Intermarriage, Divorce, and the "Great Jewish-American Wealth Transfer"

The deluge of divorce and intermarriage sweeping across the Jewish-American landscape has and will continue to impact the Jewish-American community in unforeseen ways.

No, I am not referring solely to the loss of half of our children to marriages where Jewish values, culture, and history are not passed on. Nor do I refer merely to the drop in numbers of Jewish children born due to the accelerating epidemic of single life propagated by the likes of Huffingtonpost.com. Instead I am referring to the transfer of wealth from the hands of hard working and entrepreneurial Americans who identify themselves as Jews, to the hands of others who do not.

The real consequences of this trend are already being felt. In a recent survey of the most philanthropic in America, Jews, unsurprisingly, held five of the top six spots, and there were 19 Jews amongst the top 53
(http://www.jewishjournal.org/story/news_features/survey_finds_jews_are_top_givers_in_the_u.s/). Yet most of their charity was directed at non-Jewish causes. This is, in itself, not a bad thing. After all, Jews have always contributed to larger society and such contributions are considered central to Torah-true living. On the other hand, the upkeep of Jewish institutions is a prerequisite to maintaining Jewish tradition and heritage. Day schools, hospitals, museums, houses of prayer, political action , kosher food, mikvahs (ritual baths), soup kitchens, medical assistance etc. are all expensive enterprises that have historically been considered the collective responsibility of every Jew, each according to their means (Jews are required to give 10 percent of their earning to charity, on top of taxes).

There is a long standing Jewish tradition of philanthropy. The 19th and early 20th century Rothschilds have been replaced by the 21st century Lev Levaivs. The biblical tabernacle built in the dessert, the two temples of Jerusalem, and almost every single past and present Jewish institution was funded by Jews who stepped up to the plate and continued the historic use of Jewish wealth to benefit the global Jewish community.

Until now.

For the first time since the era of Ezra and Nechemya (the end of Babylonian/Persian exile) assimilation and divorce has become the norm in the Jewish diaspora. This new norm has in-turn impacted the entire Jewish community in unforeseen ways.

Jews are disproportionally wealthy and, in most cases, happily shoulder the burden of corollary taxation. However, public schools, fast food, and churches do not assist the Jewish community in passing on 3000 year old traditions. Many Jews pay for public schools but send their children to private schools; Jews don’t eat cheap fast food, but pay close to double for (often equally unhealthy) kosher food. Jews close their businesses on the busiest consumer day of the week. Despite all the above challenges the Jewish community has committed itself -for over 2000 years with little complaint and out of love and devotion- to propagating Jewish tradition.

Every intermarriage that ends in divorce or results in offspring who eschew Jewish tradition engenders an unquantifiable, and often undesired, transfer of wealth from Jewish hands. The ramifications are felt across the nation and globe, and have been further compounded by the general economic malaise. Many Jews turned their back on their secular coreligionists, but that was wrong both from a humanitarian perspective and from a Jewish-legal viewpoint (Rabbi Hillel said “love your neighbor like yourself, this is the great law of the Torah”), and now the tangible economic implications are clear. Jews continue to be leading philanthropists, but many Jews are unable to educate and pass on their traditions. Many Jews eat only Kosher, so they don’t buy meat which they can’t afford. Many houses of prayer and study-halls (Beit Knesset, Beit medrash) want to provide a relaxing and comfortable milieu for prayer and study but they close their doors do to the lack of funds.

Where is all that famous Jewish wealth? Just look at the wonderful New York Philharmonic and billion dollar endowments of Harvard and Yale.

Yes this is a free and integrated country, yes all have a fundamental right to choose their own destiny, and yes Jews are not required by secular law to provide for their brothers and sisters. But the Jewish community should at least be made aware of the implications of the continued failure to educate and pass on our millennia old tradition to the next generation. Our failure translates into the continued transfer of Jewish wealth into the hands of others -from Jewish synagogues and schools to libraries and universities. This is not just about losing a generation of "other" Jewish children, this is about our own children!

Robin Obama: Hero or a Villian?

My family, which is conservative leaning, and I, a self described realist, have been debating the relative merits of a state imposed health care system.

Months ago, during one of these conversations, I informed a close family member that as far as I was concerned I felt that health care had to be reformed in this country and besides I, a working student, don't have health care and would like to see a doctor once in a while.

In other words I supported health care reform because I would benefit. I suppose there are many others that see it the same way.

Recently, I have revisited this from a more egalitarian perspective. Now I ask at what cost will Obama-care benefit me?
On one hand every human being has a moral responsibility to assist their neighbor as best they can. On the other hand can the state impose such a moral code on its citizens?

For those of you who enjoy a more theoretical scenario... Was Robin Hood a hero or a villain; to steal from the rich to give to the poor? While many instinctively respond that he was a hero, here is another perspective that perhaps will change your mind.
Historically speaking, the Robin Hood policy was applied to Jews in every corner of the "civilized" world. The Jew who was undesirable and must have achieved his/her wealth through usury or some other insidious means was forced to return some or all of that wealth to society. Sometimes this was achieved "legally" through a "Jew Tax" other times the Jews where simply expelled from the land ( England 1290, France 1305, 1683 Spain, 1492, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Morrow, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon 1940-1960) of course Jews were required to leave all their assets behind. Or Jews were killed (1640-50 Eastern Europe, 1910's Russia, 1940's Western Europe etc.), again leaving their "ill-earned" assets to the "oppressed masses and governments".

However like many of the upper-middle and rich of America, the overwhelming majority of Jews achieved their wealth through hard work, perseverance, and plan old innovation (for more on this analogy please view or read Niall Ferguson's The Ascent of Money, PBS). To legally take their wealth by imposing a moral requirement sounds good, but is in reality a reoccurring historical wrong. It is a form of Robin Hood thinking, the imposition of the majority’s desires on the minority.

It is a powerful argument and one that I once ascribed to.

As a Jew whose forefathers where abused by the majority the idea that Jew has been replaced with “rich-man” as the target of Robin-hood practices is abominable.

But why?

Why is it that the rich should not be forced to give to the poor? After all in Ancient Israel and today Jews are REQUIRED TO GIVE 1/10 of their income to charity. Muslims and Christians are likewise admonished to give to charity. Why not have a secular authority enshrine this in American law?

(This perspective holds true despite that face that the American public already VOLUNTARILY, gives disproportionately to charity (http://www.jewishachievement.com/domains/phil.html).

To this valid and important question the answer is clear.
Americans already give a tremendous amount of money to larger society. In Brooklyn, where I live, I know a number of people who live in free housing WITH CABLE! In other words the FED has already exhausted its "biblical" ability to tax.

We Americans with or without health-care should not be blinded by the Robin Hood syndrome. At the end of the day humanity was given free will, morality or alleged morality, cannot be imposed. Obama-Hood is not the way.