This article traces the evolution of mid-twentieth-century Jewish adaptations of Shakespeare's comedy "The Merchant of Venice," which aimed to counter the perceived antisemitism of the play that had pervaded European attitudes toward Jews. Through close comparative readings, I attempt to tease out the disparities between successive and at times overlapping versions, and I suggest some historical and cultural causes of these differences. The adaptations, which all date to the crucial years 1943-48, shift between genres, languages, and places of origin. They are informed by, and reflect, the events and historical processes of the period.