8
| THE CHRONICLE
Changes in American Jewish
Identities Since 1948
(
continued)
events, adult Jewish education, cultural
events, community-wide organizing, and en-
gagement with Israel.
The denominational nomenclature is so
prevalent in the United States in large part be-
cause American society defines being Jewish as
primarily a religious option: it’s Protestant-
Catholic-Jew – and now Muslim, Hindu, and
so on – rather than Italian, Irish, Hispanic,
Jewish.In other regions of the Diaspora, where
being Jewish is more overtly ethnic, denomi-
national labels are far less compelling. It is
worth reviewing each denominational camp.
Growing Larger and Sliding Right
In broad strokes, Orthodoxy has been
demographically growing. Its population, ac-
cording to all standard sociological measures,
score highest in terms of Jewish commitment,
education, activity, and social ties. On aver-
age, on a person-for-person basis, Orthodox
Jews undertake more hours of Jewish educa-
tion, perform more rituals, give more charity,
have more Jewish friends, more often visit and
move to Israel, more readily claim to be Jew-
ishly committed, and on and on.
At the same time, Orthodoxy has gradu-
ally become more separatist and sectarian
with respect to other Jews. This ‘Sliding to the
Right’ is partly due to a triumphalist convic-
tion that only Orthodoxy will survive the
assimilatory impact of the larger society, and
in part a reaction to what Orthodoxy sees as
failure and immorality in non-Orthodox ver-
sions of Judaism.
Deep within, most committed Orthodox
Jews see other systems as violating Torah-true,
authentic understandings as to what Jews
should do and what they should believe. They
thus have far more of a problem with Con-
servative or Reform rabbis than with
Conservative or Reform Jews. This attitude
expresses itself in many ways such as the re-
fusal of Orthodox rabbis to in any way lend
legitimacy to non-Orthodox rabbis, even as
many Orthodox bodies make a massive in-
vestment and commitment to reach and
educate non-Orthodox Jews as individuals.
Of the most traditional Orthodox figures
many say, in effect, ‘To non-Orthodox de-
nominations, nothing; to non-Orthodox Jews
as individuals, everything.’
Ethnic Decline and
Conservative Shrinkage
The Conservative Movement has tradition-
ally reflected the underlying ethnicity of
Jewish America. Marshall Sklare referred to
the Conservative synagogue as an ‘ethnic
church,’ drawing its strength from the ties of
family, community, and peoplehood – or eth-
nos – that once widely characterized
American Jews. As Jewish ethnicity has weak-
ened, with the decline of Jewish marriages,
friendships, and neighborhoods, so too has
Conservative Judaism. In the 1950s and
1960
s it was the major affiliation of syna-
gogue Jews, about two- thirds of whom be
longed to Conservative congregations. Now
it has declined to about one-third, and is rap-
idly shrinking demographically.
Yet Conservative Judaism still occupies a
very critical place – ideologically, socially, and
philosophically – between Orthodoxy and
Reform. The movement offers a model of in-
tensive Jewish living that is both modern and
accessible to large numbers of American Jews.
It boasts an institutional infrastructure that
embraces congregations, day schools, camps,
youth movements, Israel-based institutions,
publications, and informal networks, to say
nothing of its thousands of rabbis, cantors,
educators, other professionals, and lay lead-
ers. Those who care about a healthy American
Jewry should worry about how to help the
Conservative Movement revive itself and be-
come again a strong pillar of American Jewry.
Jews (and others) Choosing Judaism
The Reform Movement, for its part, has
made a signal contribution to American Ju-
daism by strongly advancing and developing
the notion of ‘Judaism by choice.’ In effect,
its leaders have taught that for Judaism to be
compelling and sustainable, Jews must make
their own choices, which are informed by
teaching that is Judaically authentic and at the
same time relevant to the contemporary,
modern context.
This approach has attracted and sus-
tained the involvement of hundreds of
thousands of Jews, including many with min-
imal exposure to Jewish education and social
networks. Under the leadership of Rabbi Eric
Yoffie, at the helm of the highly regarded
Union for Reform Judaism, the Movement
has grown to 900+ congregations, many of
which display an extraordinary level of energy
and vibrancy. With four campuses in the
U.S. and Israel, the Hebrew Union College –
Jewish Institute of Religion, under the
extraordinary leadership of Rabbi David
Ellenson, has been training scores of rabbis,
cantors, educators and communal profession-
als annually for an expanding Movement
with ongoing demands for its ranks of pro-
fessional leadership.
–
Orthodoxy has
gradually become
more separatist
and sectarian with
respect to other Jews.
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–
As Jewish ethnicity
has weakened,
with the decline
of Jewish marriages,
friendships, and
neighborhoods, so too
has Conservative Judaism.
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