Endangered: Jewish Genius

Excuse me, but with all due respect you do not know what you're talking about at all. Today, there is no decrease and will decrease. Recent figures are still half the members of the National Department of Mathematics is Jewish. One-third of American scientists are Jews. Only in the 21st century. Ie the last ten years the percentage increase in the Jewish National Nobel Prize winners. Ie in the 20th century Jews were 25% of Nobel Prize winners. And the last ten years the Jews were almost 30%. There is no decrease in Intelligence and the Jewish average IQ is the highest in the world. Jews IQ of 117 compared to white non-Jews who have an average of only 100. Even in Chess, chess champions are half Jewish. Even today there are Jews like Hshachmtai named world number two Levon Arronian, and vice-world chess champion Boris Gelfand. Or the United States Chess Champion Uri Shulman. There is no decline in Jewish Intelligence and will never be.

Well, IQ studies aren't all that reliable. For instance, 4 studies were carried in Hong Kong with samples over 1000 and one came up with an average IQ of 103 and another came up with a result of 112. Even if we take the figure of an average IQ of 110, it's possible that the results are not representative at all since all of those studies that were taken into account by Lynn had samples of 400 or lower. Also, scientists often make methodological mistakes such as considering southern chinese and northern chinese to be absolutely the same, when several statistics suggest that southerners aren't as bright as Germans for instance. Also, Ashkenazi Jews had an advantage relative to several other groups such as the Indians, Chinese and even Americans. Modern science was born in Germany and Germany was much more developed than countries like China and India. Also, a lot of great scientists don't win the Nobel Prize, so it doesn't make sense to count the number of Jewish Nobel Prize winner instead of counting the number of people who published in major science journals.

Flawed study. Intelligence has at least some genetic basis. The intermarriage rates have risen to nearly 50% of American Jews by this generation. That means mixed genetics as well as mixed cultures and different accompanying values on the nurture end of things. The research is comparing apples to oranges.....an Ashkenazi genetic pool preserved from Europe with 2 Jewish parents instilling Jewish values and attitudes towards education and intellectualism in the home compared to a much more mixed pool a few generations later as assimilation caused unprecedented rates of intermarriage. Literally not the same pool of people both in nature and nurture.

This study does not take into consideration the rise in population with better access to education. I dont believe the Talmud is a secret formula to becoming intelligent. I think hardship and the struggle to survive sharpens the mind. Jews now have a nation with great military strength. And the rest of the developed world where 99% of Jews live do so in comfort and upper level lifestyle. young people take this for granted and fall asleep under the laurels.

many of the brilliant Jews mentioned were not members of any fundamentalist group. (ie ultra orthodox) In order to use your intelligence your mind must not be commited to any rigid way of thought. also, the turn from liberalism to conservatism among many Jewish groups has been a turn off to many young Jews who are looking for a cultural identity. feeling alienated, lost, many young ones turn to drugs and other escapist routes.

In my opinion, mainstream American Jewry is doing the best that it can to assimilate. Gone are the days where parents demanded academic performance and focus on things like music, literature and sciences. Gone are the days when kashrut and vibrant shuls and Shabbat observant created vibrant, non-assimilated communities that produced great scholars because Jewish kids were less distracted by sports and cheerleading camp. They also tended to avoid the drugs and petty crime that are epidemic in suburban America. When you give up the culture that produces special people, you stop producing special people. Just like a match requires oxygen to burn, the divine spark in us requires Torah and Jewish values to continue burning. I’m not saying that assimilated Jews are less Jewish than others, I’m just saying they’re being less Jewish and getting less of the benefit of our special relationship with the divine. Without Torah, we disappear as a people and revert to the mean.

The vast majority of the 20th century Jewish brains described above were not at all religious and did not have much of a Jewish education. Only a tiny fraction of the smart Jews in my cohort at MIT had a significant background in Jewish learning.

True, many were not religious, however their parents instilled a love of learning in them. That love of learning came from their grandparents/great grandparents. They still held on to some of the basic Jewish values which had been instilled in them. Little by little, that has been worn away. I remember as a child that even completely non religious Jews wouldn't think of intermarrying (except for a very few exceptions). That was also something that had been deeply instilled in them.

I always say we have our share of dummies and to deny this is to never answer the question why? I suppose its okay to self-complement - but find the proper equation to balance our existential elation over "being smart" - perhaps forgotten is another art! And that my friends allowing ourselves to impart upon our children and those we hold dear keeping our books - not our tech devices - near to our heart!

I think it all comes down to the new world having changed because of drugs and alcohol. Not to mention the addictons to various forms of technology. When was the last time you saw a group of slim kids playing outdoors after school, Jewish or not? Studies or no studies, smart people know that fresh airr and exercise is better for the brain than an hour of text messaging.

Genetically the Jews have not changed. Just there is not enough historical time for that. The anti-Semitism was a honing stone for their brains and resilience over many centuries. Perhaps a hostile environment and permanent struggle for surviving still keeps the Israeli Jews as a most innovative and intellectually savvy group on the planet. Yet, unlike the Israelis, the American Jews now enjoy a total freedom and live in a benign environment that is nearly free of anti-Semitism, at least on the political and business levels. This lack of a emotional pressure relaxed brains of the American Jews - to survive no longer they must excel. As a result, en mass they moved to less intellectually demanding professions, like sales, law, accounting, etc. The professions that require very intense work and mental stress or less likely provide a sizable monetary reward, such as science, engineering, classical music and other similar occupations – became less popular among the American Jews and that’s what we see as a general decline in their level.

There is a precident to assimilation rates not to be ignored. The contribution to that country's sciences, art and culture certainly spoke of Jewish creative genius. In the end what was not to be ignored that as a people among the people melting into the larger configuration for Jews is not an option. Its correction is an imperative no matter the genious that history shows over and over is not to be ignored!

If you follow the political direction now extant in America - as well as Europe and Scandinavia - you might see that we are not now positioned to be dismissive of the dynamics of anti-Semitism. Indeed historically speaking the essential of understanding what is a Jew in accordance with our creation as a people, our spiritual foundation is as imperative as it has ever been!

The effect can be observed and tested on any ethnic, racial or "economic" group. Persecutions sharpen, handouts kill.

For most of the 20th century most people just wanted a job and to get on with life which did not leave so many high flying slots nor so many staying to teh end of high school let alone college. Now that most finish high school and half go to college because the penny has dropped that education opens career doors, the Jewish cultural emphasis on formal study is no longer so exceptional. Besides remember that the Jewish academic laureates and "creative media" leaders were always a minority within the Jewish Community. Statistics do not lie but as they are a foreign language to many, they need some careful attention to understand.

More than at any time in past history we have people claiming to be Jews that have no right to do so under Halachah. A visit to any " reform temple " will prove my point. I have not read the study in question however it is safe to say that not everyone named Greenburg is a Jew even if they claim to be so.

Don't waste your time checking on a person's Jewishness. You're missing the point of Torah.

I think the Rabbi needs to look back at the Jewish history, the protectiveness, the effort to stay "pure", not assimilate or intergrate with the population around them. That way they "honed" their intellect, they did not loose their yiddishkeit, their cultural ethos stayed untouched. This, I believe, saved their purity throughout their history. But, the Jewish people paid a horrific price for this, not just during WW2, but all the way back to beginning, about 4000 years. But, after WW2, the integration started. I beleive it started with the large emmigration from Europe, East Europe and Russia and with this immigration group were masses of talented musicians, composers, litteratur minded people....and Broadway's Musical Theater was born. It was molded from Yiddish Theater, that was lived and performed in the lower east side Manhattan, in the Jewish Quarters. " Okalhoma, Fanny Girl, Gypsy, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, The Producers, etc. etc. etc. Thank you.... But, as to go back to the assimilation...yes, I believe, after these years, the Jewish people started the "exodus" into the population and lost some of their talent (Yiddishkeit) in the mix. The history of the Jewish People is tormenting drama. We all should read and maybe understand the horror of prejudiceism (?) ...anti semitism. I hope no one will take this writing in the wrong way. I just happen to be a poor Swede (no donation requests please),.who happen to admire theJewish people and who, probably, was a Jewish girl in her past life. Shalom

I do not believe,if I did,I am sure,that for so much arrogance,your own God will continue to decimate your numbers and will give you more rules than any race on the planet,untill your so called smart genes are mixed and serve love kindness,understanding,untill then,you might be considered a threat to world peace,and provoking,not only your own dimise! Hans kruithof

There is intelligence, knowledge, reasoning, and tenacity in many people. We can all read a book, learn the contents, and pass tests. We can memorize 1,000's of facts. We can attend the very best schools, but that doesn't make us smart ...... sometimes our educations are because of wealthy parents or out of sheer determination. For years the perception of Jews was that they were more intelligent than many other cultures. Now, that perception, among non-Jews, has changed to viewing Jews as simply being more clever. Two different distinctions, two different perceptions. Perception and reality sometimes mesh and perception becomes reality. - - - - - - - - - Being told he is brilliant doesn't make a man smarter than the average man, nor does attaining wealth or being honored put him above. It just allows him to believe that he is. We don't all aspire to be an Einstein, or a Gates or a Jobs. What is important is not ever about money or position or winning prizes, is it?

The Jewish school systems, whether in Israel or outside, whether religious or not, seem to only be interested in developing geniuses. I think Gd has given us a higher number of learning disabilities, asperger's and other challenges in order to remind us that we have to cater to ALL our children, make learning accessible to all and relevant to all. When we stop pressuring our children to be "ilu'im", and instead give our children the freedom to be children, to develop and explore, play and study in an age-appropriate manner, we will see great things happen.

Chana, Excerpt: " I think Gd has given us a higher number of learning disabilities, asperger's and other challenges in order to remind us that we have to cater to ALL our children, make learning accessible to all and relevant to all." Reply: Chana, I understand what you are trying to communicate, but could these greater number of inherited diseases in Ashkenazim come NOT from HaKadosh Baruch Hu, but rather, are a direct result of being one of the most, if not the most, ENDOGAMOUS populations in modern history (-due to forced ghettoization)? Meaning, movement is restricted, therefore suitable mates are restricted, consequently, cousins marry cousins, who marry cousins, who also marry other cousins. In fact, within the last 3 years, genetic DNA testing has taken a quantum leap forward with the autosomal DNA (atDNA) test, and so far, Ashkenazim are the most endogamous population on the planet. At a distant 2nd place; by a ratio of about 3:1, are the descendants of early American Colonists, who arrived in North America in the very early 1600's thru 1700's. Google atDNA testing for more info, and look for discussion forums on the topic. Regards, Daniel

Genetics, epigenetics, IQ and specifci IQ's, personality, culture, needs, avaliable alternatives and barriers to access are all partial contributors to individual and by extension, group achievements. My admittedly unsystematic observations over the last decade or so is that students from wealthier homes appear to be less motivated to enter the sciences in top universities because of the rigourous work and delayed gratification necessitated compared with doing a moderately difficult degree in business or finance and sliding into a better paying position in (possibly a family) business. At the same time, (again, based on a few students that I know personally) Jewish students are denied professional and graduate school placements because of discrimination and recruitment practices of some universities. Again, this is based on a small number of observations. However, given the millions contributed to universities and the scholarships given to our cousins by the Saudi government and other similarly enlightened folks, it would not be shocking to understand why a disproportionate amount of current studnets are not Jewish. And yes, this is specualtion BUT I doubt that i would get a reply (much less an honest reply) if I sent the Saudi government a letter and asked them if they ever attempted to influence facultytt and admissions departments in any Western Universities.

We are the people of a new book Facebook. However young Jews are now computer geniuses. Facebook,Zukerberg , Google Brin etc. It is the new age of electronics that the young Jews excell at. Our parents pushed us into the world of medicine,physics, chemistry where the Nobel prizes are awarded. There are no Nobel prizes for the new world of technology, electronic and computers.. The Jews are just as succesful as there parents except that the jobs are now different.

As a computer science major, my key competitors were all other Jews. I believe that what made us Talmud scholars is what has pushed us into the new forms of logic that forms the basis of our continuing talents.

Adherence to Liberalism and the Democrat Party; adopting secular humanism as God and the belief that being a Jew is not a religious thing but a tribal/ethnic thing.

what about russian jews-they did not have ANY jewish education

respecful rabby blech, i allow myself strongly dissagry with your pont of view. i was bornd in former soviet union, and ALL of as did not have religiouse jewish education, despite of this we learn to be persistant and self relient, the quota for universities for jewish kids was only 4%. and it was official. we had to be more then perfect to survive ( it was in 50-60-70th). and that haw i brought-up my children. when we came to canada and i sent my kids to JEWISH school, canadian kids did not want to play with my daughter--because she is RUSSIAN, my granddaughter was not accepted into religiouse jewish school becouse her mother was not shomer shabos. and in general north american jewry grow-up to be complaisant and feancly(forgive my blatansy) STUPID, if they coul elect and reelect obama. maybe, just maybe we shoul first fix our own problem, like mahlokes... thank you

Has anyone considered the possibility that the massive grade inflation that is occurring right now is dampening out the true intellects? I mean, if everyone gets an 'A' for mediocre work, then all move on to top schools for what amounts to a lack of intellectual passion. Then we won't see who rises up until way later when grades and names and titles no longer count. I think part of what is happening is dumbing down our top Ivy League institutions. Students can memorize or group study their way to 'A's, get in top schools, and if you have a conversation with that person, they are not what the top schools used to produce.

The so-called 'Jewish Intellect' is a 'no-brainer'. 2 Jews- 3 opinions. Read any Sidur (prayer book) or Chumash (Bible) of any Jewish persuasion & there w/b various sources/commentaries (ancient & contemporary) inviting one to pursue further 'exploration' thereof. Online & other media sources have given us virtually unlimited access to material to satisfy one's knowledge/learning pursuits. . .

The author entirely failed to cite the source of his article, which can be found here: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-myth-of-american-meritocracy/. The article relies heavily on a review of National Merit Scholarship and national science competition results for the assertion that Jewish achievement has lessened. The conclusion is based entirely on a review of winning names to determine which are clearly Jewish. As many Jews, including myself, have non-Jewish last names, this is a major flaw in the analysis. Please consider using standard citation methods and careful analysis before publishing "the sky is falling" articles in the future.

Of course, any measurement, especially IQ or "jewishness" measurement, is flawed. Just look around you: what is most valued in the school and in the workplace - creativity with intellectual curiosity or nicety to establishment with strict following the rules and textbook facts.

I have a graduate degree in Anthropology and one of my fields of concentration was school performance differences among difference socio-economic and ethnic groups. You are 100% right to point out the error in the study cited, but it's only the most recent one that indicated that Jews are not the "overperformers" they used to be. There were studies indicating drops in Jews' academic performance as much as 15 years ago, and I think (not 100% sure) at least one of them asked the families to self-identify religion. (Sorry, I don't have the citations available.) The most popular theory--similar to what Rabbi Blech posits above--is that the values of home culture relative to school culture are greatly contribute to a student's performance, whether it be positive or negative. (In addition to Jews, Sikhs have long been identified with having a home culture that aligns with school values, boosting test scores, etc.) As ethnic groups assimilate, the performance will drift towards the U.S. mean. This is outside any discussion of just how important/accurate IQ and National Merit, etc. scores are to evaluate intelligence. (In my book, not very.)

The "brains" are still around -- they're just not in the universities. They're in the yeshiva study halls and girls' seminary class rooms. College is now a brief stop on the way to getting a job, unlike the past hundred years, when assimilation sent most Jews into secular studies. In Israel, you'll still find the secular Jewish brain bulge.

I acknowledge and accept the nurture essence of genius that the author is portraying, but I am reluctant to completely deny the genetic factor of genius. With effort, one does nurture one's potential intellect to the limit, but the limit or limitlessness of genius also rests in the organic structure of the brain itself, at least to some extent. As such, I am wondering if the recent increase in Jews marrying outside of Jusaism might be a consideration in the scenario of not only the decrease in Jewish heritage, but also Jewish genius?

Here is an "evolutionary" explanation (you can take it seriously or not as you choose): since Jews valued scholarship above all traits, scholars were the preferred mates for Jewish women. To be a successful scholar requires dedication but also a measure of intellectual prowess. Thus, since scholars were more likely to be married and produce children than ignoramuses (at least in theory), the mating behavior favored increasing intelligence in subsequent generations. Assuming the above to be true, assimilation and intermarriage may well be contributing causes to the lessening of Jewish achievement. But also, the change in values resulting from adopting a different culture.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I think i have to agree with you that to some extent intermarriage can be the cause of diminished academic achievement, and while i assume that the studies the author uses for his research are focused on assimilated/nonreligious Jews, i wonder what would happen to statistics if religious Jews and their academic prowess and "genius" would be accounted for as well

I forget the Torah quote... Something to the effect-- the day will come when you have achieved much success, and you will think that you did it on your own. I know what happens when people forget g-d. It would be interesting to see what happens to the Korean children who take their Torah studies seriously, who study and believe. G-d will bless them, this I am sure.

what about the Ethiopian jews?. Are they the same genius?. I need your response.

From my personal experience with them, they are equally intelligent to "mainstream" Jews.

I have a met a few very smart Jews and some unintelligent as well... A truly smart person will not tell you how smart he is...or "pretend" to be smart... Rabbi, you are still TOO "self-conscious" about being....hmmm...all I can say you have not reached the proper level yet, you know it (how many truly smart or wise ones think like what you're thinking?)... that's the problem as to mislead those who are so-called "intelligent" or "dumb" and many of us don't see that...and now I can understand why the more humble and hardworking people are catching up... think about it!

Our whole culture is declining. You can't watch people killing each other, screaming at each other, just being generally nasty to each other, without some consequences. I thank God that I was raised to RESPECT God and His creation! I didn't see a TV until I was 15 years old. Between TV, video games, etc., is it any wonder we hate each other? And of course, we booted God out of our lives and our schools like He was the worst influence we could have - wow, how does that improve mankind?!

These stats don't mean anything because you have left out many other stats horizontally and vertically....more "North East Asians" (in%) in top universities worldwide than any others... what if you are calculating "Overseas Chinese" in % or Chinese American alone? How much difference? When you talk about Jewish average IQ of 115 is 8 points? What kind of IQ test exactly and by whom? Speaking of IQ, how about those math and science tests for Children internationally? With western countries comparing to eastern countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, S. Korea, and Japan...(and of course not counting China)...totally not matched, even if you have to mention the whole nation of Israel...Honestly, what research have you done? If you really want to use those stats and numbers and break them into pieces, what will you get? (Including south east Singapore or Chinese American). Have you personally interviewed those top "North East Asian" and Jewish students? So can we also say those top non-Jewish students seem to be more humble? Can we also say the influence of Confucianism has something to do with it? You can also say all you want. The stat is unnecessary and thus make this article arrogant to be begin with and indirectly misleading... "Jewish genius"? Hashem is the one who's really running the show. Be humble. Even if you want to do it, do it wisely!

Even after the worst record and blatant anti semitism of Obamas Last term, 70%!!!!!! Of American Jews voted for BO. . Oy vay not only are we loosing our intellect, but our saychal too! I also believe the loss of believing in Ha Shem makes people stupid. Believing is seeing. The greatest of us had faith. Loose faith, loose mind.

Sorry to rsin upon your parade, Rabbi Blech, but I would question your basic premise. I've met a lot of dumb Jews in my life (and I'm almost a great-grandfather) and whilst I'm proud to be a Jew and its nice to think we are regarded as the "brightest people on Earth", I think we are fooling ourselves if we believe our own propaganda. I have friends who are Australian Aboriginies - recognized as the most primitive people on Earth (and therefore the dumbest? I don't think so!) and they are often more intelligent than many of the Jews I know. So how does one grade this stuff? Just because the academic standard in the United States - and not just among the 'Jewish' student body - are in decline; how does this measure up to actual intelligence? Couldn't it be just that the rest of the population has caught up with the Jewish obsession for learning? I know that here in Australia - am I'm guessing it will similar in the US - Asian students excell in all academic disciplines becuse (1) they are not lazy, and (2) they rightly see that a broad and proper education is the road to a greater and more secure future. As an Australian Jew of German-Danish-Dutch-Russian-Polish - and a little splash of Sephardi - descent, I find American Jewry quite bizarre in many ways and I put it down to have had things too good for too long. You see yourselves as an 'elite' and that makes me realize that you've lost the plot. Come back to our G-D, struggle a little, go live as working class Israelis live and stop wallowing in your wealth and position - here endeth the lesson.

This article is completely correct. We must focus our culture and lives on learning. That said, Unz's statistical methods are a joke. He tries to determine who is Jewish by Jewish last names, relies on Hillel claim for Jewish representation on campus when the universities themselves typically don't know what religion their students are, and then goes on an almost anti-Semitic rant about how Jews must be bribing their way in to elite universities and have conspiracies to control admissions offices. He was so anti-Semitic as to describe American Jews as foreigners in America in contrast to WASPs who are the same ethnicity and religion as the common folk. Yet this diatribe is being taken seriously. I don't understand that.

There are ways to 'bribe' your way into a top university. It was talked about on some documentary about filthy rich people. The universities accepted people with less than stellar credentials because they had connections and money. It was called a developmental admit. The example they cited was Ralph Lauren getting his kids into Duke. There were a ton of others and not all Jewish examples. I don't doubt some of that goes on. I think the documentary might have been 'Born Rich' but I thought it had 'wealth' or 'privilege' in the title ... it made me sick so I had to turn it off so I don't remember the exact name.

Perhaps older generations were better fed, you know, healthier stuff and not hamburgers, hot dogs and junk food. But more importantly, it would be nice to know if older generations ate more kosher food than the younger ones. There may be an interesting correlation there.

The simple fact is that our wisdom doesn’t emanate from book-study per se. It derives from our attachment to the Torah and our dedication to its teachings. It is based on our self-identification with Judaism and our self-conception as the chosen people. We imbibe the wisdom of Torah by committing to it and by practicing it. It is fearing the A-lmighty that makes us smart. It is clinging to our traditional ways that infuses us with intelligence. If you really want to get to the bottom of it, this is the direction in which you need to steer your thinking.

The Torah creates smart people

Check the 4th paragraph of the Shemoneh Esrei.

I think for the people who commented that the article is asking the wrong thing and that religiousness is so much more important than Jewish accomplishment, I have to disagree. Without the accomplishment, we wouldn't have achieved the success and power to enjoy the freedoms we have. People misunderstand that freedom isn't something we fight for one time and its ours forever. We have to keep fighting for it. Even Simon Wiesenthal said 'freedom is not a gift from heaven.' To be accomplished and successful and the top in some ways ensures we will have more freedom to make choices for ourselves. Anybody who discounts our place in society for the exclusivity of religious expression in many ways has their head in the sand. It seems that the religious Jews are again thinking they are superior to the secular Jews. The Jewish influence has always been greater than the number of Jews. Jewish influence, presence, values, also come from secular Jews everywhere and no, its not just the religious Jews that build our nation. Can't we embace each other as all being part of the Jewish spectrum? The religious Jews need the non-religious Jews just as much as the non-religious Jews need the religious Jews.

There's no doubt and never has been about what world blessing's they have been. Geniuses of every field of science, literature, philosophers and medicine, k

Cassandra is correct , however, there are declining standards in the Yeshiva system with all the rewards they give for not getting the answers right. I remember my son was surprised to get a reward for a wrong answer. There are some Yeshivot in Israel which are parking lots for boys who do not learn, cannot learn and have no interest in learning or working and these are the great chasanim for the girls who are better educated and have lovely, modest personalities. The Yeshivish Emperor has no clothes.

She says when Jewish mothers stayed home they could watch over their kids' achievement. They knew when the math test was scheduled and when the science project was due. Now most of the Ashkenazi mothers are working, and the only real Jewish mothers are Asian.

An Asian mother is not a Jewish mother. I don't doubt that the working mothers still know when the tests are and are still caring and involved with their children. The Asian mom or Tiger mom (who by the way got nothin' on the Indian mothers) pick and choose for their children. They don't do child rearing right in terms of creativity and intellectual passion in that they don't expose a lot to the children and let the children decide. They decide for the children and pick and choose their interests for them and make fake importance out of competition. A Jewish mother doesn't do that. Part of intellectual passion is a person able to gravitate towards their interests and what they are good at and the intellectual freedom to choose. Asian culture comes with a lot of rule following and oppression while it would be difficult to get Jews to follow rules. Sorry, the only real Jewish mothers are still Jewish mothers. That last comment of 'My sister has a theory ..' is more of that tinge of jealousy the Jewish people experience where everybody wants to be us.

It seems to me that women did not study Talmud and are also very intelligent. How did you not consider that? It seems to me that Talmud is not the designated carrier.

The problem with it here in America..is that there is not as much of a requirement to excel in ANY (Jew or other) students to embrace and excel in their studies as it has been in the past..This speaks of all ethnic populations...It is lethargy and the idea of 'just' getting by to get by....I believe Jewish education is still very good and that they still excel beyound others....There has been a move to dumb our children down in our schools...A lot of teachers go into teaching because that is all they can do...Not all of course...But a large number of them. Their hearts aren't really into teaching. Students are unruly often and that cuts class time for all of the rest in that class to be taught.

In terms of 'intellectual uniqueness," "respect," "reverence" and "wisdom" DO make a difference genetically. Not only does the modern study of epigentics bear witness to this (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-frank-lipman/epigenetics-research_b_862022.html), but also the ancient writings recorded in Numbers 14:18, Exodus 20:5 and Exodus 34:7. Consider the ramifications of the LACK of each of these, at a time when Western society is increasingly becoming dumbed down through the choices it makes. This dilution of discernment would also result from inter-marriage. From discipline comes self-discipline; from self-discipline comes self-respect; from self-respect comes respect for others; from respect for others comes unconditional love; from unconditional love comes autonomy...only autonomous individuals are truly free. No matter what happens to the Jewish people, they have proven historically that they ARE truly free.

I agree with the above commenter on intermarriage. What I often see is the best, brightest and most successful Jewish men marrying out, either because they are not engaged with Judaism and/or they feel non-Jewish women are preferable to Jewish ones. This has been a trend since the mid-20th century, and it is alarming. I don't think it is just the lure of American assimiliationism--it must have something to do with the way we Jews are raising our sons.

The Ultra frum , chareidi and chassidic world has decided that only Torah Learning is from G-d, and only for men who stay in Yeshiva for all their productive adult years, and learn nothing of the outside world. So their brains and their knowledge are inner directed, and so is lost to the world at large. What has happened to Torah U'Maddah which is also a gift from G-d? Torah Knowledge is from G-d, as is all other Knowledge. Not everyone can be a Torah Scholar, and not everyone can be a scientist. Time for some balance.

There is a book called "Children of Abraham" that tries to discover why there is a disproportionate amount of Jews that have excelled in the intellectual arena. One of the theories is that it is in fact genetic. For one thing they notice is that this is just an Ashkenazi phenomenon and not a Sephardi one. The other thing they noticed is that type of genetic diseases that occur only within Ashkenazi's may be a sort of doubt edged sword that helps out with building higher than average intelligence. It's a good read if you are into genetics. But I would also question if this has anything to do with being "people of the book" For one thing, all those that have so greatly excelled over the century have been secular and/or atheist. Secondly, as the book mentions Sephardic Jews are just as much "people of the book" as their Ashkenazi counterparts yet no evidence exists to show they are higher intellectually then the average person. Obviously, this is not an anti-Sephardic rant. I'm just bringing up the patterns that have been observed.

DUH? Really? " “the people of the book” are becoming “the people of the buck.”" Throughout our history, we have been world merchants ... The 2011 book "Grandpa Was A Deity" points this out, and references the 1954 city wide IQ test in New York City which objectively established Jewish Intelligence. Talmudic Studies could help -- but they must be intelligent studies -- one chapter in "Grandpa Was A Deity" was expanded into a 2012 book, :Genesis of Genesis" -- which points out an error in the [archaic] dating still used by many Talmudic scholars -- and shows that the Hebrew Calendar is related to the Original Chinese Calendar, and that calendar is related to the Korean Calendar (by the years of the lifespan of Enoch)... But such mathematically sound evidence is shunned, and therefore explains the current problems far better than intermarriage.

It is no secret that the majority of American Jews identify with leftist political thought. The leftist political thought is the new religion - egalitarianism, equality, social justice, etc. The outcome in that school of thought iis more important than the process. Intellectual rigor, however, is about the process, thinking things through, questioning. In our modern times, we are not taught to question anything but the traditional way of things which are bad because tradition is against egalitarianism, equality, and social justice. Our children, and our society, are being taught to embrace anti-intellectualism.

Excellent points, Steven. The State is a form of religion. It has always demanded conformity and compliance, just as it did in the days of Baal worship. While the State should be managing the interests of its constituents, it's main goal is in controlling its constituents and their combined wealth (and in this regard, the bronze bull on Wall Street is no co-incidence). Intelligence is not a product of rote learning. Origin of INTELLIGENT: Latin intelligent-, intelligens, present participle of intelligere, intellegere to understand, from inter- legere to gather, select — more at legend Origin of LEGEND: ...akin to Greek legein to gather, say, logos speech, word, reason 'Intelligence' is the gathering of experience in order to understand, and in understanding, to create in the 'functional' sense. Language is the conceptual vehicle for understanding and creativity. If comprehension of say, English, is being lost, what of the much deeper understanding conveyed in the Hebrew language? Is this too becoming "lost in translation"? The autonomous individual eschews the notion of victimhood and, instead, develops discernment by overcoming each obstacle and hardship that s/he encounters. This is the key to real creativity and intelligence. For example, to wander in the desert for 40 years, was to experience incredible adversity. However, this experience served to develop, over a couple of generations, a cohesive group of autonomous individuals who would become a 'nation'. It was also preferable to compliance to the State - in fact, the State collapsed for lack of 'slaves.' Such is the inspiration of the Jewish story.

The Jewish genius for a long time was centered around the synagogue, where they learned Hebrew and to be able to read all of the text in Hebrew. The cheder is where Jewish youth learned how to excel in literacy and study, far beyond that of their non-Jewish counterparts. With American Jews being so assimilated now, with intermarriage and non-affiliation with a synagogue, that Jewish genius has become a thing of the past.

I see it now, too much so. Yes, our sons and daughters should be in Yeshiva and seminaries - but a test or bechina should be given every 2 years to weed out the ones who are not up to the standards we expect. A child cannot be force to sit and learn; that is when rebellion takes place. Unfortunately, at the heart of this coersion is a shidduch for the daughters - look at the brothers, uncles, cousins. A girl goes to college! Oy, she must be a putah. What will she teach her children??? Exposed to the outside world?? Oy, where will the yiddishe nachas come from? Parents aew afraid. If they don't walk the walk and spout the "party" line, they will seen as goyim or not as frum as the judger. So, do these people learn ahavas yisrael, or dan l'kaf zchus in their very frum yeshiva or seminaries? Ask them, raise the face veils on the girls and ask - look the young men in the eye (if you are a woman and dare) ask and you will receive ridiculous answers. What, your son went there? that's not a true yeshiva. We have big problems in our tight knit frum world and the more we cocoon our children the more we are at risk for total annihilation. Educate them in the way of the world and Western civilization. Know the enemy n ow because a BIGGER enemey is on the horizon. Islam.

Our children have the brains to accomplish in great ways - the sciences, writing, research, medicine, law, music, art,limudai kodesh. However, "western" education is too goyish for them to learn. Our brains are sitting in yeshivas and not in colleges. Our sons are pushed to learn for years, even if many are not cut out for it or become rebbes who do not have the teaching and psychology courses to be successful teachers. Our daughters are pushed to get married and support their husbands to share the zechus of their husband's learning. Parents are afraid their children will be tainted or seduced by "Wesern ways." If parents are afraid then they did not give their children a strong foundation in torah, middos, or "weapons." My grandson did not know it is possible to be a lawyer, CPA, professor, plumber, electrician or mechanic AND have smicha. Being frum and having a secular job or not mutually exclusive. Where will the excellent Jewish doctors and lawyers come from? - I know, from assimilated, mixed marriages with just a Jewish surname whose children will not marry Jews. I see it now, too much so. Yes, our sons and daughters should be in Yeshiva and seminaries - but a test or bechina should be given every 2 years to weed out the ones who are not up to the standards we expect. A child cannot be force to sit and learn; that is when rebellion takes place. Unfortunately, at the heart of this coersion is a shidduch for the daughters - look at the brothers, uncles, cousins. A girl goes to college! Oy, she must be a putah. What will she teach her children??? Exposed to the outside world?? --CONTINUED WITH NEXT COMMENT FROM CASSANDRA IN COMMENT SECTION --

Laziness. Our children have taken the lazy man's way out. Why study hard? Why achieve when you will get the A any way. No child can fail. No child can get a bad grade. There is no incentive to achieve greatness. In my mother's day Jews were subjected to quotas. the 13% rule meant that Jews had to be smarter, better than anyone else. it showed in our drive, our intellect. With the way American Universities are heading, quotas for Jews will return. And so will the drive to get into the best schools.

I think Jewish Intermarriage has a lot to do with this. The Jewish way of thinking and discussing and questioning, the skills needed for intellectualism, plays a large role in Jewish child rearing. When Jewish men intermarry, even if the woman coverts religiously, she simply cannot raise culturally Jewish children. Assimilation can mean different things. It can mean a full Jew who is giving up their Jewishness, or it can now mean a half a Jew who never grew up with the same love of learning the original intellectuals did. Intermarriage has gotten so bad, I even saw a Rabbi with a non-Jewish wife. The few times I went to reform synagogue, I was surrounded by blonde women named Christina who were probably more religious than lots of secular Jews, but can they really raise Jewish children as if they themselves grew up Jewish? I don't think cultural and secular Jews should be dismissed as not Jewish.

How DARE you suggest that "blonde women named Christina" cannot "really raise Jewish children as if they themselves grew up Jewish?" I'm a convert. Both my parents had Bachelors degrees & my dad had a M.Ed. Love of learning was of tremendous importance in our household. In retrospect, I think one of the reasons I married my born-Jewish husband (and had previously dated several Jewish men) was because of their intellect and their values (justice for all, charity, etc.) Certainly there are people of all ethnicities and faiths who are not interested in education, and there are also people of all ethnicities and faiths who are very well educated. Only one of my grandparents had a college education -- the others only finished elementary school (8th grade in those days) and they were all extremely dedicated to making sure their children were going to have the opportunity to have more education. One of the major things that has changed since then is that Baby Boomers grew up with relative affluence and comfort. So the work ethic has diminshed for most American-born citizens, while it remains intact for the striving immigrants and their 1st generation children.

Yes, of course there are smart and intellectual "goyim"! But, there is such a thing as the 'yiddishe kopf' a non-Jew will never have. Take visiting the doctor for example. All the non-Jews think the doctor knows everything and has the status of a G-d while all the Jews say the doctor doesn't know what he is talking about. That's a classic joke. But, it's more of a certain type of clever way of thinking that is distinctly Jewish. It's from years of being given a red shirt and blue shirt and if you wear the red one, you are asked 'so, vat is wrong with the blue one?' If you don't know what I'm talking about then, you just don't get it. It's that non-Jews are more trusting and take everything at face value and Jews look deeper in a certain questioning way. Again, not meant to insult, it's just a certain way of thinking and questioning that if you grew up with it you might find it laughable. So, no, Christian women can NEVER be Jewish mothers! Sorry. Although there is Catholic guilt, the way a Jewish mother passes guilt cannot even be replicated :). Plus, Christian women don't smother or overprotect their children in the same way, as attested by the number of non-Jewish mountain climbers and airplane jumpers :).

Our students are spending their energies running after nonJewish students instead of studying.

Here are the facts behind the claim that "Koreans study Talmud" — http://tzvee.blogspot.com/2011/04/do-all-korean-children-study-talmud.html

Unfortunately, I think we must put at least part of the balme on falling standards of education. Nowadays, many teachers cannot face the challenge of dealing with a gifted child. They would rather medicate to make him easier to handle or to refer him to "Special Ed" to be smashed into conformity. Large classes make it impossible for anyone to deal with needs of a highly intelligent student. Many schools and parents are overloading kids with scholastic goals and don't give them enough time for playing and natural development. There hs been a lot of research into "burnout" by youngsters. Oy Veh!

I wonder how much of the statistical information is based on those who report themselves as being Jewish but in fact are halachically not Jewish. Aside from the question of assimilation, and the very relevant point of true Jewish scholarship being associated with Torah study ('ki hi binatchem l'einei ha'amim - for it (the Torah) is your wisdom in the eyes of the nations), many "Jews" are in fact halachically not Jewish. Perhaps the "wisdom" gene gets passed through the mother and those who identify themselves as Jewish because of their paternity are actually not Jewish...

Finally, the esteemed rabbi verbalized the vague feelings of many American Jews that something was going wrong with the academic performance of our children. The problem is the modern American society and the Yeshiva world as a part of this society don't prize outstanding academic achievements anymore. Of course, the diploma recognized by HR department as well as the rabbi's certificate are valued; presenting and motivational speaking skills are appreciated, too; but these are not necessarily coincide with being the truly outstanding achievements in the learning. As an example, PhD degree is pursued in American universities typically by foreigners and has negative investment value comparatively with MBA. "Interpersonal skills" are valued most of all in the age of Facebook; and the really outstanding scholars are introverts as a rule. We shouldn't expect that the gap between "spirituality" and "intellectuality" in the places of study could be so wide.

As a homeless and despised minority for over 2000 years, Jewish survival depended on study and cleverness. Jews had no land. Jews were barred from guilds and almost normal venue of making a living EXCEPT trade and the professions. Jews were allowed to do those things that the Gentiles considered profane. Jews had to study and compete and be exceptional to survive and sometimes thrive. Jews in the West have become complacent and self-assured and have sought to assimilate and throw off their "handicap" of being Jewish. It was the need to overcome adversity that forced Jews to "think out of the box." It was Talmudic study that sharpened their minds and wits. As those pressures wane, so does the imperative to overstudy and overcompete wane along with them.

We've not discussed the most important thing...Jews are not only assimilating and taking on the characteristics of the surrounding culture, they are intermarrying at an alarming rate (>50%) and quickly becoming lost as a distinct people altogether. This is the irony of those who squeal for "diversity"...all they really want is for diversity to DISAPPEAR, for everyone to blend into one bland homogeneous group. Of course, along with intermarriage and interbreeding comes the loss of our work and educational ethic, which is truly what differentiated us from the rest of the world. They wish to finish what Hitler started, albeit in a less-painful manner. Many Jews are quite happy to go along, not wanting to be "different".

The anology of visiting the doctor by a contributor earlier, describes the way I think as a non-Jew...and, I'm not alone. What if, through inter-marriage, the Jews are disseminating their intellectual advantage among the gentiles. While this could be construed as a dilution or diminution of Jewry, it could equally be construed as an evolutionary leap forward, in general. There is an increasing correlation between Jewish genius and, for want of a better description, the high performing spectrum of Autism, known as Aspergers 'Syndrome." How very like the powers-that-be in the World-at-large to diagnose genius as a 'syndrome' with many unfortunate connotations. What surer way to ostracize, deprecate and enslave true intellects? I have had the good fortune to encounter and recognize many people diagnosed as AS. It is through learning to understand them that I am learning (and it will never be complete!) to reverse my encultured mode of thought through trusting innate abilities and intuitions, or those traits that are frowned upon by unquestioning conformists. Is it possible that a new generation of non-Jewish people are beginning to discern the truth? And, as for the Jewish people, thankfully, there will always been a remnant.

according the authors reasoning "that we are becoming people of the buck" is also applicable to the non-jews. They have also become more materialistc over the years and less spiritual. Are their IQ's also becoming lower?

Having been brought up and raised during the WW2 period, I was educated in Brooklyn where it was imperative that school work be stressed above all other matters. As mentioned, the advent of the popularization of crassness, non-substantiation and quick buckism has taken root in the consciousness of the masses that does include the Jews. That was also a time when grandparents and parents advocated a Jewish education and awareness as well as stressing family values. Not today where it is fashionable to assimilate while desecrating ancient traditions and wisdom. Without getting into the politics of a universal movement that suggests a profound dumbing down of the populace and what may have once been considered a DNA factor in the Jewish profile, the true root of this issue is based on the lack of Torah consciousness and adherence to impure selfishness in favor of pop culture icons, a culture of violence, and self-gratification. Or is it that the global consensus of everyone being equal has lost its true perspective?

As another commenter has already pointed out, Einstein (the standard "Genius Jew" Poster Boy) was never religious. Most of the famous Jewish geniuses in science, medicine and literature were also not observant. While we're at it, I know a frightening number of observant Jews who seem a bit dull-witted. To push this a bit further, the average Jewish IQ mentioned pertained to Ashkenazi Jews-- Sephardi Jews tend to score somewhat lower (and tend to be more traditional). Are they less Jewish? This kind of discussion rarely leads anywhere good...

I think many people are deeply engaged these days in survival, as prices rise, and the cost of everything, for some is not keeping pace with salaries. So when people are on survival mode, they tend to work hard, and have less time to read. That's one problem. Another problem is the fact that those who do read and promulgate books, are everywhere, and to go to a bookstore is to marvel, and the plethora of books coming in from around the world. This is growing, and massive. I happen to see a great beauty in mergers sometimes, and also dangers of merger. Life has this deep bipolarity of paradox, an inbuilt aspect to the construction of our very universe. Prove me wrong! For every advancement there appears to be also a down side. More communication can also be less personal communication, as people bury themselves in the internet. We become then, more about sharing thoughts, that in physically touching each other. We surely, need both, and never has access to information, to education, been more available to Everyone. I have always perceived people around the world as equal in potential and think it unwise to quote statistics that say we Jews are smarter. God is an equal opportunity employer, and I know housewives with no formal education who are smart, in understanding, from their "limited" lives, the greatest truths about the universe, gleaned simply, from life, itself. I have learned to stop and listen to the beggar, to the camel driver, who never got an education, and who probably is not Jewish, but sage. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme... I think it's TIME to embrace each other and the gifts we all bring to this vast and even "groaning" table and put the kind back, into mankind. That's the job ahead. RESH.

high overachievers is because of the "dry flowers" phenomenon that Dr. Lawrence Kelemen discusses. If you cut flowers off of their roots, they can still look good for a while. When secular Jews cut off their Jewish roots, they can still look good for maybe a generation, but, like cut flowers, they ultimately fade away. So, too, do Jews fade away as they drift further & further away from their source, Jewish literacy. Russian Jews in Israel, too, are great achievers, but are slowly being dumbed down by their native Israeli classmates.

Regardless of arental guidance or nluence, it is ultimately up to each of us as inividuas to chart and keep to our own course, despite opposition or dificulty. My father came from a family which had no respect for higher education and learning.."Learn a trade" what was I was taught; so if I'd become a proficient carpenter or plumber, my father would have been satisfied. My Mlther, however, played the piano well, although not professionally, and I was drawn to it and utimately became a professional, much to his displeasure. My two sons are an architect and a lawyer. Both are successful and happy. I often wonder what my father would have thought. Neither of them, nor I, ever learned a "trade".

Actually, women did not study Talmud, and Jewish women tend to have pretty high IQs, too. So why is that? Could it prove the genetic component that the genes go to men and women?

In strict Muslim societies, there is a very strong emphasis on the study of the Qur'an (by rote learning), ahadith, tafsir, and works of shari'a law. This has strong parallels with what happens in yeshivot. In this sense, Muslims are also 'People of the Book' (but they only apply the term to Jews and Christians). One should expect them to have intellectual results similar to Jews. Out of 1.6 billion Muslims, a mere 10 (including Yasir Arafat!) have won Nobel prizes. Read Pervez Hoodbhoy to see how far Islamic nations lag behind all others. What is wrong? Islam had always opposed free debate and criticism. Judaism encourages open discussion. It's not always that simple, but there's a lot of truth in it. It's impossible to achieve high intellectual value without that freedom, which is crucial to every academic field.

I was wondering where one got the IQ test results? I bet the results are not reported accurately. The mean is 100, not 79 (which is borderline deficient). By definition, 100 is average IQ. Jews' IQ could be higher. But my struggle is seeing my Jewish community prepare poor academician in our Jewish schools. I live in the vibrant NY in the middle of a Jewish community. Most kids who go to Hebrew schools never go to college and if they do, they learn to be accountants and small business owners. Hebrew schools just don't prepare kids to enter the world of academia. I have a small child at home and as much as I would like her to go to a Hebrew school, her future as an intellectual being is more important than her preparation to become a wife (at age 20 the latest)! So, she will go to some other school, where she can learn to learn and to think critically.

I struggled in graduate school and as a college teacher. Part of the reason I struggled may have had to do with the fact that I did not learn Talmud, as a child. My father did not study Talmud. And so, I was not used to doing the hard RESEARCH work that I had to do in grad school......I believe it is not just study, but study, in depth that makes a difference........I also think it has to do with an appreciation of the time, luck, and hard work involved........With the media, today we expect INSTANT results. But in research it can take years to explore a topic in depth. So, when a person comes up with a finding in research he is often not appreciated for his effort...........I think it sometimes helps, if a person tells the STORY of his research effort, so that others can appreciate the value of it, in terms of the effort it required. SavingSchools.org

Just wondering .... could it be possible that the reason for a decline in the number of really brilliant Jewish children is that they were never born in the first place? The birth rate among non orthodox American Jews is well below replacement level and I don't know if the college age orthodox are enrolled that much into institutions of quality secular higher learning. Also, are the best and brightest secular women having fewer or no children because of the demands of their own careers? What about the secular young men? Are the marrying out at a rate where their children are never really effectively part of the Jewish community again? I don't doubt, however, that our education and cultural life here (in America) is a joke. We have gone steadily downhill for decades. The educational "basics" are out - and a lot of PC nonsense is taught instead. It puts a lot of pressure on already busy parents to teach their children material that they never got in school as well as to expose them to a quality cultural life.

Perhaps there is something in our genetics that create higher I.Q.'s, That has been tested and proven by scientists. However the Korean's have something there. The 'active mind' like a mind studying Torah or Talmud everyday keeps it's receptors active for learning. The active mind can absorb more information because it is acustomed to doing so. This would give all of us one more reason to study Torah everyday, not only is it a requirement of G-d but it will make you smarter as well. You cannot study too much, there is not a study 'overdose' and we really do not study enough. Put down the games, turn off the TV, get rid of all non-productive distractions and study study study....

The picture at the top of the article is of Einstein, who described himself as growing up in an irreligious Jewish household, and who married a non-Jew and had two non-Jewish children. Although culturally Jewish (he was offered the Presidency of the State of Israel upon Weizmann's death) he was certainly not a believer in any sense, finding "religious feeling" in his contemplation of nature (a good first step according to the Rambam, but not the end of the story!).

Many people try to spend a lot of time downplaying the fact that Einstein was Jewish. A cultural Jew is not just a bagel eating Jew but a Jew who lives the values of Judaism. Einstein fought for social justice. He brought in many scientists into the US allowing them to escape the atrocities. He was a witness on WEB Dubois' trial in Princeton to speak on his behalf. Fighting for social justice is a Jewish trait. In other ways, Einstein was very Jewish. People are jealous of the success of the Jews and keep trying to downplay that Einstein was Jewish.

Fighting for "social justice," as it is defined today, is NOT a Jewish trait It is a trait of political liberals, not those who observe Torah values. And regardless of Einstein's political or religious beliefs, he is still a Jew for one reason only: his MOTHER was a Jew Halachically, and THAT is what makes him a Jew.

It was common during the twentieth century for Jews to blend in against the social ostracization coming from others. I named my son Jonathan Isaac after my father and grandfather. My mother's response was. "Why didn't you give him a nice Jewish name like Morris or Irving." The best way to overcome this type of thought is supporting traditional Jewish education. the study of who we are as a people, from where we have come and why it is important to continue as Jews. other people will respect us more as news when we respect ourselves more as Jews. Secular accomplishments will mean more to others when they can say with pride that a Jew true to his heritage did that rather than a Jew trying to be o e of us.

Absolutely agree 100 % so my son is not David / Michael / Alexander, but rather, he is Jacob Yisrael, I also copt out of the "blender" and opted for a more definitive identity. i agree with you, totally.

No disrespect intended but I believe the phrase you wanted was "copped out" and not "Copt out."

Your son's name Jonathan Isaac is perfectly Jewish and I applaud you. Here in Texas where I live, all around me in my congregation I have Richards, Helens and my Rabbi's name is Bill. Some of my fellow congregants don't know their Hebrew names and many don't know their relatives Hebrew names. The message Jewish parents send when they name their sons and daughters Harry and Jill is that fitting into the American culture is more important than being a Jew.

Cry me a river! What should bother the good rabbi is the fact that Jews are THE LEAST RELIGIOUS group in the world today (according to Gallup). This applies even more to the Jewish intellectuals. As a group, Jews are still brilliant and still do very well in academia (as if it were religiously significant...but whatever) but the level of religious knowledge and observance is pitifuly low in comparison to other groups . Among the Jewish intelectuals, whose dimishing number bothers the rabbi so much, are some of the most "famous" and outspoken atheists in the world today (Sam Harris and others). A Jewish intellectual tops the list of world's TOP atheists and other Jewish professors and philosophers comprise about half of the remaining 49. We are a nation because of the Torah and adherence to it. This should be the source of our Jewish pride, not the number of Jewish Nobel prize winners and other geniuses of secular knowledge, most of whom reject the Torah vehemently.

The belief in G'd cannot be mandated in a world of rational thought. You either believe or don't believe, but that should not and is not the answer to intellectual pursuits. We Jews have a tradition of learning. It is that tradition that leads to academic achievement. It is up to parents to demand and expect Jewish children to excell and not yield to the current culture of mediocrity. Let's be tiger parents again!

Yes, lots of atheists are Jewish. But, unfortunately, if you look deeper into atheism, the atheists aren't as purely atheistic as it may seem. They are operating under the guises of Judeo-Christian culture to begin with. The Jewish atheists cannot separate out their Jewish values. Don't values count as much as Torah? Don't our values come from Torah?

I live in a neighborhood heavily populated by Russian emigres who came to America in the 1970s and 80s. They weren't really interested in learning about their Jewish roots - they, too were interested in making money and living the American (materialistic) dream. That said, they were extremely well educated and highly proficient in the sciences, math, computers, etc. The Russian teenagers were way ahead of their American counterparts in school. It was the Russian-born teens who were the valedictorians, the ones who were in honors classes, the ones who were getting into the top colleges, etc. Fast forward to the present. Those same Russian teens are true success stories of living the American dream. What's interesting is that their children - the second generation - are just as "average" or mediocre as their American teenaged counterparts. The good news is that their parents are appalled, and are beginning to rethink what's really important in life. Many of these parents are beginning to explore Judaism and are leading religiously observant lives. And many of their kids are now interested, too.

I would like to respond to the author of "so true." I am a first generation emigre from Russia. I am one of those people, you probably encounter. I earned MS in Russia and I have my Ph.D. from a US school. I know why I may seem so much better off intellectually than an "average american." I have a great education. that is it. US has a terrible educational program and somehow kids here don't study most facts of life at school, unlike Russians of my generation. What is worse, kids from Orthodox Jewish families know even less than their gentile peers, who went to public schools. it is appalling how little kids learn in Hebrew schools. I do explore my Jewish roots and go to shul periodically. But my child will not go to a Hebrew school because they don't teach anything worthy there, besides Torah. Yes, learning Hebrew and Torah is important. But this can be handled at home or in Sunday schools. I want school to focus on math, physics, geography, world history, etc...Education is the key to intellectual integrity.

American public school system is not only bad in math/science study and in developing crytical thinking; it's also dangerous because forming liberal worldwiew opposite to Torah values. Try modern orthodox yeshiva; they are usually better in general studies.

To the Esteemed Rav Blech: Okay, so Ashkenazim have a higher IQ than any other ethnic group, but academic achievement is declining lately, and folks are concerned. Maybe the bragging about, my son the doctor, or, my daughter the attorney, or, my nephew the screenwriter, etc., is beginning to bother HaKadosh Baruch Hu, who wonders when B'nei Yisrael is going to rebuild the Bet HaMiqdash? Could it be, that when Klal Yisrael places prime importance on mitzvot, t'shuvah, rebuilding the Temple (we have had Har Habayit since 1967), and reestablishing the Davidic monarchy, that these declines will become upswings? Could these downward achievement trends be gentle, and subtle, messages that bragging about IQ, and success in parnassah, should not be the focus of life; or even the topic of most conversations, and instead, that most discourse should be oriented towards returning to Ha Aretz, rebuilding Ha Bet HaMiqdash, and being a light unto Ha Goyim? Just my 1/2 shekels worth, Daniel

It is absolutely notable that the non-Jewish world’s recognition of Jewish “genius” is not measured by the accomplishments of the likes of Rashi and Rambam, the Vilna Gaon or the Chofetz Chaim. It is, rather, measured by the accomplishments of assimilated Jews who, while having inherited a mesorah “learning” from their religious forbearers, went on to express that mesorah in ways that are outside of the dalet amos of Torah. The Jews whose new mesorah was the Haskalah channeled their intellectual efforts into the fields of science, math, economics, literature and music, and made their stellar marks of accomplishment therein. But just as we acknowledge a yeridah (decline) of the generations in Torah scholarship the further we move away from Sinai, so too is there a yeridah of the secular Jewish generations as they move further away from the yeshivish world of pre-Holocaust Europe. Assimilated Jews living in the 20th century were bequeathed the laurels of scholarship from their Yiddish speaking European ancestors, and were thereby able to make outsized contributions to the academic fields in which they participated. However, their own children in 21st century America are light years removed from that European Jewish culture, and so carry none of its ethos. They have become as academically pedestrian as the majority culture that they have assimilated into.

For many Jewish Americans, their Yiddish speaking European ancestors were tailors and butchers and pushcart owners. They were not "bequeathed the laurels of scholarship," and yet rose up to the best institutions in America and claimed numerous Nobel Prizes and accomplishments. Academics have often studied the Jews. They concluded it's the Jewish child rearing with the encouragement to ask questions. But, also, there has to be an element of freedom in the environment's of learning, freedom to think and question. America encourages this freedom, Korea doesn't. If the Koreans decide they are going to memorize the Talmud rather than have fist pounding discussion about it, they will sorely be disappointed. The reason why Einstein and other scientists of that time period where so excellent (aside from him being a genius) was that the Jews barred from academia, would only be hired by private companies who often could do what they wanted. (I saw that in the Jewish Museum in Berlin which by the way stated 'Einstein gave a talk in the US and never came back.' Literally, that was all they said about his departure.) The tone of this response by Shua Cohen seems to be anti-assimilation. He is forgetting that Theodore Herzl was an assimilated Jew. He just couldn't stand the discrimination anymore and did something about it.

I doubt that most Jews (especially Orthodox Jews) know much about the accomplishments of the leading lights of other faiths, either. You can only appreciate what you understand -- and science, literature, music, etc more easily cross cultural boundaries than does theological work, no matter how extraordinary.

Unfortunately, we have had to shift to become people of the buck. Financial obligations for tuition, insurances, health care and even for basic needs as for food, clothing and shelter have skyrocketed, but incomes have not. Many of us have been forced to take second (and in my own case, third) jobs just in order to make do with less (I'm not takling about downgraded vacations, for most of us, there aren't any.). Add this need with the desire for 'real big money' and there you go.

Rabbi Blech, I always appreciate your articles, but this article somehow "rubbed" me the wrong way. It seems to me that this article subtlely implies that intellectual achievement is more significant than the ultimate goal of Yiddishkeit, which is to come close to Hashem. Am I misreading the Rabbi's words? You write: "That’s why I think assimilation of Jews into the broader American culture is far more than a theological concern." Your article seems to minimize (or neutralize) the importance of the theological concern and emphasize the "intellectual concern". I would think it should be emphasized that the intellectual decline is a corollory to the much greater problem of the "spiritual decline" of our people. I would be interested in hearing the Rabbi's observations and opinions regarding the "spiritual decline" of our people. Many thanks as always for your articles and views.