I think the accepted view is that persecution and diaspora pushed Jews into industries like finance that lead to wealth accumulation. However, I personally don

I think the accepted view is that persecution and diaspora pushed Jews into industries like finance that lead to wealth accumulation. However, I personally don't think that the persecution would be as severe if Jews did not have such an insular culture, organized around the Torah and tradition. Also, literacy and scholarship is promoted in Jewish culture due to the promotion of reading and debating the Torah and Talmud. This could have helped direct the results of their persecution. Compare the Jewish people to other persecuted peoples such as the gypsies. I am no sociologist, but I think at the very least we can agree that outcomes result from very complex interactions of culture, geography, history, language, religion, etc.