Jewish Science? (Letter to the Editor‪)‬

Since I share most of David Goldman's views on Israel, I am perplexed by his view ("Quantum Leaps," May 2010) that The Israel Test is a feverish tract that misses major factors in the country's ascent, such as the Russian immigration. For example, I repeatedly state that the Russian immigration was absolutely crucial to the advance of Israeli technology--wreaking an "overwhelming transformation of the human capital of Israel.... The reaction was economically incandescent ... and the impact reverberated through the social and political order as well." However, I disagree that this phenomenon was chiefly a side effect of the fall of the Soviet Union. The suppression of the Russian Jews was a major factor in the downfall of the Soviet regime, as similar pogroms previously caused the collapse of Budapest, Vienna, and Berlin after they evicted their Jews. At the same time, I argue that the acceptance of Jews by the United States was crucial to American success both in World War II and in the Cold War, which brought down the Soviet Union. If Goldman disagrees, he might explain why.