I am trying to make sense of so much hatred towards Jews when the world Jewish population is approximately 0.2%.
Christians comprise 32%, Muslims 23% and even total unaffiliated have much larger numbers at 16%. Apparently, Jews are David to the world’s Goliath.
Is it because Jews, though small in numbers, are significant in their contributions?
Between 1901-1962, 16% of the Nobel Prize winners for science were Jews. Between 1851-2000 half of the world chess grandmasters were Jews.
As early as 1908, Jews outperformed gentiles in university entrance exams. Between 1957-1990 the average earnings of Jewish men were 130% greater than their white male counterparts.
Is the hatred due to Jews for inventions in medicine and science – such as the Exoskeleton or the PillCam; groundbreaking MS treatment; innovations in knee replacements; corneal blindness; minimally invasive breast cancer treatments and cervical cancer screening and treatment?
Jews are at the forefront of genetic engineering; invented the Google search engine and Intel as well as responsible for the birth of video games, stainless steel, drip irrigation and invention of the polio vaccine.
Conversely, according to the US Department of Justice, Jews have a low crime rate, lower than that of other religious groups and lower than would be expected based on the Jewish proportion of the population.
I ask myself, what’s the deal? So successful yet so disliked. What caused the success to begin with?
Jews have always studied the Torah and the Talmud, Judaism’ religious texts. This study has always been considered a “mitzvah”, equal to all other, including honoring one’s parents, performing deeds of loving kindness and bringing peace between people.
It is so ingrained in Jewish culture it’s as if it is in one’s DNA. Further accentuating the need to study, learn, excel, accomplish was the need among Jews to rise above the constant subjugation Jews have suffered over the centuries.
To survive one must be successful, so it is necessary to study to raise oneself up.
The successes of Jews can be applauded or even admired but it also brings envy and that manifests itself in the uninformed erroneously hating Jews for any fabricated blame they can devise.
So, though small, like David, Jews, compared to the Goliath of other religious groups, have a need to find a way to survive. And our slingshot is education.
Before the other 99.8% decide to boycott divest and sanction, they should take a long look at the list of accomplishments that Jews, focusing on education have provided the world and decide if they want to take that stone to the forehead and fall like Goliath.
How foolish an antisemite appears protesting Jews and Israel and attempting to wipe off the face of the earth a mere 0.2 % of the world population.
