A STUDY GUIDE

	Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment Perseus by J. J. Goldberg Study Guide by Dr. Alan D. Bennett
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WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT
In Goldberg's view, Jews have made it in America, their contributions to society equaled by no other group. Our enemies attribute our success to a sinister conspiracy: We supposedly control the media, entertainment, finances, and politics--all areas in which Jews are, in fact, heavily represented. These realities, added to our historical fears of anti-Semitism, have led Jewish leaders to play down Jewish achievements. The result, says Goldberg, is a communications breakdown between the leaders of the Jewish power structure and mainstream Jews. The book is divided into three parts: 1. What Is the Meaning of Jewish Power? (Is American Jewry a force to be reckoned with or a paper tiger? What accounts for political liberalism among Jews? Is the Jewish continuity crisis as bad as we think?) 2. The Roots of Jewish Power (George Washington's promise; Jewish powerlessness and the Holocaust; the triumph of the Six-Day War; how the Jews won the Cold War). 3. The Crisis of Jewish Power (Jews in public office, in the ballot box, in the media, Jews and Blacks, the one-way love affair with Israel).

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1. What evidence is there in your family that Jews have made it in America?
2. Does your personal experience confirm the author's assertion that most American Jews do not know how much power they have?
3. Why do you think Jews generally support liberal social agendas?
4. How should Reform/Conservative Jews respond to militant Orthodoxy on religious and political issues?
5. Why do you think that Jews, who are under 3% of the American population, have such disproportionate political power?
6. Should Jewish power be downplayed or emphasized?
7. Should Jewish electoral preferences be based on a support-of-Israel litmus test?
8. What should the role of Jewish defense agencies be?

To order Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment
Perseus