“Could it be that better parenting leads to smarter kids?”
I think you may be right. Jewish parents (not all) expect a great deal from their children, much like the Chinese whose children often excel in scientific and other technical areas where hard study is a prerequisite to success. Besides, after 2,000 years of interbreeding in Europe and America there is hardly any pure blooded Jews left in the gene pool. There are more blue eyed, blond haired children in the Jewish community than be accounted for if they had remained true to their middle eastern roots.
The people of the Middle East weren't the same people as they are today.
50% of all Europeans can trace their DNA to one man in the Indus Valley who made their way to Europe via the Middle East. The other 50% of Europeans can trace their DNA to a son of the same man who made their way to Europe through Russia.
My haplogroup is R1b and belong to the group who made their way through Russia to Europe.
90% of the Irish are R1b halpotype.