Exile and Alienation in America. (Point/Counterpoint).
By American Jewish History
- Release Date: 2002-06-01
- Genre: Social Science
Description
Of Marc Dollinger's many interesting insights into American Jewish political behavior, his most daring may be the following: when American Jews feel directly threatened, as during the Holocaust or when they resided in the segregated South, they do not show any particular political affinity with other groups that are even more oppressed. When in trouble, the famous "liberalism" of the Jews disappears. (1) My own work substantiates a complementary phenomenon that is less surprising but perhaps still puzzling. When American Jews are blessed with periods of success and inclusion, they tend to identify with those who remain marginalized, even acting politically to support them. When Jews are making it, they jeopardize their social position by pairing themselves with America's outcasts, not simply by helping them but by claiming they belong among them. I call this behavior outsider identification. From the perspective of rational self-interest, the former behavior makes a great deal of sense. When under attack, Jews circle the wagons and worry about themselves. Dollinger's insight may be uncomfortable for those who prefer to explain contemporary Jewish behavior in the light of Isaiah's prophecy. However, most Jews realize that the prophetic ethical tradition is not uniquely theirs, but that helping the orphan and the widow is an ideal widely shared in both the ancient and modern worlds.
