Jews still want Judaism, but many of us no longer want the institutions and organizations offering it — and that distinction will determine the Jewish future.
Institutions are tools. And as we are witnessing in the recent decades far too many of them are giving in to the outside pressures to work against their own people.
As I said recently in a critique of one of the preachier posts admonishing Jews for not being religious enough, I come here lately to read Vanessa Berg's great posts, which up to now have been consistently spot on. This one is no exception.
Current Jewish leadership (speaking broadly) was created during a time of peace and optimism, where (excepting Israel) the biggest issues involved political alliances, funding streams and the occasional battle against Jew-hating Aryan rednecks who lacked institutional power and were never taken too seriously.
But the current cohort are too old, cossetted and deluded to realize what they're up against and imagine that with a few well-written editorials and election wins, we (Jews and other Americans) can return to the safe and sane 1990s. All these people are far too comfortable (both in thought and social position) and too tolerant and forgiving for our current moment.
Also, I think few of us modern Americans are aware of the totalizing and shape-shifting nature of Jew hate and how it spreads like a wildfire (through single brains, groups and societies) and quickly turns conspiratorial then eliminationist, where all Jews become posited as enemies against some bright, utopian future. I always thought being anti-Jewish was in the same family as other forms of bigotry, but the past 2ish years have proved me very wrong. Ginning up a mob to attack, injure and ostracise Jews seems to get groups to cohere and get their blood flowing like no other hatred or cause. It stands in a class by itself when it comes to mass manias and other forms of mental derangement.
Peacetime leaders rarely make good wartime leaders. The Tikkum Olam consensus needs to be abandoned (you can't revive a corpse) and the New York Times "As A Jew" anti-Israel Jews need to named and shamed. Future Jewish leaders will need to get as angry about professsional Judas goats like Peter Beinart and Masha Gessen and their ilk or Ezra Klein whitewashing both Mahmoud Khalil and Hasan Piker (and never once challenging them) as the older leaders did about Pat Buchanan and Jerry Falwell.
The 20th century consensus is dead. The 21st century will need young, savvy fighters who are immune to all the slanders that will be hurled at them. But Jews and other supporters of Israel will have one important weapon on their side: the truth.
Respected colleagues in our joint efforts to seek Justice for our Jewish under conditions reminiscent of those endured by our predecessors within Germany from the late 1920’s through the 1930’s and thereafter we find our People as we speak enduring the same calculated hate rhetoric and opportunistic violence, both psychological and physical, but sadly and in too many situations met by societal silence and indifference, rather than public outcries and legal demands for Jewish equal treatment prescribed under the constitution ; and where missing seemingly further emboldens our oppressors.
Our African-American brothers and sisters, during their time of trial: on August 28, 1963 independently assembled some 200,000 marchers in Washington D.C. under M.L.K. to publicly, yet peacefully demand their rights and definitely not wait for someone else to step up in their stead.
Such bravery and strength of character motivated others to join them not only physically, but spiritually, emotionally and financially . Courage tends to breed courage. Such subsequently resulted in the 1964 Landmark Civil Rights Act and its then and now applicable Title VI and title IX legal requirements.
Even though it was never easy for Blacks then and to a lesser degree noe, yet, they ultimately drew a line in the sand and would never go backwards.
Years later it was brought to my attention that today’s Jews neglected to model our struggle after the aforementioned’Black experience’, who set by example their perseverance, whether they got help from others or not!
As my father, Lawrence Portnoy, of ‘Blessed Memory’ ingrained within me as a child, “Before you can get respect from others, you have to first, ‘Respect Thyself’’!
In essence, and I borrow the following with due respect, …If we do not stand up for ourselves; who will stand for us?”
”If not now; then When?”
Best,Bruce Portnoy, O.D. (Ret.)
Opinion Journalist Independent Analyst
author of the 2015 prophetic Geo-Political thriller, “First, the ‘Saturday Pepole’, and then the…”
Wow .. what a well written and meaningful article. I recently completed an on line survey which I had received from the United Synagogue based in the UK, so this article is most prescient.
@Vanessa, you encapsulate so many valid issues which Judaism faces in 2026. Brilliantly written.
As a non-Jew, I am in no position to comment on the accuracy of or the particular suggestions of the author.
However, as a non-Jew I can recall my earliest exposures to the few Jewish families in my community and compare that community to that of other local ethnicities (French and Italian Catholic), and those, unfavourably, to my own white, not very cohesive or focused, Protestant (Anglican) and middle class one.
And be, then, somewhat jealous of their belongingness, and now, well, wistful at the apparent loss of such tightly knitted together peoples, be they Jewish or other, but, especially the Jewish.
Of course institutions must change but I doubt that an Italian, Greek, Francophone or Jewish community can survive without the transfer of beliefs through a way of life.
Institutions are tools. And as we are witnessing in the recent decades far too many of them are giving in to the outside pressures to work against their own people.
As I said recently in a critique of one of the preachier posts admonishing Jews for not being religious enough, I come here lately to read Vanessa Berg's great posts, which up to now have been consistently spot on. This one is no exception.
Current Jewish leadership (speaking broadly) was created during a time of peace and optimism, where (excepting Israel) the biggest issues involved political alliances, funding streams and the occasional battle against Jew-hating Aryan rednecks who lacked institutional power and were never taken too seriously.
But the current cohort are too old, cossetted and deluded to realize what they're up against and imagine that with a few well-written editorials and election wins, we (Jews and other Americans) can return to the safe and sane 1990s. All these people are far too comfortable (both in thought and social position) and too tolerant and forgiving for our current moment.
Also, I think few of us modern Americans are aware of the totalizing and shape-shifting nature of Jew hate and how it spreads like a wildfire (through single brains, groups and societies) and quickly turns conspiratorial then eliminationist, where all Jews become posited as enemies against some bright, utopian future. I always thought being anti-Jewish was in the same family as other forms of bigotry, but the past 2ish years have proved me very wrong. Ginning up a mob to attack, injure and ostracise Jews seems to get groups to cohere and get their blood flowing like no other hatred or cause. It stands in a class by itself when it comes to mass manias and other forms of mental derangement.
Peacetime leaders rarely make good wartime leaders. The Tikkum Olam consensus needs to be abandoned (you can't revive a corpse) and the New York Times "As A Jew" anti-Israel Jews need to named and shamed. Future Jewish leaders will need to get as angry about professsional Judas goats like Peter Beinart and Masha Gessen and their ilk or Ezra Klein whitewashing both Mahmoud Khalil and Hasan Piker (and never once challenging them) as the older leaders did about Pat Buchanan and Jerry Falwell.
The 20th century consensus is dead. The 21st century will need young, savvy fighters who are immune to all the slanders that will be hurled at them. But Jews and other supporters of Israel will have one important weapon on their side: the truth.
Respected colleagues in our joint efforts to seek Justice for our Jewish under conditions reminiscent of those endured by our predecessors within Germany from the late 1920’s through the 1930’s and thereafter we find our People as we speak enduring the same calculated hate rhetoric and opportunistic violence, both psychological and physical, but sadly and in too many situations met by societal silence and indifference, rather than public outcries and legal demands for Jewish equal treatment prescribed under the constitution ; and where missing seemingly further emboldens our oppressors.
Our African-American brothers and sisters, during their time of trial: on August 28, 1963 independently assembled some 200,000 marchers in Washington D.C. under M.L.K. to publicly, yet peacefully demand their rights and definitely not wait for someone else to step up in their stead.
Such bravery and strength of character motivated others to join them not only physically, but spiritually, emotionally and financially . Courage tends to breed courage. Such subsequently resulted in the 1964 Landmark Civil Rights Act and its then and now applicable Title VI and title IX legal requirements.
Even though it was never easy for Blacks then and to a lesser degree noe, yet, they ultimately drew a line in the sand and would never go backwards.
Years later it was brought to my attention that today’s Jews neglected to model our struggle after the aforementioned’Black experience’, who set by example their perseverance, whether they got help from others or not!
As my father, Lawrence Portnoy, of ‘Blessed Memory’ ingrained within me as a child, “Before you can get respect from others, you have to first, ‘Respect Thyself’’!
In essence, and I borrow the following with due respect, …If we do not stand up for ourselves; who will stand for us?”
”If not now; then When?”
Best,Bruce Portnoy, O.D. (Ret.)
Opinion Journalist Independent Analyst
author of the 2015 prophetic Geo-Political thriller, “First, the ‘Saturday Pepole’, and then the…”
BS’D our faith is not changing either. Gut Shabbos!
Wow .. what a well written and meaningful article. I recently completed an on line survey which I had received from the United Synagogue based in the UK, so this article is most prescient.
@Vanessa, you encapsulate so many valid issues which Judaism faces in 2026. Brilliantly written.
As a non-Jew, I am in no position to comment on the accuracy of or the particular suggestions of the author.
However, as a non-Jew I can recall my earliest exposures to the few Jewish families in my community and compare that community to that of other local ethnicities (French and Italian Catholic), and those, unfavourably, to my own white, not very cohesive or focused, Protestant (Anglican) and middle class one.
And be, then, somewhat jealous of their belongingness, and now, well, wistful at the apparent loss of such tightly knitted together peoples, be they Jewish or other, but, especially the Jewish.
Of course institutions must change but I doubt that an Italian, Greek, Francophone or Jewish community can survive without the transfer of beliefs through a way of life.