As retold by Bruce Lowitt

Two beggars are sitting a few feet apart on a busy street in a small town in Mississippi. One has a sign which reads, "Please help a wounded war veteran." The other's sign reads, "Help a poor old Jew."

Hundreds of people pass by during the day. Just to spite the Jew and to show him how unwelcome he is, even those who would never ordinarily give money to a beggar make a big showing of giving some to the veteran.

Finally someone gives money equally to both, then asks the Jew: "Look, why don't you change your sign? I hate to say it, but people around here don't particularly like Jews. With a sign like that, in this neighborhood, you're never going to get a penny."

The Jew turns to the other beggar and says, "Moishe, look who's trying to  teach us marketing."