The word “Mauschel” is a pejorative epithet for Jews which is formed from the verb mauscheln, “to speak German with a Yiddish accent.” One etymology derives it from the Yiddish Moyschele or “little Moses”, though the sound also evokes connotations of Maus (mouse). The German writer and theologian Johann Peter Hebel translated it as “Mauses”, evoking the verminous creature orthographically and phonetically. Mauschel is attested from the 17th century as a word for a haggling Jewish trader, but the term’s meaning was then extended to refer pejoratively to Judeo-Germans generally, regardless of the quality of their German. The connotative sense of both forms extends from hustling and swindling to insincerity and duplicitous or generally dishonourable behaviour.

Never knew about this, but I’m guessing this is were the “Maus” graphic novel got inspiration from too.

Mauschel is a polemic article written and published by Theodor Herzl in 1897 under the name “Benjamin Seff”. … The text appeared in his newspaper, Die Welt, which was to become the principal outlet for the Zionist movement and was published roughly a month after the conclusion of the First Zionist Congress.

The essay contrasts Jews with the character “Mauschel”, a stand-in for Jews that embrace anti-Zionism and embody antisemitic tropes levied at Jews. The article has often been criticized for embracing antisemitic pejoratives and stereotypes and has been used as an example of Zionist antisemitism.