>>I'm not Jewish but the author is.
>>Dennis Prager is a man I admire and respect for his fairness. But I would like to know if any of you (especially those of Jewish backgorund) think his opinion in this piece is valid.
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>>http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/dennisprager/2006/04/25/194915.html
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>I think there's a lot of validity in what he says, especially the points about Judaism being concerned with social justice and with this world rather than the next.
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>One of the most important imperatives to Jews is tikkun olam, "repairing the world." Judaism teaches that we (all people) are partners with God in completing the creation of the world and that we are all called to make the world better. Most Jews don't believe in an afterlife, and view what we do in this world (including, of course, our children) as our eternal legacy.
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>Combine this with the thousands of years of oppresion of the Jews and you can see why so many Jews tend to be liberal, at least with respect to social issues.
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>In addition, of course, education is a primary value in Judaism (one of the principal responsibilities a parent has for a child is to teach him to read), and overall, there is a correlation between education level and political liberalism. The more years of education, the more likely to be liberal. The less years, the more likely to be conservative. Jews tend to be one of the most highly educated groups.
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>Tamar (Jewish and liberal)

I haven't seen conservatives defend that well. Either dducation causes liberalism, or that only liberals value education enough to pursue it. Too me that's proof that conservatism is flawed.

Going way off topic here... there is an interesting parallel between Jews and Chinese. Both in recent history were discriminated against openly and it was difficult to find employment. Segments of both populations gravitated towards professions that allowed self employment such as being a doctor, lawyer or dentist. From what you said, there is a finality in Judiasm, but I think this is also true in Confucianism. Both groups are dispersed around the world living in cultures (at least before becoming assimilated) that are different from them. Both groups at some level forced to live in their own section of town. Every major city world wide has or had a jewish quarter or a 'chinatown'. This is just a random thought that popped into my head while reading your post.