I think it’s pathetic," the Texas lawmaker said, contrasting them to golf legend Tiger Woods, who reportedly turned down nearly $1 billion to join LIV Golf. Thirty shekels refers to the pieces of silver that Judas was paid for betraying Jesus in the New Testament, Haaretz suggested. Nowadays, the term is used to refer to traitors, often with religious connotations. In 2018, the son of former US president Donald Trump, Eric Trump, was accused of antisemitism for saying a journalist earned “three extra shekels” for promoting his book release on CNN News. In response to Trump’s comments, the Southern Poverty Law Center noted that “shekels” is “not just Israeli currency, but a derogatory term used by white supremacists and neo-Nazis to tie into antisemitic tropes about Jewish people and money.”

Source: CNN June 18, 2022 11:08 UTC