It’s because the archetype of the “devious swindler” and its historical resemblance to stereotypical Jewish facial features is deeply rooted in the shared mythology of the west. It mainly stems from the fact that many Jews who were in diaspora during the late Middle Ages were the only people allowed to work in finance because usury was disallowed by the church.

This caused most in the developing west to view them as at best a necessary evil and at worst a parasite. It morphed into what we have today over long periods of time so subtly that it is indistinguishable from our cultural mythos.