Jewish history is complicated. A favorite song of mine that satirizes our messy existence in the Old World is Daniel Kahn’s “The Ballad of How the Jews Got to Europe,” which uses Yiddish and unconventional instruments to drum up feelings of chaos. The final line of the tune is: “The prince needs men? The new world slaves? Have we got stuff to sell! We are the middle men of Europe’s modern earthly hell…” Such is the story of the Jews. For centuries, our position in society has been, on many occasions, that of the salesman; the people designated as bargainers...