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| Is this where American Jewish Youth is going? (Sky) |
Our cultural and ethnic diversity, our competing political interests and distinctive views concerning Israel, as well as our diverse religious practices will each contribute to forging multiple, individualized and competing expressions of American Judaism. We will become a community of communities.
American Judaism is evolving and breaking up into smaller groups as he notes. But a better description of American Judaism is that - except among observant (Orthodox) Jews - it’s disappearing. The vast majority of American Jewry is not observant. Once the realm of Halacha is pierced, there is no limit to the divergence that can take place between Jews. On the other hand observant Jewry is better able to retain a significant degree of cohesiveness.
True, there are significant cultural differences among Orthodox Jews too. Ashkenazim versus Sephardim, Chasidim versus Misnagdim. Charedim versus Modern Orthodox… and even among those there are subdivisions. But at the end of the day observance is the common denominator .
Also, true is the political divide between left and right among observant Jews, too. But there is a limit to how far those divisions go. How we view Israel for example differs markedly form how most non observant Jews view Israel.
Even though there are some stark differences even among observant Jews on that score, Israel is nevertheless an integral part of our belief system. Non observant Jews have no such limitations. Israel is at best once seen as a haven for Holocaust survivors and their offspring. But is ow seen as simply a place where Jews and Arabs live, with no particular Jewish theological significance. Without that, it is ot that difficult to understand why many non observant young Jews can be found at pro Palestinian protests.
Non observant young people are far more influenced by the general culture in which we live. That can surely result in a very wide chasm between observant and non observant young Jews. Young people are generally immersed in social media. This is true in both observant and non observant cultures. But in far less numbers as one goes up the scale of observance. And even the observant youth among that - sadly - are addicted to it - in most cases they stay observant and retain their religious values. which is not the case with non observant youth. The generational imprint on the latter will indeed be significant and transformative as Windmueller notes. What that transformation will look like will hardly resemble anything to do with Judaism.
Another area where the difference between observant and non observant Jewry is in the following:
Serving non-binary Jews, Jews of color, and “unchurched” individuals will be among the new constituencies we will see entering our institutions. This heightened awareness of diversity and inclusion is contributing to the reshaping of Jewish communal and institutional life. Correspondingly, distinctive generational differences regarding identity and affiliation will also contribute to the redefining American Judaism.
This can only happen in a ‘Judaism’ whose religious structure is subject to change by virtue of the societal change. When Halacha is considered malleable and adaptable to fit the times anything goes. Observant Judaism countenances no such value and cannot be redefined.
While we have an obligation to treat all human beings with the dignity of being created in the image of God, that does not mean granting equal status to all forms of human behavior and identity. Identifying as non binary is not a Jewish value. Unless one is androgynous (born with both male and female genitalia) - not being able to see oneself as either male or female is is a mental disorder.
Most telling about where non observant Judaism is going is Windmueller’s following comment:
...we note the continued downsizing among smaller and some intermediate organizations/synagogues. Mergers and closures are a much more common phenomenon, and such trends are expected to continue. Questions have arisen concerning the significant number of liberal religious seminaries and denominational institutions that serve an increasingly shrinking membership base.This is not the case with observant Judaism which – due to our high birth rate- is growing exponentially with every generation. And along with that are our denominational institutions that include Shuls, Yeshvas, and religious day schools and high schools.
At the end of the day, Windmueller’s observations are thought provoking. But they do not apply anywhere near as much to observant Jewry as they do to non observant Jewry. This is not to gloat or sound triumphant. But Windmueller basically corroborates what I have been saying about the demise of American Jewry. Whether he realizes it or not.
What he suggests as remedies are at best a temporary measures that will become irrelevant as the mood of society changes. Not so observant Jewry. Even though we too are influenced by the culture in which we live our observance of Halacha limits the degree of that influence enough to still be considered a singular culture.
And finally there’s this:
The impact of antisemitism is both real and challenging. Personal as well as institutional security now becomes paramount. Congregants and community activists are expressing concerns about their safety in public Jewish spaces.
Indeed. The one thing we all have in common is the rise in antisemitism. Ironically this is the one thing that can unite all of us. But it is not the thing that should unite us. If we would all embrace our observant heritage - that would be the greatest uniting factor of all.
Ironically to that end he offers the following:
Associated with this current acceleration in hate has been an increased interest on the part of parents to move their youngsters to safer educational options.
This is where places like Yeshiva University, HTC, and Touro come in. If there’s a silver lining in all this antisemitism it is that fact that there has been a significant increase in enrollment at these institutions. Which means an increased chance that more young people will be exposed to observant Judaism. And that’s a good thing.
Just some of my quick thoughts on the subject.