Frictionless Judaism runs the risk of producing Jews who attend but don’t belong, who consume but don’t contribute — and who disappear when something shinier appears.
Loved your article and agree with the message. I also, completely agree with Bret Stephens and the entire premise. I think we as Jews have spent too too much time trying to convince ourselves, each other and then everyone else that we are worthy by participating in their causes (and not in Jewishness)...we saw how grateful the outside world was for our involvement before 10/7 and certainly after...(sarcasm). At my shul (conservative) they are spending more time talking about ICE, abortion, and other non jewish non essential issues that do not tie us to our covenant with Hashem...
Many maliciously yet insightfully have said that Jews assimilating continued Hitler's mission. We should be so kind to avoid this.
Agreed, Jew-hatred is a separate beast. Its wellspring is anthropological and pathological.
But we can only be responsible for our own Jews. Even the rotten apples who voted for Mamdani. Our children and grandchildren need to be raised by a village. Jewish villages. Not ghettos, God forbid, but a warm, fun enveloping culture within American culture and life . First, the family. Then school, scouts, camp, holidays publicly celebrated, projects, tournaments, challenges, trips to Israel. All the energy and resources wasted in quickly attempting to cure humanity's un-evolved urges and obsession with regressing to immoral societies, an illness manifest for thousands of years in Jew and Israel hatred, can be creatively invested in "living Jewish" .
I’d actually argue it’s the other way around. Gatekeeping by Jewish organizations and congregations has resulted in a large number of Jews walking away from Jewish life. Every mixed faith marriage that was condemned, every gay couple sent away… it added up. If we were lucky they found a conservative, reform or reconstructionist shul… but I suspect most who were excluded from Jewish life simply walked away from it.
Nothing wrong with being inclusive, the same applies to people who are less frum than we would like,( or more frum than we are comfortable with) but we need to say yes, you are welcome but no, we can't rebuild the sanctuary around you.
Ask a newly retired doctor if it's important to feel needed. It's a hard transition and feeling needed, making a contribution to not being needed that way,.....it is a difficult transition. When your children grow and leave. Being needed is so fundamental to mental well being.
Zionism represents the collective aspiration for the Jewish people's right to self-determination. This foundational movement centers on establishing and maintaining a sovereign state for the Jewish nation. It is deeply rooted in historical and cultural ties to a specific ancestral territory. The movement has significantly shaped the modern political landscape of the region. Ultimately, Zionism advocates for the security and continuity of Jewish life.
The Torah, the Jewish nation and the Land of Israel are the Jewish Table.
I should never read these articles at night. My heart pounds, my brain begins to grind and turn and digest. I never have read such clear, logical, yet emotional writing on my heritage. The two concepts most important to me here? The idea of the tabernacle and, more importantly, the idea of being summoned. That draws on the mind to a certain extent but mainly from the heart and soul.
I have had the experience of being summoned and it is indeed a particularly Jewish concept; I’m not saying other religions don’t experience a call to action. There has been much good accomplished. However as Jews we are so tightly intertwined that when we respond upon being summoned we feel we do mitzvot for all of us.
Living in Canada, and watching American Jewry, there is a huge difference which I attribute to the Tikkun Olam sect, which has a smidgin of Judaism, and a whole lot of Progressive social activism focused on supporting all minorities except Jews who bow down to the religion of Progressivism. It showed when religious Jews were being attacked in NYC and the assumption was that the Neo-Nazis were involved. The Reformniks supported the religious Jews and were outraged. The moment when it was revealed the attacks were by Blacks, Reformniks became stone silent and turned their backs on the religious Jews. The fact that Reform only has a huge presence in the US and only a tiny percent elsewhere in the Diaspora, shows why the US is the outlier in the Diaspora, with near total assimilation amongst American non-haredim, a high percentage of Jewish youth and young adults, as well as old socialist hippies reliving their youth support the Hamas atrocities after being brainwashed for decades by Reform rabbis and leaders to hate Israel, the lack of any knowledge of the history of Israel and Jews in general is immense, the number of young getting any Jewish education is very low, and the participation in Jewish synagogues and other Jewish institutions is minimal, except for fitness centres called JCCs. Unless American Jews wake up, there will be no Jews other than Haredi in the next few decades.
Loved your article and agree with the message. I also, completely agree with Bret Stephens and the entire premise. I think we as Jews have spent too too much time trying to convince ourselves, each other and then everyone else that we are worthy by participating in their causes (and not in Jewishness)...we saw how grateful the outside world was for our involvement before 10/7 and certainly after...(sarcasm). At my shul (conservative) they are spending more time talking about ICE, abortion, and other non jewish non essential issues that do not tie us to our covenant with Hashem...
Many maliciously yet insightfully have said that Jews assimilating continued Hitler's mission. We should be so kind to avoid this.
Agreed, Jew-hatred is a separate beast. Its wellspring is anthropological and pathological.
But we can only be responsible for our own Jews. Even the rotten apples who voted for Mamdani. Our children and grandchildren need to be raised by a village. Jewish villages. Not ghettos, God forbid, but a warm, fun enveloping culture within American culture and life . First, the family. Then school, scouts, camp, holidays publicly celebrated, projects, tournaments, challenges, trips to Israel. All the energy and resources wasted in quickly attempting to cure humanity's un-evolved urges and obsession with regressing to immoral societies, an illness manifest for thousands of years in Jew and Israel hatred, can be creatively invested in "living Jewish" .
Fantastic article.
I’d actually argue it’s the other way around. Gatekeeping by Jewish organizations and congregations has resulted in a large number of Jews walking away from Jewish life. Every mixed faith marriage that was condemned, every gay couple sent away… it added up. If we were lucky they found a conservative, reform or reconstructionist shul… but I suspect most who were excluded from Jewish life simply walked away from it.
Nothing wrong with being inclusive, the same applies to people who are less frum than we would like,( or more frum than we are comfortable with) but we need to say yes, you are welcome but no, we can't rebuild the sanctuary around you.
If we don’t adapt, we disappear. A tiny exclusive club that shrinks to zero isn’t serving Jewish life nor Hashem.
Ask a newly retired doctor if it's important to feel needed. It's a hard transition and feeling needed, making a contribution to not being needed that way,.....it is a difficult transition. When your children grow and leave. Being needed is so fundamental to mental well being.
It’s wearisome to have to keep repeating… but not all diaspora Jews are in America
Hear hear, and not all British Jews are in London.
Zionism represents the collective aspiration for the Jewish people's right to self-determination. This foundational movement centers on establishing and maintaining a sovereign state for the Jewish nation. It is deeply rooted in historical and cultural ties to a specific ancestral territory. The movement has significantly shaped the modern political landscape of the region. Ultimately, Zionism advocates for the security and continuity of Jewish life.
The Torah, the Jewish nation and the Land of Israel are the Jewish Table.
I should never read these articles at night. My heart pounds, my brain begins to grind and turn and digest. I never have read such clear, logical, yet emotional writing on my heritage. The two concepts most important to me here? The idea of the tabernacle and, more importantly, the idea of being summoned. That draws on the mind to a certain extent but mainly from the heart and soul.
I have had the experience of being summoned and it is indeed a particularly Jewish concept; I’m not saying other religions don’t experience a call to action. There has been much good accomplished. However as Jews we are so tightly intertwined that when we respond upon being summoned we feel we do mitzvot for all of us.
Magnificently poignant. I have not heard the concept expressed in this way before. Thank you.
Living in Canada, and watching American Jewry, there is a huge difference which I attribute to the Tikkun Olam sect, which has a smidgin of Judaism, and a whole lot of Progressive social activism focused on supporting all minorities except Jews who bow down to the religion of Progressivism. It showed when religious Jews were being attacked in NYC and the assumption was that the Neo-Nazis were involved. The Reformniks supported the religious Jews and were outraged. The moment when it was revealed the attacks were by Blacks, Reformniks became stone silent and turned their backs on the religious Jews. The fact that Reform only has a huge presence in the US and only a tiny percent elsewhere in the Diaspora, shows why the US is the outlier in the Diaspora, with near total assimilation amongst American non-haredim, a high percentage of Jewish youth and young adults, as well as old socialist hippies reliving their youth support the Hamas atrocities after being brainwashed for decades by Reform rabbis and leaders to hate Israel, the lack of any knowledge of the history of Israel and Jews in general is immense, the number of young getting any Jewish education is very low, and the participation in Jewish synagogues and other Jewish institutions is minimal, except for fitness centres called JCCs. Unless American Jews wake up, there will be no Jews other than Haredi in the next few decades.