August 28, 2007 | 11:22 pm

Are Jews smarter? And non-Jews—not so much?

Posted by The Web Guy

Ever since researcher Gary Cochran of the University of Utah sought to explain the apparent Ashkenazi intelligence edge as an easily-understood example of natural selection, the idea has attracted criticism from scholars of every persuasion. Here’s his thesis:
...
In the Middle Ages, European Jews were subjected to legal discrimination, one effect of which was to drive them into money-related professions, such as banking and tax farming, which were often disdained by, or forbidden to, Christians. This, along with the low level of intermarriage with their non-Jewish neighbors (which modern genetic analysis confirms was the case), is Cochran’s starting point.

He argues that the professions occupied by European Jews were all ones that put a premium on intelligence. Of course, it is hard to prove that this intelligence premium existed in the Middle Ages, but it is certainly true that it exists in the modern versions of those occupations. Several studies have shown that intelligence, as measured by IQ tests, is highly correlated with income in jobs such as banking.

What can, however, be shown from the historical records is that European Jews at the top of their professions in the Middle Ages raised more children to adulthood than those at the bottom. Of course, that was true of successful non-Jews, as well. But in the Middle Ages, success in Christian society tended to be violently aristocratic (warfare and land), rather than peacefully meritocratic (banking and trade).

Put these two things together — a correlation of intelligence and success and a correlation of success and fecundity — and you have circumstances that favor the spread of genes that enhance intelligence. The questions are, do such genes exist and what are they if they do?
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I just came across another article here in the archives that includes a complementary propositon that Gentiles were self-selecting for traits other than mental agility during the very same time period:
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Rabbi Arthur Green, dean of the Rabbinical School at Boston’s Hebrew College, wondered whether the findings took into account all relevant factors in the development of Jewish intelligence. He noted that during the period in which the researchers believe the Jewish intelligence gene began to be selected, the majority Christian world was, in a sense, selecting against such a gene.

“In that same period of 1600 to 1800 years, Christian Europe was systematically destroying its best genetic stock through celibacy” of priests and monks, he said. “The Christian devotion to celibacy, particularly for the most learned and highest intellectual achievers, diminished the quality of genetic output and created a greater contrast with the Jewish minority.”
....

That’s an angle that I never heard before, and I’ve been thinking about it since last night.

Any thoughts?

—Dennis Wilen

August 25, 2007 | 9:36 pm

Is Al Pacino a Jew? Can Jewish girls figureskate?

Posted by JewishJournal.com

Thanks to Google, people visit JewishJournal.com seeking answers to diverse questions; sometimes get more than they bargained for!

These are actual questions people asked Google and the pages they clicked on for answers:

Is Al Pacino Jewish?

Can Jewish girls figure skate?

Is Lewis Black married?

Ugly Israelis?

What is a Jewish pirate?

—Dennis Wilen

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August 22, 2007 | 6:58 pm

Top celebrity stories on JewishJournal.com

Posted by JewishJournal.com

These five celebrity stories are the most popular on JewishJournal.com this week:

*Jami Gertz 

*Judd Apatow 

*Larry Miller 

*Michael Richards 

*Matisyahu 

These are in no particular order and I only used living celebs; dead people aren’t much fun.

—Dennis Wilen

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August 17, 2007 | 5:58 pm

JewishJournal.com Reader Forums hot topics

Posted by JewishJournal.com

Here are the hottest topics/threads so far this month in JewishJournal.com’s Reader Forums:

1. Iran and Israel  
2. Ideological Bigotry  
3. The leaders of Israel and the Jewish people are failing us  
4. Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century  
5. Conversion Rules/Who is a Jew?  

What does it all mean?  Two Jews = three opinions, at least! 

Shabbat Shalom.

—Dennis Wilen

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August 14, 2007 | 10:15 pm

Most popular stories on JewishJournal.com

Posted by JewishJournal.com

Here are the Top Five Most Popular stories on JewishJournal.com so far this month (August, 2007):

1. Luke Ford: Serial Blogger
2. Hal Fishman, veteran news anchor and Mideast expert, dies at 75
3. Does Hollywood give Jewish?
4. Holding on to Nick Markowitz:  A mother struggles to immortalize the life of her murdered son
5. Rabbi Carole Meyers, first female to head a congregation in Southern California, dies at 50

—Dennis Wilen

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August 13, 2007 | 9:44 pm

Top Five reasons people came to JewishJournal.com this month

Posted by JewishJournal.com

People get to Web sites lots of ways;  sometimes, they search on Google or Yahoo!  and end up clicking on JewishJournal.com.

I keep track of these ‘referrals’ using software called Mint. Here are the latest results:

The Top Five Searches that brought ‘traffic’ to JewishJournal.com so far this month, and the articles these Web surfers read:

1. Hal Fishman
2. Rabbi Carole Meyers
3. Ben Markowitz
4. Adam Gilad
5. Chelsea Clinton

Do you see the pattern?  It’s all about people.

The Internets are just like Soylent Green. 

They’re made of people!

—Dennis Wilen

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August 12, 2007 | 6:17 pm

RIP Merv Griffin

Posted by JewishJournal.com

Entertainment great Merv Griffin died today, Sunday, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.  He was 82.

Griffin, right in photo above, made in his last appearance in The Jewish Journal in June, when he was photographed with Fred Hayman, center, and Placido Domingo, left, at a ceremony marking Fred Hayman week in Beverly Hills.

RIP, Merv.  Ooooooooooooh.

—Dennis Wilen

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August 8, 2007 | 10:57 pm

Stop the presses: Jews have Jewish names!

Posted by JewishJournal.com

Sometimes I wish I had more time to watch TV.  

Not really.    All the kewl video is on the Internets:

From TMZ.COM:

>>>>

“Big Brother” Shiksa Learns Jews Have Jewish Names
Posted Aug 8th 2007 11:59AM by TMZ Staff

Filed under: TV

Relations between Israel and the “Big Brother” house are strained today, after a somewhat anti-Semitic rant from crybaby housemate Amber hit the Internet this week. Oy vey!

Where to begin, already? First of all, Amber said the majority of Jews she knows are “selfish.” She then went on to say that her mom and sister explained to her that one can tell who is Jewish based on “their last name” and “by their nose.”

more @

TMZ

Of course, the ADL’s Abraham Foxman has to issue a statement.  Luckily, he just borrows from my post about hate on the WWW (see below).

Foxman:

It’s part of the unintended consequences of the communications revolution. Anybody can say what they do - but reality shows are now giving license to these expressions of anti-Semitism. Now, all of a sudden, the world is privy to their bigotry and it’s on national television… then enhanced on YouTube.

Ya think?

—Dennis Wilen

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