The Jewish Economy: Real reason behind the success of Jews?

Historically speaking, Judaism is the oldest Abrahamic religion and Jewish people - followers of Judaism - are considered to be God's chosen people to spread his message of harmony and living a responsible life. What made the followers of Judaism stand out from other religious and social communities is the deep interconnectedness of the followers of Judaism. As one of the World's most financially successful communities, Jews are scattered all over the world but they share a strong sense of common identity and have shared values. And this close knit nature of the Jewish community, both socially and economically, is the reason for the rise of what we know as the “Jewish Economy". 

The term “Jewish Economy” can be and has been interpreted in many different ways in different parts of the world but at the core of the “Jewish Economy" is the idea of progressing within the community and then giving back to the community. The concept of Tzedakah - a Hebrew word for charity - is at the Center of Jewish values and it is also one of the most important pillars of the Jewish Economy. 

Understanding the Jewish Economy

The main theme of the Jewish economy is flow of wealth within the community so that collective progress of the entire community can be achieved. This flow of wealth inside the community creates a circular economy in which wealth keeps getting distributed among Jewish people, ensuring community growth and heightened sense of commonality among Jews. 

Berel Ryan Solomon, Jewish businessmen and political commentator shared a video on his facebook account explaining the concept of the “Jewish Circular Economy”. In the video, Solomon explained that Jews have two conditions for choosing any profession: It should be lucrative so that they make a lot of money and the profession should be moral. According to Soloman, these values are shared by the whole Jewish community. This close sense of community and working with each other is the real reason for the success of Jews. 

Solomon explains further that when it comes to business, Jews look for people whom they can trust and think the same way. In the video, while explaining the circular economy, Solomon gave examples of Real estate enterprises run by a Jew. He explained that for running the real estate business, Jewish people will seek the help of their Jewish friends for doing the construction work. Then they will look for established Jewish individuals in the service industry to provide necessary services for their real estate business. This way, the wealth flow is contained within the Jewish community which creates a circular economy. It benefits both the individual and the community. 

Sacred Act of Tzedakah : Giving back to community

As mentioned before, the whole concept of the "Jewish Economy" is rooted in the collective progress of the entire community. Tzedakah - an act of charity - is a step in that direction wherein Jews who have prospered from the circular Jewish Economy share part of their wealth with the community by doing charity. The charity money is used to build schools for Jewish children, hospitals for Jews people and synagogues -  for Jewish people to pray. This promotes brotherhood among the community and encourages them to feel happy for each other's success. 

The Jewish Economy is a great example of how collective struggle and genuine concern for the well being of not just ourselves or family, but for the entire community led to the phenomenal growth and prosperity for everyone. What would happen if other communities - religious, social or cultural - also move in the direction of collective growth rather than Individual prosperity is a good question to ponder upon. 

(Rh/RS)