Ashkenazi Jewish intelligence

Ashkenazi Jewish intelligence, often referred to as "Jewish genius",^[1][2] is the stereotype^[3] that Ashkenazi Jews tend to have a higher intelligence than other ethnic groups.

Jewish success in many intellectual fields often prompts the stereotype. Many who argue for Jewish intelligence have pointed out that more than 20% of Nobel laureates across all disciplines and nationalities are Jewish.^[4][5] Even a small increase in average IQ would represent significant representation of outliers.^[4] One psychologist, commenting on the state of research, says "it is fair to say that most, though not all, studies give Ashkenazi descendants a higher IQ than non-Jewish whites,” but argues that the effect size remains contentious and unknown.^[4] Many studies in the literature are often done by disreputable researchers, which may make assessing the size of difference difficult.^[4]

A controversial 1994 book, The Bell Curve, argued that Jews had significantly higher intelligence scores than other groups.^[3] The book is considered by many as an example of scientific racism.^[6][3] Sander Gilman argues that implicit assumptions of Jewish intelligence may help fuel fear and common stereotypes of Jews controlling higher professions such as law.^[3]

A 2004 paper by self-professed "scientific racist" Richard Lynn found that American Jews obtained significantly higher IQ scores than the average white gentile, and even higher scores compared to black peoples.^[7]

A controversial paper was published in 2006 called "Natural History of Ashkenazi Intelligence" proposed that Ashkenazi Jews had a biological basis for intelligence.^[8] The paper was authored by three authors who have been linked to theories described as "scientific racism,"^[9] The paper claimed that Ashkenazi Jews as a group inherit higher verbal and mathematical intelligence the basis of inherited diseases, selective pressure from the peculiar economic situation of Ashkenazi Jews in the Middle Ages, and supposed lack of intermarriage with outside groups. This paper suggested that the average IQ score of Ashkenazi Jews fall in a range of 108–115 under some studies, which would be significantly higher than that of any other ethnic group in the world.^[8][10][11] The paper received widespread coverage in media.^[12][13][14]

The paper attracted significant criticism and controversy. Steven Pinker argues that "any characterization of Jews in biological terms smacks of Nazi pseudoscience."^[15] David Reich has argued that contrary to selective pressure theory, some of the inherited diseases that Ashkenazi Jews suffer may be more likely due to genetic drift. Adam Rutherford argues that some of these diseases may be more likely commonplace during the Middle Ages, and that genetic studies may indicate the bottleneck that caused the accumulation of disease occurred well after the Medieval period.^{[16][better source needed]} Sander Gilman has argued it is problematic to paint Jews with tropes of being physically enfeebled geniuses, with the idea of hereditary illnesses in Ashkenazi Jews being due to inbreeding having been previously suggested by 19th century French neutrologist Jean-Martin Charcot.^[17]

Bret Stephens cited the study in an NYTimes op-ed, suggesting that Jewish genius is innate to culture instead of biology, which led to an editor's note apologizing for even using the study.^[18][4][19]

Bret Stephens has opined in the NYTimes that the intellectual rigor of religious studies, especially in the context of constant upheaval, has allowed intellectual flexibility.^[18] Malcolm Gladwell similarly argues in Outliers that the rigorous Talmud schools may foster intellectualism and perseverance in Jewish students.^[20]

Some have argued that the elevation of Jewish intelligence based on both biology or sociology may feed into model minority myths that harm both Jewish and black peoples.^[4] Sander Gilman has argued that racializing intelligence is particularly problematic for Jews as it may feed into multiple antisemitic tropes and other categorization of a vast group of people.^[17] Gilman also argued that pointing out identity when attributing success is only helpful for tribalism, and does nothing to point out social situations that allow such success to occur.^[17] Matt Yglesias has written that the idea is used to legitimise scientific racism, including that the idea that Black people in particular are genetically inferior.^[4]

• Ashkenormativity
• Philosemitism
• Racism in Jewish communities