I’ve just started listening to this talk and as he recites Jewish woes, I’m wondering if he asks — compared to whom?
Spoiler alert — no he doesn’t.
Over the past 800 years, Jews have consistently enjoyed more prosperous lives than the non-Jews around them.
Compared to the state of the working class, the state of Jewry is blessed.
Jews currently enjoy more prosperous, higher quality lives than the non-Jews around them.
Dan calls Douglas Murray a friend and quotes him saying that Jews “are prominent but weak.”
Compared to whom? In many areas of life, Jews are strong. Nobody is strong everywhere.
Dan approach reminds me of a story in the Torah. “The Israelites claimed that the Canaanites were giants, specifically the Anakim, primarily during the period when they were scouting the Promised Land and preparing for conquest. This claim is rooted in the Book of Numbers, where the spies sent to scout the land reported the existence of “men of great size” and “giants,” including the Anakim.” (Google)
There’s zero sense of proportion in this Dan Senor speech.
I listen to almost every episode of Dan’s podcast, Call Me Back.
Dan extolls all the great things that German Jews did but shows no awareness that different groups have different interests. He displays zero empathy for those for whom Jewish accomplishments diminished their nation. He decries anti-Jewish sentiments but doesn’t mention anti-Gentile sentiments. As Israel gets stronger, its neighbors get comparatively weaker.
Dan quotes Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Dan loves quoting the glib.
Grok says:
Dan Senor’s 2025 State of World Jewry Address at the 92NY focuses on the challenges and resilience of Jewish communities, particularly in the U.S. and Israel, but he doesn’t explicitly compare Jews to other groups in terms of socioeconomic status, well-being, or other metrics. To address your question about how Jews are doing compared to other groups, I’ll draw on Senor’s key points from the address and supplement with available data, focusing on the U.S. context where comparisons are more feasible. Since the address emphasizes identity, antisemitism, and community strength, I’ll frame the comparison around these themes, as well as socioeconomic and demographic factors where relevant.
Senor’s Perspective
Senor highlights a contrast between Israeli and American Jews:
Israeli Jews: He’s optimistic about Israel’s future, citing its resilience, strong sense of identity, and national agency despite ongoing conflicts like the Gaza war and internal divisions. He believes Israel will “be fine” due to its cultural and societal “shock absorbers” (e.g., community ties, military service).
American Jews: He expresses concern about their future, describing them as “prominent but weak” due to assimilation, low engagement with Jewish institutions, and rising antisemitism. He urges American Jews to rebuild identity through Jewish day schools, summer camps, and gap years in Israel, noting that only 11% of charitable giving by wealthy Jewish Forbes 400 members goes to Jewish causes.
Senor doesn’t directly compare Jews to other ethnic or religious groups, but his focus on antisemitism and identity suggests a unique vulnerability for Jews, particularly in the Diaspora, amid a “fraught time” globally (e.g., Gaza war, 58 hostages still held, 9,000+ antisemitic incidents in the U.S. in 2024).
Comparing Jews to Other Groups
To provide a meaningful comparison, I’ll look at U.S. Jews (6–7.5 million, ~2.4% of the population) versus other religious or ethnic groups in terms of socioeconomic status, discrimination experiences, and community cohesion, using data from Pew Research, the Anti-Defamation League, and other sources.
1. Socioeconomic Status
American Jews: Jews are generally well-educated and affluent compared to the broader U.S. population. According to Pew’s 2020 Jewish Americans study:
58% of Jewish adults have a college degree or higher (vs. 33% of all U.S. adults).28% have household incomes of $150,000+ (vs. 10% nationally).
Jews are overrepresented in high-status fields like finance, medicine, academia, and media.
Senor notes their prominence but argues it hasn’t translated into communal strength, citing underinvestment in Jewish causes.
Comparison Groups:
Asian Americans: Similar to Jews, Asian Americans (6% of the population) have high educational attainment (54% with a bachelor’s degree or higher) and median household incomes ($94,903 vs. $81,060 for Jews, adjusted for 2020). They also face stereotypes of success but experience discrimination, with 45% reporting bias incidents in 2020–21 (Stop AAPI Hate).
Black Americans: Black Americans (13% of the population) face systemic disparities, with only 26% holding a college degree and a median household income of $48,297. They report higher rates of discrimination (64% say they’ve experienced it regularly) than Jews (14% report offensive name-calling or snubbing).
Hispanics: Hispanics (18% of the population) have lower educational attainment (18% with a bachelor’s degree) and a median household income of $56,113. About 50% report discrimination based on ethnicity, higher than Jews but lower than Black Americans.
Takeaway: Jews outperform most groups socioeconomically, rivaling Asian Americans, but Senor argues this prominence masks vulnerabilities in community cohesion and identity, unlike groups with stronger cultural or religious ties (e.g., Orthodox Jews or certain immigrant communities).
2. Experiences of Discrimination
American Jews: Antisemitism is a growing concern, with the ADL reporting over 9,000 incidents in 2024, the highest on record, including assault, harassment, and vandalism. The AJC’s 2023 State of Antisemitism report found:
63% of Jews feel less secure than a year ago (up from 41% in 2022).46% altered behavior (e.g., hiding Jewish symbols) due to fear, compared to 38% in 2022.
24% of Jewish college students felt unsafe at campus events.
Senor references campus protests (e.g., Columbia University, where signs targeted Jewish students as “Hamas’s next target”) as evidence of a hostile environment.
Comparison Groups:
Muslims: Muslims (1% of the population) face significant Islamophobia, with 48% reporting discrimination in a 2017 Pew survey. Post-9/11 surveillance and recent Gaza-related tensions have heightened insecurity, though incident counts are lower (~2,000 annually, CAIR).
Black Americans: 64% report regular discrimination, and hate crimes against Black individuals (~3,500 annually, FBI 2023) are high, though not as sharply rising as antisemitic incidents.
LGBTQ+ Americans: About 59% of LGBTQ+ individuals report harassment or discrimination (Gallup 2023), with hate crimes (~2,500 annually) comparable to antisemitic ones but less tied to global events like the Gaza war.
Takeaway: Jews face a unique spike in discrimination tied to global events (e.g., October 7, Gaza war), with antisemitic incidents outpacing those against other groups in raw numbers. However, Black Americans and Muslims report higher baseline discrimination rates in daily life. Senor’s concern about Jews as “sitting ducks” in the U.S. reflects this acute, event-driven insecurity.
3. Community Cohesion and Identity
American Jews: Senor argues that American Jews lack the “clarity, purpose, and deep sense of identity” he sees in Israelis, citing low engagement with Jewish institutions (e.g., only 27% of Jews under 18 live in Orthodox households, which are more cohesive). Assimilation and intermarriage (58% of Jews marry non-Jews) dilute communal ties, though millennials show some “new middle” engagement with Jewish identity.
Comparison Groups:
Evangelical Christians: Evangelicals (20% of the population) have strong communal ties, with 70% attending church regularly and 80% identifying religion as “very important” (Pew 2020). Their cohesion contrasts with non-Orthodox Jews’ lower synagogue attendance (24%).
Haredi Jews: Within Jewry, Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews (~9% of U.S. Jews) have high birth rates, low intermarriage, and strong community structures, resembling Evangelicals more than Reform or secular Jews.
Asian Americans: Cultural identity varies by subgroup (e.g., Indian vs. Chinese), but community organizations (e.g., temples, cultural centers) foster cohesion for some. Intermarriage rates (~30%) are lower than for Jews, but assimilation pressures exist.
Takeaway: American Jews, outside Orthodox circles, have weaker communal cohesion than groups like Evangelicals or Haredi Jews, aligning more with secular or assimilated minorities like Asian Americans. Senor’s call for emulating Israeli identity reflects this gap.
4. Global Context
Globally, Jews (~15.8 million, 0.2% of the world population) are a small minority concentrated in Israel (7.2 million) and the U.S. (6–7.5 million). Senor’s address doesn’t compare Jews to other global minorities, but:
Jews face antisemitism in 94 countries (Pew 2020), more than most religious groups except Christians (155 countries) and Muslims (145).Unlike larger minorities (e.g., Muslims, ~1.9 billion), Jews’ small numbers and historical persecution (e.g., Holocaust, expulsions from Arab countries) amplify their vulnerability, a theme Senor echoes in referencing The Pity of It All about German Jews’ pre-Holocaust prominence.
Groups like Roma or Yazidis face similar targeted persecution but lack the institutional support (e.g., Israel, Jewish organizations) that Jews have, which Senor sees as underutilized in the Diaspora.
Critical Notes
Senor’s Bias: His optimism about Israel and pessimism about American Jews reflect his Zionist perspective and may overstate Israeli resilience (e.g., ignoring economic strains from prolonged war) or understate American Jewish adaptability (e.g., millennial “new middle”).
Data Gaps: Direct comparisons are limited by differing metrics (e.g., antisemitism vs. racism) and the unique geopolitical role of Jews tied to Israel, which amplifies their visibility and vulnerability unlike most groups.
Contextual Nuance: Antisemitism’s recent spike is tied to specific events (October 7, Gaza war), unlike the more systemic discrimination faced by Black or Muslim Americans, making trend comparisons tricky.
Conclusion
Compared to other groups in the U.S., Jews excel socioeconomically, rivaling Asian Americans, but face a sharper rise in event-driven discrimination (antisemitism) than Muslims, Black Americans, or LGBTQ+ individuals, though baseline discrimination may be lower. Their communal cohesion lags behind Evangelicals or Haredi Jews, aligning more with assimilated minorities.
