The greatness of American Jewry

It’s sadly ironic that as antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments are spiking in the US, two giant American Jews (one of them born in Israel) who made a lasting impact on the American landscape have died.

The lives of Joe Lieberman and Daniel Kahneman are a sterling testament to the highest level of achievement that American Jews have risen to in the last century.

Lieberman, 82, a longtime senator from Connecticut, became the first Jewish member of a major presidential ticket when Al Gore chose him to be a running mate in 2000.

Religiously observant, he became one of the most visible role models for integrating Orthodoxy into the secular American world, and he did it with grace.

In announcing that he would not be running for reelection in 2012, Lieberman described what it meant for the grandson of Jewish immigrants to be considered for a role just a heartbeat from the presidency.

“I can’t help but also think about my four grandparents and the journey they traveled more than a century ago,” he said. “Even they could not have dreamed that their grandson would end up a United States senator and, incidentally, a barrier-breaking candidate for vice president.”

Lieberman was a political peacemaker, starting as a conservative Democrat before moving over to become independent. His ability to reach out to all political colleagues defined his career. A lifelong staunch supporter of Israel, who made dozens of visits here, Lieberman fought for what he thought was right up until the end of his life. Last week, in one of his last public statements, he criticized Sen. Chuck Schumer, who recently made waves when he called for new elections in Israel.

“Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last Thursday crossed a political redline that had never before been breached by a leader of his stature and never should be again,” Lieberman wrote in The Wall Street Journal.

Although his principles ended up complicating his relationship with both Democrats and Republicans, Lieberman stuck to his guns and his integrity rose to the top. Today’s politicians, including those running for the presidency, would fare well by taking a page out of his playbook.

Kahneman, who died Wednesday at 90, was a different example of an American Jewish success story.

The Israeli-born, Nobel Prize-winning psychologist broke new ground on the subject of how humans make decisions. His extensive research effectively launched the field of behavioral economics – which in turn has influenced several other fields.

In 2002, he won the Nobel Prize in Economics for “having integrated insights from psychological research into economic science.” Then-President Barack Obama awarded Kahneman the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, calling him a “pioneering scholar of psychology,” who “applied cognitive psychology to economic analysis, laying the foundation for a new field of research.”

The former Hebrew University professor’s 2011 book Thinking, Fast and Slow, which encompassed his life work, sold over a million copies around the world. Kahneman was sought as an expert on subjects as diverse as hiring decisions, insurance risk, and the justice system.

What united Lieberman and Kahneman was their belief that Jews, like all Americans, were able to excel in any field they entered. And their heady accomplishments bear that belief as fact.

They are just two of the many Jewish Americans whose work in the fields of science, health, arts and politics, among other fields, has contributed immensely to the fabric of American society and helped build its reputation as the greatest country in the world.

In today’s turbulent American environment, partially spurred by the Gaza war, those beliefs are being threatened. Jews are being targeted on campuses and city streets, Jewish performers are having their shows canceled, and many Jews are afraid to speak out or support Israel lest they get censured, or worse.

A recent article in The Atlantic that made waves asked if the “golden age” of American Jewry – as represented by Lieberman and Kahneman – is over. If that unthinkable eventuality comes to pass, it won’t just be a loss for American Jews – it will also mean that the golden age of America is over.