Last fall during a social justice panel at J Street's policy conference, a Wesleyan senior named Emily Hoffman said that she needed to talk about "privilege" in the Jewish community, and Alana Alpert, a rabbinical student, promptly echoed her: "I often feel the same way." I found the exchange liberating. It seemed that these young Jews were grappling with a sociological reality and a new chapter in Jewish history: incredible wealth and access.
And with that preamble, another list of Jewish names. The Times yesterday covered Harold Ford Jr.'s announcement that he won't take on Kirsten Gillibrand for Senate in NY. The article was filled with the names of Jewish power-brokers. Marc Lasry tells Ford all the money is locked up by Gillibrand. Steve Rattner was backing Ford. So was Doug Schoen, who once worked for Menachem Begin. Among New York's "wealthiest and most politically connected executives" Ford consulted were Ron Perelman and Robert Wolf (sounds Jewish, but I don't know), and Richard Plepler of HBO-- who I'm guessing is Jewish; he did a film on PBS with the help of the Israeli consulate, called Dennis Ross a national treasure, and advised the American Jewish Committee on the impact of the presidential race on Israel. And, for Gillibrand, there is Glenn Caplin--I'm guessing again, but he worked for Howard Rubenstein, pr guru and Israel lobbyist. Oh and Mort Zuckerman has also said he won't take Gillibrand on...
I don't know where all these folks stand on the Israel question, but I have a pretty good idea. And while we're on the subject, don't forget that the two offices closest to the president are occupied by Jews, with responsibility for national security. And when there was any thought that Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian-American, would have a place in the Obama administration's braintrust on these matters, he was smeared. Dennis Ross the eternal appointee, lately chair of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, meanwhile, seems to be guiding our hawkish Iran policy.
You cannot reckon with the power of the Israel lobby in American political life without acknowledging Jewish wealth.
great article alex, thanks
“You cannot reckon with the power of the Israel lobby in American political life without acknowledging Jewish wealth. ”
Not to mention outsized influence, bordering on complete dominance, of American media: link to articles.latimes.com
George Orwell: “He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future.”
I can certainly understand the temptation of many Jews to ascribe their collective success to nothing but genetic and cultural superiority, and in a way many Jews (and non-Jews) have been infantilized and encouraged to think this is the case.
The suggestion that factors other than meritocracy play a role in the collective success of Jews is met by outrage, hurt feelings, and charges of anti-Semitism.
It is generally self-destructive to suggest that the Israel lobby is strong, that Jews make up a large portion of our ruling class, that most of our big media outlets are funded and run by Jews, or that the Holocaust and anti-Semitism are exploited to stifle criticism of Israel or ethnocentric Jews and their organizations.
If the critic isn’t Jewish, forget about it.
I really enjoyed the description of Dennis Ross as a “national treasure.” It’s always great to start the day with a wry little chuckle.
I’m reminded of a bunch of years ago when [then] Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan was described as a national treasure. My thought was, a pity that’s a treasure which is neither lost not buried.
Latest stats I read reveal that the richest groups in the USA by way far (those with incomes from $75,000- on up to the top income are Jews (Judiasm) and Indians (Hindu), with respectively the top two percentages of 46% and 43%
There are 6X more Jews than Indians in the USA, and most Indians have come here only since 1965.
The national average falling into the $75,000 and above income is 18%
Everyone else, or 82% of all Americans and American familys make less than $75,000 per year.
The Economic Elite have escalated their attack on U.S. workers over the past few years; however, this attack began to build intensity in the 1970s. In 1970, CEOs made $25 for every $1 the average worker made. Due to technological advancements, production and profit levels exploded from 1970 – 2000. With the lion’s share of increased profits going to the CEO’s, this pay ratio dramatically rose to $90 for CEOs to $1 for the average worker.
As ridiculous as that seems, an in-depth study in 2004 on the explosion of CEO pay revealed that, including stock options and other benefits, CEO pay is more accurately $500 to $1.
Paul Buchheit, from DePaul University, revealed, “From 1980 to 2006 the richest 1% of America tripled their after-tax percentage of our nation’s total income, while the bottom 90% have seen their share drop over 20%.” Robert Freeman added, “Between 2002 and 2006, it was even worse: an astounding three-quarters of all the economy’s growth was captured by the top 1%.”
Due to this, the United States already had the highest inequality of wealth in the industrialized world prior to the financial crisis. Since the crisis, which has hit the average worker much harder than CEOs, the gap between the top one percent and the remaining 99% of the US population has grown to a record high. The economic top one percent of the population now owns over 70% of all financial assets, an all time record.
As mentioned before, just look at the first full year of the crisis when workers lost an average of 25 percent off their 401k. During the same time period, the wealth of the 400 richest Americans increased by $30 billion, bringing their total combined wealth to $1.57 trillion, which is more than the combined net worth of 50% of the US population. Just to make this point clear, 400 people have more wealth than 155 million people combined.
Meanwhile, 2009 was a record-breaking year for Wall Street bonuses, as firms issued $150 billion to their executives. 100% of these bonuses are a direct result of our tax dollars, so if we used this money to create jobs, instead of giving them to a handful of top executives, we could have paid an annual salary of $30,000 to 5 million people.
link to alternet.org
The entire “financial system” is a ruse, clearly indicated by the concentration of wealth. The exclusivity inherent in any group can be the cause of a mercurial rise, but not everyone is afforded the opportunity because systemically a small group feeds off of the rest of the population by design. So poverty is not merely a juxtaposition to wealth, it is a purposeful dynamic condition for the few –
THE INVISIBLE HAND IN YOUR POCKET