With the alarming rise of antisemitism spreading across the globe, Jews are understandably frightened, frustrated, and searching for answers. In Jewish communities everywhere, one question is being asked with increasing urgency: “What can we do?”

Decades ago, when a Jewish organization official posed that same question to economist and philosopher Thomas Sowell—asking what Jews could do to reduce the hostility directed toward them—Sowell offered a response that was as startling as it was profound. His answer was one word:

It was a shocking answer, but one rooted in his understanding of human nature. Sowell was not suggesting that Jews abandon their values, diminish their ambitions, or apologize for their achievements. His point was far more uncomfortable: extraordinary success often attracts extraordinary resentment.

When a people consistently achieve at a level far........

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