@farmerman,
Nyet! It was specifically stated that it was a Jewish company. It was not stated that it was a Jewish "owned" company. There is a difference in the interpretation by the popular culture. That being that a company "becomes Jewish" based on its ownership. And, we both know that it was "Jewish companies" that were targeted for takeover by the Nazi party. IG Farben was a chemical company with many Jews on the Board of Directors (chemical companies evolving from the medieval used clothes "dying rags" trade - Jews being involved since it was one of the few trades they could participate in). When Germany incorporated Austria into the Reich, IG Farben and other "Jewish companies" suddenly became bereft of Jewish personnel, including Boards of Directors. So, IG Farben, as it incorporated chemical companies into itself, in each conquered country, was "cleansed of its Jewish past," and was an acceptable Aryan owned company.
My point is that the term "Jewish company" has a dark side. And, even today, many an urban youth (and not so young) still thinks of some businesses as Jewish or not.
So, if one is not biased, then one should, in my opinion, learn the correct vernacular. Like Jews like to be referred to as Jewish, not Jew, since "Jew" has historically just been used as an epithet. It was used like the "N" word.
And, to refer to a company as Jewish is really just something that one would have heard in the first half of the 20th century, when Jews were marginalized in many venues - business, academia. If one still subscribes to such designations, my opinion is that it is just an atavistic use of language.
By the way, the company in question was Florsheim shoes. That doesn't sound Jewish, like the last names of Jewish lawers in a law firm. So, how does Florsheim become Jewish?
