‘I Will Bless You’
Not all Jewish people are wealthy. But their collective success is undeniable—and here’s why.
I was just getting settled in my dorm room on my move-in day on the campus of Kent State University in 1971 when my new roommate asked me if he could borrow my car sometime.
“My car?” I asked. “I don’t own a car. What made you think I had a car?”
“You’re Jewish, right?” he responded. “Aren’t all Jews rich?”
“Not this one!”
My new roommate was raised in an African-American community and had not known many Jewish people before he met me. So, I understood why he might believe the stereotype.
The fact is, not all Jews are rich. According to The Jewish Federation of North America, 20% of Jewish households in the United States “struggle to make ends meet.”1 Similarly, 30% of all Israelis (some of whom are Arabs) live in poverty.2 Yet, Jewish people appear collectively successful, and their success has greatly benefited the world. Why? Because God is faithful.
Individual Jewish Success
Author Craig Hill shared a story about Jewish success in his book Five Wealth Secrets 96% of Us Don’t Know. While meeting with his Jewish accountant, Hill’s friend Earl asked, “Tell me honestly, . . . who has larger financial statements; your Jewish clients, or your Christian clients?” The accountant laughed and responded, “My Jewish clients, of course. Probably about ten to one in magnitude.”3
Jewish success is quantifiable. According to a Ynetnews.com article, “Why Jews are disproportionately successful,” Jewish people “make up less than half of one percent of the world’s population but they consistently have made up more than twenty percent of the Forbes 400 list of the world’s richest people.” Further, “Thirty percent of Nobel Prize winners in science are Jewish, and major Hollywood studios, like Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios, are also run or owned by Jews. In virtually every industry successful Jews are disproportionally represented.”4
Why is this the case? Because God promised to bless the Jewish people and make them a blessing to the world; and despite all their troubles because of their disobedience, He has never reneged on His promise (Gen. 12:2–3). They have a disproportionate influence for good in the world for His name’s sake.
Israel’s National Success
Since almost half of the world’s Jewish people live in Israel, their prosperity translates into modern Israel’s success. The State of Israel, only 77 years old, ranks first among all nations in agricultural research and water management. Boasting the fourth-best economy, it is considered a world leader in cybersecurity, military advancements, and artificial intelligence.
Known as the “Startup Nation,” Israel consistently grades among the global leaders in many areas of business. In 2019, Israel had “the highest per capita concentration of start-ups in the world: more than 6,600—14 times the per capita concentration of start-ups in Europe. Israel [ranked] number one globally in research and development expenditures per Gross Domestic Product and [attracted] the highest rate of venture-capital funding per capita in the world.”5
Secrets to Success
These accomplishments are amazing, considering the Jewish people comprise only a sliver of the world’s population (0.2%). But, they make an enormous impact on the world. How do they do it? Humanly speaking, there are many theories.
Rabbinic Judaism. In his book Jews, Judaism, and Success: How Religion Paved the Way to Modern Jewish Achievement, Professor Robert Eisen of George Washington University posited that rabbinic Judaism, which is rooted in the Talmud, accounts for Jewish prosperity. He said that rabbis emphasize four values—respect for human autonomy, belief in freedom of thought and expression, the conviction that life in this world is inherently good, and respect for education—far more than do other Western religions. These values have permeated Judaism for centuries. While the majority of Jewish people do not follow strict rabbinic teaching today, Eisen believes these tenets are so entrenched in the culture that they provide an edge that favors the Jewish people.
Resourcefulness, Resilience, and Tight-Knit Communities. A team of ex-venture capitalists, market researchers, entrepreneurs, and growth marketers from Tactyqal Labs tried to explain Jewish success in an article titled “25 Jewish Business Insights for Success”:
Since time immemorial, Jewish communities have thrived as entrepreneurs and business leaders across the globe. As an ethnic minority that has endured prolonged displacement and hardship, Jews have had to rely on resourcefulness, resilience, and tight-knit communities to survive and prosper. These experiences have infused the Jewish culture with profound business wisdom that serves as a blueprint for success even today.6
High IQ and Openness to Experience. Dr. Jordan Peterson, Canadian clinical psychologist, author, media commentator, and YouTube influencer, analyzed the question of Jewish success. He noted that Ashkenazi Jews have a significantly higher-than-average IQ and are overrepresented in openness to experience, one of five cardinal personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism). As a result, they are “over-represented in positions of authority, competence and influence. New York Jews, in particular, snap up a disproportionate number of Nobel prizes, . . . and Jews are disproportionately eligible for admission at elite universities.”7
Old Testament Principles. In Craig Hill’s anecdote about his friend Earl’s meeting with his Jewish accountant, Earl pondered a second question:
“Being Jewish yourself,” he asked his accountant, “what is your personal opinion as to why [Jews are successful]?”
The accountant mused for a moment. Then, he picked up the Bible Earl had brought with him and said, “You Christians tend to live out of the back of this book, while we Jews tend to live out of the front of the book. Unfortunately for Christians, most of the financial principles are in the front of the book. So we Jews believe in and abide by these principles, while you Christians seem to ignore them and discount them because they are ‘Old Testament.’”
Some of these theories on Jewish success may well be true: the financial advice contained in the “front” of the Bible; principles in rabbinic teaching; emphasis on education; the resourcefulness, resilience, and closeness of the tight-knit Jewish community; high IQs; and openness to experience. But another question needs to be asked: Why the Jews? The answer comes from the Word of God, not merely with principles from the Book but promises from the Lord Himself.
God promised the Jewish people He would bless them, make them a great nation, make their name great, and make them a blessing to all families of the earth (Gen. 12:2–3). He chose the Jewish people to be successful—a people for Himself, His treasure above all others (Dt. 7:6; 14:2). He staked His name on their success, saying, “I do not do this [spiritually renew His people] for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake” (Ezek. 36:22; cf. Num. 14:13–17). And He staked His word on their success, telling them that if they obeyed it, “You will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Josh. 1:8; cf. Isa. 55:11).
Not all Jewish people are rich, and not all are successful. But God has promised—both in the front and the back of the Book—that He will bless the Jewish people and make their name great for His name’s sake. Their success, despite insurmountable challenges and continuous attempts to annihilate them, proves the faithfulness and goodness of God.
ENDNOTES
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- Kelley Quinn, “Study: Nearly 20% of Jewish Households Struggle to Make Ends Meet,” The Jewish Federations of North America, May 22, 2024 (tinyurl.com/JewishHouses).
- Gal Gabai, “Nearly 30 Percent of Israel’s Population Lives Below Poverty Line, New Report Finds,” Haaretz, December 17, 2024 (tinyurl.com/IsraeliPoverty).
- Craig Hill, Five Wealth Secrets 96% of Us Don’t Know (Littleton, CO: Family Foundations International, 2012), 4–5.
- Rabbi Levi Brackman, “Why Jews are disproportionately successful,” Ynetnews.com, September 5, 2008 (tinyurl.com/ForbesSuccess).
- Soeren Kern, “Innovative Companies Love Israel,” Israel My Glory, 83, no. 5 (2019): 7.
- Priyanka, “25 Jewish Business Insights for Success,” tactyqal.com, March 18, 2024 (tinyurl.com/JewishInsight).
- Jordan B. Peterson, “On the so-called ‘Jewish Question,’” Jordan B. Peterson, March 23, 2018 (tinyurl.com/JewishQuestion).
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Photo: Adobe Stock
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Agreed. And it’s interesting that on a national level gentile nations are economic basket cases because they don’t practice the principals in the ‘front of The Book’.