The Spokesman Conundrum: “Is It Good for the Jews?”

Abstract

Is it good for the Jews? This core question has been a central query for a group that has been known over millennia for its questioning. Whether Jews are properly labeled as a race/religion/people/ethnicity/cultural aggregation or some other group identifier, the historic tendency of Jews to raise this central question is familiar enough to have become the punch line for countless jokes. Indeed, it is so familiar that often the question does not even have to be verbalized. But can anyone predict or assess what is good for the Jews—and, if so, who gets to decide? Is assimilation or separation more desirable? Is it advisable to stand out or to acculturate, to let threats pass or to challenge them directly? And should any such analysis take into account the interests of the individuals directly involved and/or the best strategies for a specific group or for the many groups of Jews?