Not only is being Jewish good for your health, it makes you happier, too. At the request of the New York Times, the Gallup research organization has put together a profile of “the happiest person in America,” a demographic composite based on surveys the company has conducted daily among 1,000 U.S. adults for the last three years.

For better or worse, the “happiest person” is not widely found in nature. He is, according to Gallup, “a tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year.”

Despite the rarity of the breed, such a person does exist (although maybe only one). “Meet Alvin Wong,” the Times wrote. “He is a 5-foot-10, 69-year-old, Chinese-American, Kosher-observing Jew, who’s married with children and lives in Honolulu. He runs his own health care management business and earns more than $120,000 a year.”

Having performed the impressive task of finding such a person, the Times didn’t explain how Wong discovered Judaism, though the online version of the article included a picture of Wong with his wife, one Trudy Schandler-Wong.

Tracked down through his synagogue, America’s happiest man didn’t know what to make of the survey findings, or the call from the newspaper. After explaining his life philosophy to reporter Catherine Rampelll, he asked, “This is a practical joke, right?”

Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Will you support our work today?

— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT