On Jewish Virtue (A Brief Article)
by S. O’Donnell
True multiculturalism is a marvelous thing. By that I mean the authentic multiculturalism of the past, not the American political ideology. Every nation exhibits something admirably human, just as every human culture presents the world with something unique. One might argue that certain nations are more virtuous or culturally more productive than others, but it doesn’t alter the fact that we may find inspiration in every nation. Considering the old adage “If you can’t say something good about somebody…”, it occurred to me to seek out something admirable in the Jewish character.
One American Jew has claimed that the true Jewish virtue is haggling. In my own culture haggling is no virtue. It’s something I personally dislike, whether on the giving or the receiving end. But could there be perhaps some real Jewish virtue besides haggling?
I came up with four virtues suggested by the stereotypical Jew. The first is ethnic and national solidarity. No nation on earth has exhibited the cohesion of the Jews. With their emphasis on the maternal lineage of the nation, the Jews understand well the flesh-and-blood component of nationality. There is, indeed, something to the idea that each human child involuntarily continues the race of its mother and the heritage of her ancestors. While all the other nations of the earth undergo the long historical cycle of birth, development, and then degeneration and death, the Jews have perpetuated their race. (I explain this both by evolutionary tactics and by divine intervention. My personal conviction is that the Jews are, indeed, the Chosen People, though they squandered their divine inheritance). In a feat unmatched in any other nation, the Jews have been building their race for several millennia, even though today the physical product of such a long “unnatural” biology often appears hideous in the eyes of non-Jews, disgusted by the physical ugliness of many contemporary Jews.
Jewish solidarity is explained in part by rigid social hierarchies. Recognizing that all members of society possess different talents and abilities, the traditional Jewish community was a cohesive cooperative of religious leaders, merchants, craftsmen, and laborers. Americans may find it hard to believe that throughout most of history there has been a distinct class of Jews that worked with their hands! From the time when the Jews in Western and also Eastern Europe began to assimilate, the influence of Jewish Talmudism declined, and the traditional cohesion of the community was weakened, though remnants of the old system survive today, particularly in the notion that wealthy and privileged Jews bear some obligation towards poorer Jews. One lesson here for non-Jews is the significance of social hierarchies, something evident in every healthy society (and opposed to America’s deceptive “egalitarianism”). Despite what the American Constitution tells you, not all men are created equal, a fact Jews have understood well.
A second virtue is suggested by the Jews’ discipline and perseverance. The Jews are enterprising. They are not given to aimless idleness. When I was growing up nice Jewish boys didn’t spend their time hanging out on street corners or flipping pinball machines. The trait is hinted at in the Old Testament, even though the Jews of the Old Testament at times also showed lack of discipline and perseverance. It was further developed after the dispersion of the Jews and during their life in diaspora. This quality was honed through the centuries by the study of the Talmud and Jewish religious texts. Jewish religious studies involve the memorization of long texts, as well as intense, tedious debate (religious haggling, if you will). There are certain mind games at which the Jews always excel. Blame it on the Talmud.
In few creative areas is discipline so important as in music, a field dominated today in America by Jews. I must admit that I am not an admirer of Jewish discipline in the arts. That discipline, not creativity, is the basis of Jewish success. I don’t believe Vladimir Horowitz or Pinchas Zukerman are great performers of classical music, even though the media today bombard the world with propaganda about these and other Jewish musicians. The “art” of Horowitz, Zukerman, and other Jewish fiddlers and tunesmiths consists of a lot of disciplined practice but little creative spirit. Jews succeed in the arts only when they gain an advantage by hard work and practice (e.g. music), or when they can use their Talmudic skills for cutting, pasting and plagiarizing (e.g. writing). We observe also that their talent for playing instruments is not matched by any gift for creating music, though again, the American media constantly tell you that Jews like Copland, Gershwin and Bernstein are the “greats” of American music. Nevertheless – one can never accuse the Jews of a lack of energy.
A third Jewish virtue is charitable works. Some of the most prominent benefactors and doers of charitable works in America and throughout the world are Jews. Numerous museums, cultural institutions, and visible landmarks in America bear Jewish names. Jerry Lewis and Paul Newman provide examples of Jews who make a personal sacrifice for charity. And yet, as with so many Jewish matters, this is something of a shell game. Jewish philanthropy extending to and benefiting non-Jews is far less significant than one might suppose from observing the media. Like the pea in the shell game, the green stuff is never really where you think it is. Charities these days are big business, providing lots of Jews with cushy, prestigious jobs. And whenever a Jew administers any type of charity or aid, he always does his best to see that the resources benefit other Jews.
Some of the biggest benefactors of American public charity during the past two decades have been recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union. In a city in which I lived a group of so-called “Russians” (who in fact do speak Russian, though they are biologically and culturally distinct from ethnic Russians) were settled in comfortable high-rise apartment buildings. Never in the history of America was any group of immigrants pampered like those Jews from Russia! That was one of the most obscene scenes I have ever witnessed. In the final analysis, Jewish charity is a charade. One may Jew set an example by performing a very visible work of charity, but in the end, it is Jews who wind up with most of the rewards of charity.
The last virtue is multilingualism, something I value highly. As a multilingual born in America, I despise America’s proud, obstinant monolingualism and the related negative traits. In my own community it is said that a person is as many times a person as the number of languages he speaks. While I reject all moral relativism, I do accept some cultural relativism. There are certain aspects of culture, just as there are works of literature, that cannot be translated intact into another language. English monolingualism is a type of cultural and intellectual poverty. Jews understand that fact, as do I, and it doesn’t bother the Jews one bit that Americans take comfort in their own ignorance and blind pride. Throughout their history the Jews have been bi- or multilingual, and they have squeezed that talent for every drop of economic, political and cultural advantage it is worth. Non-Jews would do well to emulate their practice.
The Jewish stereotype is overwhelmingly negative, which is one reason Jews always discount stereotypes. Because they are furtive and they want to keep non-Jews from knowing them, Jews fear stereotypes. They have had their greatest successes to date in the Babylon of America, because in America they often have been able to operate in secrecy and maintain all their Jewish networks, whilst keeping their identity concealed from non-Jews.
Only a fool believes he has no need to know his enemy. Non-Jews cannot survive without a knowledge of the Jew. And just as every race on earth displays certain talents, the Jews have a couple of skills that non-Jews should learn to identify. Jewishness is an “inside joke” that most Americans just don’t get. It is a language non-Jews do not comprehend. Unless Americans come to know them, i.e. come to recognize Jews on the basis of deeds, not from the charades of Spielberg movies and newspaper editorials, then the Jews will continue to have their way in America.
October 2004
from the Old Country
