Comments on: Jewish Wisdom for Business Success http://www.jewlicious.com/2008/10/jewish-wisdom-for-business-success/ It's a Jewish Blog! Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:17:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joanne http://www.jewlicious.com/2008/10/jewish-wisdom-for-business-success/#comment-1062475 Joanne Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:53:53 +0000 http://www.jewlicious.com/?p=5588#comment-1062475 This book is pandering to a stereotype. Have they no shame! Actually, the video raises some questions: 1. How many people interviewed disagreed with the premise? These people were presumably left out of the video. 2. Why did they interview people who were mostly from areas of the Midwest (or from Ireland!) where Jews are rare? The only exception was the professor from Chicago. If I remember correctly, the narrator in the video mentioned that he went all over the country, but there were only interviews from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Chicago area. If he had interviewed people who had much more direct experience of Jews (NYC or LA), would he have gotten the same answers? Why limit interviews to people who knew the least, and so were more dependent on hearsay and stereotypes? 3. If Jewish success in business were due to the wisdom of the Torah, then religious Jews would be much better in business than secular or atheistic Jews--and there are many of them--who have little or no Jewish religious training or culture. Has a study been done to gauge this? This book is pandering to a stereotype. Have they no shame!

Actually, the video raises some questions:

1. How many people interviewed disagreed with the premise? These people were presumably left out of the video.

2. Why did they interview people who were mostly from areas of the Midwest (or from Ireland!) where Jews are rare? The only exception was the professor from Chicago. If I remember correctly, the narrator in the video mentioned that he went all over the country, but there were only interviews from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Chicago area. If he had interviewed people who had much more direct experience of Jews (NYC or LA), would he have gotten the same answers? Why limit interviews to people who knew the least, and so were more dependent on hearsay and stereotypes?

3. If Jewish success in business were due to the wisdom of the Torah, then religious Jews would be much better in business than secular or atheistic Jews–and there are many of them–who have little or no Jewish religious training or culture. Has a study been done to gauge this?

]]> By: themiddle http://www.jewlicious.com/2008/10/jewish-wisdom-for-business-success/#comment-1059737 themiddle Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:32:00 +0000 http://www.jewlicious.com/?p=5588#comment-1059737 I'm curious about the book. I mean, what the heck does torah study have to do with business? I can see how intense gemara study might help in law, but torah and business? Nah. I’m curious about the book. I mean, what the heck does torah study have to do with business? I can see how intense gemara study might help in law, but torah and business? Nah.

]]> By: Sam Jaffe http://www.jewlicious.com/2008/10/jewish-wisdom-for-business-success/#comment-1059651 Sam Jaffe Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:19:27 +0000 http://www.jewlicious.com/?p=5588#comment-1059651 As co-author of the book, let me respond to your accusation. We're not trying to trade on the reputation of Jews being good with money to "sell books". We're trying to open up the debate. As the husband of a fine Jewish girl from Seoul, I noticed how her family and friends would discuss the economic success of Korean-Americans with a mixture of pride and scrutiny. But they weren't scared of raising the subject. Why can't we Jews be the same way? The answer is obvious--anti-semitism. But dead wrong, in my opinion. By not talking about Jews and money, we Jews are leaving the discussion to the lunatic fringe. Let's embrace it and celebrate it and analyze it, not be so scared of our own shadows that we can't mention it. So Levi Brackman and I put forth a book that suggests our hypothesis on the subject: that the success Jews have had in business in the last century is a direct result of the Torah and its teachings. Just like it tells us how to make love to our wives, how to free our slaves and how to handle toilet paper, it talks about that activity that takes up 75% of our waking hours: making money. Many Jews who have left the religion (or at least the Yeshivah) still absorbed these lessons through osmosis. That's our view. What's yours? The only answer that's wrong is "Let's not talk about it, the goyim might be listening." As co-author of the book, let me respond to your accusation. We’re not trying to trade on the reputation of Jews being good with money to “sell books”. We’re trying to open up the debate. As the husband of a fine Jewish girl from Seoul, I noticed how her family and friends would discuss the economic success of Korean-Americans with a mixture of pride and scrutiny. But they weren’t scared of raising the subject. Why can’t we Jews be the same way? The answer is obvious–anti-semitism. But dead wrong, in my opinion. By not talking about Jews and money, we Jews are leaving the discussion to the lunatic fringe. Let’s embrace it and celebrate it and analyze it, not be so scared of our own shadows that we can’t mention it. So Levi Brackman and I put forth a book that suggests our hypothesis on the subject: that the success Jews have had in business in the last century is a direct result of the Torah and its teachings. Just like it tells us how to make love to our wives, how to free our slaves and how to handle toilet paper, it talks about that activity that takes up 75% of our waking hours: making money. Many Jews who have left the religion (or at least the Yeshivah) still absorbed these lessons through osmosis. That’s our view. What’s yours? The only answer that’s wrong is “Let’s not talk about it, the goyim might be listening.”

]]> By: Larry http://www.jewlicious.com/2008/10/jewish-wisdom-for-business-success/#comment-1059261 Larry Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:16:16 +0000 http://www.jewlicious.com/?p=5588#comment-1059261 HAHAHHA ... i am aware of the book and it is on MyJewishBooks.com and our business editor, CHaim Hilton, assumed to be the baal tshuva Jewish cousin of Paris, .. is reviewing it, but i am loathe of thesetyoes of books... ok ok... not loathe, just jealous, since I have been working on a similar book for a decade, called Moses on Management, which gleans business mgt concepts from each week's parsha HAHAHHA … i am aware of the book and it is on MyJewishBooks.com and our business editor, CHaim Hilton, assumed to be the baal tshuva Jewish cousin of Paris, .. is reviewing it, but i am loathe of thesetyoes of books… ok ok… not loathe, just jealous, since I have been working on a similar book for a decade, called Moses on Management, which gleans business mgt concepts from each week’s parsha

]]>