Why I Am A Jew

1. Perhaps most important is the Jewish emphasis on ethics and values. In Nathan’s case, a form of defiance of those who want this earth to be Judenrein, certainly plays a rather significant part in his desire to remain Jewish. He can’t understand why some Jews are eager to discard their Jewishness for something else. The ten commandments are Jewish. These have been accepted world-wide although not necessarily attributed to Judaism. There is a section of our Torah called Pirke Avoth, which deals with morality. It points us in the direction of being good people.

Similarly the Bible, although it reads like a history book, is full of situations concerning ethics and morality – which makes for interesting and long moral discussions, which in Judaism is obligatory.  The Torah is an instruction book on how to live your life.  It guides you to be a better, more knowledgeable and understanding person. Older people are not discarded, but are admired for their knowledge and understanding. That is a wonderful thing for older gentlemen like Nathan and me, neither of whom want to be discarded because of our waning physical abilities. 

Jews often separate business ethics from personal ethics. Although this is not unlike many non-Jews, it has earned us a reputation for being “smart and tough” operators, despite being soft touches and ethical in our personal relationships.

2. There is a “Jewish dissatisfaction gene”. It pushes Jews to see things that are wrong and makes them try to change them. Of course, there is no such gene, and yet it seems that Jews are always disturbing the equilibrium by trying to make things better. Despite wide-spread antisemitism, we still want to be “a light unto the nations”.

3. Jews are fanatical about studying and education. For a Jew, it is wonderful to live in an open society that values learning of all kinds. It binds our intellectual desires with our work lives.