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Before the Jews of Hungary were emancipated in the 19th century, they were not permitted to own land. By the end of the century, they were on their way to owning fully one-fifth of Hungary's large estates and were hugely successful in business and the arts. The Jews of Germany had a similar history. They comprised many if not most of the country's lawyers, doctors, composers, playwrights and scientists, and were so astonishingly successful in business that while they were just 1 percent of the population, they were 31 percent of the richest families. What did it? Was it nature (Jews were smarter) or nurture (Jews had a certain culture)? Here's my answer: I don't know.
-- Roger Cohen of The Washington Post
Here's my answer: probably both. Myself being neither especially smart nor well-cultured, I won't pretend to be able to give a good argument for the position. Just saying. It is a provocative question. In my more Christian moods, I have even thought that their intellectual gifts could be taken as a strong indication that the Jews are indeed the Chosen People of God.
-- Roger Cohen of The Washington Post
Here's my answer: probably both. Myself being neither especially smart nor well-cultured, I won't pretend to be able to give a good argument for the position. Just saying. It is a provocative question. In my more Christian moods, I have even thought that their intellectual gifts could be taken as a strong indication that the Jews are indeed the Chosen People of God.
