other activities such as coinage, money exchange, precious metal trading, and tax-farming. Like money trading, these occupations required the availability of capital, knowledge of accounting and metallurgy, and close relations with the authorities. With the changes in finance in modern times (Bankers), money lending by Jews (and other groups) came to…