Comments on: Ideology of the Meritocracy http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/08/01/ideology-of-the-meritocracy/ Self-Experimentation, Scientific Method, the Shangri-La Diet, etc. Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:13:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: Anonymous Modern Orthodox Jew http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/08/01/ideology-of-the-meritocracy/#comment-31922 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:26:58 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/08/01/ideology-of-the-meritocracy/#comment-31922 The ethos at Maimo (Noah's school) is very different from the secular Jewish meritocracy that Weiss describes. Maimo was founded by the symbol and leader of American Modern Orthodoxy Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, who immigrated to the US before the war. Soloveichik's ideology is that it's possible to be a Harvard PhD and a committed religious Jew learning Talmud regularly: success in the New World while maintaining Old World standards. The school pushes its students to advance the ideology: cynically, they want to prove to the Ultra-Orthodox that education isn't religiously dangerous and to other Jews that religion isn't educationally detrimental. That the top Talmud student from the exemplar yeshiva high school could intermarry is hardly new --- there are examples of similar even in the Talmud itself --- but he is an example of why the Ultra-Orthodox are suspicious of secular education and becoming more so. The ethos at Maimo (Noah’s school) is very different from the secular Jewish meritocracy that Weiss describes.

Maimo was founded by the symbol and leader of American Modern Orthodoxy Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, who immigrated to the US before the war. Soloveichik’s ideology is that it’s possible to be a Harvard PhD and a committed religious Jew learning Talmud regularly: success in the New World while maintaining Old World standards. The school pushes its students to advance the ideology: cynically, they want to prove to the Ultra-Orthodox that education isn’t religiously dangerous and to other Jews that religion isn’t educationally detrimental.

That the top Talmud student from the exemplar yeshiva high school could intermarry is hardly new — there are examples of similar even in the Talmud itself — but he is an example of why the Ultra-Orthodox are suspicious of secular education and becoming more so.

]]> by: Pearl http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/08/01/ideology-of-the-meritocracy/#comment-31908 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:14:35 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/08/01/ideology-of-the-meritocracy/#comment-31908 I've never actually met a man who played football and the flute.....interesting dynamic. I had no inkling of that which is Jewish culture until I majored in music at Michigan and suddenly BAM!, it was like the coolest club ever. I once heard a would-be conductor friend quip, "well, I'm not Jewish or gay; I've been thinking I ought to work on changing one of the two to help my career along......no, really." I’ve never actually met a man who played football and the flute…..interesting dynamic.

I had no inkling of that which is Jewish culture until I majored in music at Michigan and suddenly BAM!, it was like the coolest club ever.

I once heard a would-be conductor friend quip, “well, I’m not Jewish or gay; I’ve been thinking I ought to work on changing one of the two to help my career along……no, really.”

]]> by: seth http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/08/01/ideology-of-the-meritocracy/#comment-31754 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:57:47 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/08/01/ideology-of-the-meritocracy/#comment-31754 I think Weiss was pointing out that anti-semitism had two effects: (a) excluded Jews; (b) kept Jews together. I think Weiss was pointing out that anti-semitism had two effects: (a) excluded Jews; (b) kept Jews together.

]]> by: Andrew Gelman http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/08/01/ideology-of-the-meritocracy/#comment-31752 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:42:32 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/08/01/ideology-of-the-meritocracy/#comment-31752 I think Weiss may be overcomplicating things. Whether or not you go to a selective college (or, as he puts it, "good schools"), most Jews in the U.S. will encounter lots of non-Jews. Once you remove or reduce the constraints from intermarriage, it'll happen. I think Weiss may be overcomplicating things. Whether or not you go to a selective college (or, as he puts it, “good schools”), most Jews in the U.S. will encounter lots of non-Jews. Once you remove or reduce the constraints from intermarriage, it’ll happen.

]]>