Chapter 4: Risk-Taking, Work Ethic, and Resilience

As noted in the Introduction, the Jewbans as a whole, and this family specifically, have been quite successful professionally and with it, financially. This success is consistent with what research shows about Jews in the US. A Pew Research poll in 2020 found that roughly half of Jews said their annual household income was at least $100,000, much higher than the percentage of US households overall at that level. More than 80 percent described their lives as satisfying, including their family life, physical health, and community (Pew Research Center, 2021). I was curious as to what factors might be responsible for this success. I also want to be careful not to reinforce any stereotypes of greedy or money-hungry Jews, as that is not my intent. Nor is it accurate in this case. Jack, for instance, is well-known for donating to any cause that sent him a request for money! In my interviews, the willingness to take risks and to work hard routinely came up. Further, most interviewees mentioned that Jews are resilient, having had to be as their families have been uprooted and faced centuries of discrimination. The narrative seems to be one of suffering and enduring, which allows little space to discuss advantages. What was not really mentioned was the immigration privileges afforded to the exile generation nor of the other types of assistance that helped their businesses be successful. I only learned about most of these through reviewing literature, from my discussion with Ester, and from subtle comments made by several interviewees or picked up over time around the family. The issues of privilege and advantages are addressed in more detail in Chapter 6.