“…the great divides are about how or whether American Jews feel essentially safe and at home or eternally vulnerable and vigilant…”
The basic political theory behind organized Jewish communal (read: establishment) politics in America since...
Tag Archives: American Jews
“Every Passover, we read the haggadah at the seder and we are reminded of the obligation to imagine ourselves being redeemed from Egypt…to a proud American Jew, living with equality and freedom, it seems impossible”
Every Passover, we read the haggadah at the seder and we are reminded of...
“American Jewry and Israeli Jewry can both be success stories, even as the standards for thickness, moral integrity, spiritual health, political vitality, and continuity must be measured by different gauges”
By extension, it is time to take each of these communities seriously on their...
“The gap is real between American and Israeli Jews, with the exception of small pockets of like-minded communities…”
The gap is real between American and Israeli Jews, with the exception of small...
“There are a lot of vigorously debated hypotheses about why American Jews appear to be distancing themselves from Israel”
There are a lot of vigorously debated hypotheses about why American Jews appear to...
“The problem with the Golden Age of American Zionism was that for far too many Jews, support for Israel became a vicarious faith…”
The problem with the Golden Age of American Zionism was that for far too...
“Many American Jews have a strange relationship with Israel”
Many American Jews have a strange relationship with Israel. For years they created a...
“During World War II, Jews still felt the sting of social anti-Semitism that had, for so long, limited where they could live and with whom they might work”
During World War II, Jews still felt the sting of social anti-Semitism that had,...
“The best way to ensure that American Jews stay connected to Israel is to ensure that they stay connected to Judaism”
…the best way to ensure that American Jews stay connected to Israel is to...
“Can Jewish leaders work together with this silent majority to overthrow the regnant approaches to intermarriage?”
Can Jewish leaders work together with this silent majority to overthrow the regnant approaches to intermarriage? And if so, how?
First and foremost, a more assertive approach to intermarriage would require the dignified acknowledgement by Jewish institutions that endogamous families are the Jewish ideal—the best hope for transmitting a strong identity to the next generation. Once this crucial premise is openly espoused, the next logical step is to invest heavily in intensive forms of Jewish education through the college years and in helping Jewish singles, including the “alumni” of this education, to meet each other. Our advanced technologies and the ease of contemporary travel offer unprecedented opportunities to bring American Jews together with their peers and to nurture stronger connections with the Jewish people globally.
Practically speaking, it makes sense, as the previous paragraph suggests, to focus less energy on courting already intermarried families—once an intermarriage has occurred, it is far more difficult for communal institutions to intervene—than on encouraging as many single Jews as possible to marry within the community. Birthright Israel serves as one model for such programs; many more initiatives like it are needed in the United States. Their message should be transparent: instead of being infantilized with assurances that no strings will ever be attached, younger Jews need to hear without equivocation why it is important to build Jewish families. And they must be told the truth: the American Jewish community is in a fight for its life, and the younger generation is expected to shoulder its share of responsibility.
Jack Wertheimer, “Intermarriage: Can Anything Be Done?” Mosaic (September 2013).