Too much of what passes today as Jewish “thought leadership” is utterly useless to Jews who need real answers amid skyrocketing antisemitism, political uncertainty, and social insecurity.
Leadership? Maybe in the US it is done differently but in Canada, the old boys' network of the wealthy and well connected are the ones who elect each other with no voting, and no input from the community at all. In my city, a small business person was elected to head the Federation and it has been a disaster since October 7. He may smile prettily, is affable, and a shmoozer and that is that. He did a disastrous interview with a Jew hating city paper for over an hour, with no consulting with anyone knowledgeable before hand, and the major headline last year was the "Jewish community supports a ceasefire". He admitted to me he should have not spoken freely to let himself be used, and the correction was, "The Jewish Federation supports a ceasefire". For that alone, he should have been fired on the spot but no, he is still there, invisible and silent in the fact of worsening demonstrations which have been filled with hate crimes. We do not need ghetto Jews as leaders who think others should be protecting us. We need courageous experienced leaders who can deal with the aftermath of Oct. 7, who can mobilize and use the legal system to fight.
A lot of what you are saying was already in motion before 10/7. Synagoge attendance being a good example. Outside of the orthodox world, both within Israel and without, attendance has fallen for a long time. And, in some respects, I think it was inevitable as the Jewish people move from the world of exile to the return of nationhood. A new branch of Judaism is going emerge as more and more of us become Israeli nationals. And make no mistake, that process is accelerating as the Jews of Europe flee. It will be a new reinvention of what being Jewish means that, like the Yavneh rules, will incorporate much of what was into what will ultimately emerge.
The fly in the ointment is the return of high levels of antisemitism. That is bringing with it a return to the “keep a bag packed” mindset of the bad old days. There is no real effective way for Jews to counteract this development. We can take defensive measures, fight back when the opportunity presents itself but we must also accept that we are ludicrously outnumbered here. Which, one again, brings us to Israel. Our little nation is going to have to become a lifeboat in this new scary environment. Preparing for that is going to require an enormous effort.
And you stated the heart/root of most of our problems, ECB: "we are ludicrously outnumbered here." It's impossible to fight without *outside* help (other religions involved).
"We don’t need academics fixated on footnotes while our communities hollow out."(!!)
I agree with much of what you say we need and I hope young and older Jews alike focus on that, but you should be more careful about what you dismiss as of no value. A war against careful footnoting of sources in scholarly research ain't gonna thwart Jewish renewal. This might also explain why you cut my sources out of the post I contributed some months ago without asking if it was okay with me. I had found that inexplicable until I read the above quote.
GenXers like myself know our role and we should not be so easily dismissed or swept under the rug, Josh. We are quick to call out BS, not afraid one bit to be confrontational and happen to be good with knives and ninja stars. I would say now more than ever it's essential to have us Xers around to cut a bitch.
mit a lotta gelt this could be possible... but who's gonna throw sheckels at a plan when there's a war goin' on?... that said....
Mah own modest top 10 admittedly ahrtsy-leanin' list includes:
1. bringin' back the Borsht Belt! (include new & old style comics, music, affordable cabins, zingin', tanzin', a little tennis)--offer fambly discounts, work-study fer students (future tummlers!) The popularity of Mrs Maisel proves interest! (There IS an annual Borscht Fest but they have no $ an' it's all pie--chocolate babka?--in the sky without it)
2. settin' up concert tour "series" featurin' noo an' old-style jooish performers, klezmer, israeli, yiddish zingers, instrumentals etc all ovuh the US where haters ain't congregatin'...
3. do a "Choir Choir Choir" (already run by chews--we LOVE Daveed & Nobu!) but with jooish zongs ta learn & zing together!
4. yiddish theater--it's already robust in NYC but expand it--it's zo fun! (also yiddish lessons)--also yiddish / jooish musical theater!
5. bring back fun jooish summer camps! YES to tie-dye & swim & campfires, but NO ta coding an' stem--all the diggy-tail stuff that puts screens in front've eyes instead of fellow joos / human faces! (have a real shabbos on Fridays like mine did too!) put on shows! (good prep fer Borscht Belt partissypaytion....) Jooish summer camp, some'a my best memories!
6. FIX Sunday skool--it's zo boring! (if it was made fun & interestin' kids wouldn't object!) INCLUDE the his'try an' culcha of joos all over the whirled (includin' mizrahi, sephardic, etc)....
7. TEACH jooish culcha'....every kid needs ta know the stories, the performers, the lit'ra'chur... kids today know gornischt (I've tried ta teach mah goils better--at least they know the fabulous Barry Sisters!)
8. anythang for the kinder should be also offered (in more sophistocated versions...) fer the adults...
9. temples should become "more"--an' host debates, lectures, concerts--they need ta become not just houses of worship but go-to destinations! The Jooish Y's too (BOTH mah NYShitty synagogue--Emanu-El--an' the 92nd St Y do this WELL--but they are lefty-delusional an' also wielded Empire pass like the Yellow Stars--for shonda! But nearly nowhere else I know of has temples or Y's that do this stuff--they should!)
10. bring back da joos to the jooish moose-see-yums--the bee-u-tee-ful one in mah hometown NYSeized started doin' ahrt shows where the ahrtists warn't even jooish (nor were the themes presented) say whut?
BONUS -- bring back REAL jooish delis! I cry at the loss of Carnegie, 2nd Avenue (the original, not the re-brand), an' yes Ratners (grumpy waiters & all).... (only Katz's remains!) an' do so in even every medium-sized city as well as the big-uns....(at least I could drive ta one mebbee?) I'd also have a Sammy's Roumanian in every town if I had mah druthers! (egg creams, lotsa schtick, an' fab flanken & egg creams, how kin ya miss?!)
ps of course all this would only "woik" if they schtopped hatin' us an' we don't end up (again!) cowerin' in sumbuddy's attic... b/c everythang old is nu again...
I'm not Jewish, but I agree w/ this 100%. I also would like to add that Jews need a new political party as well as new Jewish groups/ leaders too. #1. The ADL sucks, so I recommend the ZOA. # 2 The GOP or an indept party b/c Dems are embracing antiSemites more often. [Like ''The Squad'']
You might want to check out a visionary Rabbi in Newport Beach: Reuven Mintz. He and his wife, Chani are doing amazing things in our community. Let me know if you want their contact info.
Well , number one, do not act like ghetto Jews. That says it all. Jews in the Diaspora, including our leaders, think it should be someone else to fight against the haters. Writing letters to the editor, debating, and writing opinion pieces are beyond useless when dealing with these haters. Do what the jihadists do. Let them realize that we can do the same as the jihadists and let them be frightened of us, like they are of the jihadists and the brainwashed Red Guards at universities including the academics, instead of them thinking we can be stomped on as we are passive and run for cover at the slightest aggression or verbal assault. Being peaceful and waving one's country's flag in demonstrations is laughable when fighting for our survival. Why people take pride in that is beyond me when all it gets us is derision from the legacy media and the general population.
Leadership? Maybe in the US it is done differently but in Canada, the old boys' network of the wealthy and well connected are the ones who elect each other with no voting, and no input from the community at all. In my city, a small business person was elected to head the Federation and it has been a disaster since October 7. He may smile prettily, is affable, and a shmoozer and that is that. He did a disastrous interview with a Jew hating city paper for over an hour, with no consulting with anyone knowledgeable before hand, and the major headline last year was the "Jewish community supports a ceasefire". He admitted to me he should have not spoken freely to let himself be used, and the correction was, "The Jewish Federation supports a ceasefire". For that alone, he should have been fired on the spot but no, he is still there, invisible and silent in the fact of worsening demonstrations which have been filled with hate crimes. We do not need ghetto Jews as leaders who think others should be protecting us. We need courageous experienced leaders who can deal with the aftermath of Oct. 7, who can mobilize and use the legal system to fight.
A lot of what you are saying was already in motion before 10/7. Synagoge attendance being a good example. Outside of the orthodox world, both within Israel and without, attendance has fallen for a long time. And, in some respects, I think it was inevitable as the Jewish people move from the world of exile to the return of nationhood. A new branch of Judaism is going emerge as more and more of us become Israeli nationals. And make no mistake, that process is accelerating as the Jews of Europe flee. It will be a new reinvention of what being Jewish means that, like the Yavneh rules, will incorporate much of what was into what will ultimately emerge.
The fly in the ointment is the return of high levels of antisemitism. That is bringing with it a return to the “keep a bag packed” mindset of the bad old days. There is no real effective way for Jews to counteract this development. We can take defensive measures, fight back when the opportunity presents itself but we must also accept that we are ludicrously outnumbered here. Which, one again, brings us to Israel. Our little nation is going to have to become a lifeboat in this new scary environment. Preparing for that is going to require an enormous effort.
And you stated the heart/root of most of our problems, ECB: "we are ludicrously outnumbered here." It's impossible to fight without *outside* help (other religions involved).
"We don’t need academics fixated on footnotes while our communities hollow out."(!!)
I agree with much of what you say we need and I hope young and older Jews alike focus on that, but you should be more careful about what you dismiss as of no value. A war against careful footnoting of sources in scholarly research ain't gonna thwart Jewish renewal. This might also explain why you cut my sources out of the post I contributed some months ago without asking if it was okay with me. I had found that inexplicable until I read the above quote.
GenXers like myself know our role and we should not be so easily dismissed or swept under the rug, Josh. We are quick to call out BS, not afraid one bit to be confrontational and happen to be good with knives and ninja stars. I would say now more than ever it's essential to have us Xers around to cut a bitch.
You're welcome.
mit a lotta gelt this could be possible... but who's gonna throw sheckels at a plan when there's a war goin' on?... that said....
Mah own modest top 10 admittedly ahrtsy-leanin' list includes:
1. bringin' back the Borsht Belt! (include new & old style comics, music, affordable cabins, zingin', tanzin', a little tennis)--offer fambly discounts, work-study fer students (future tummlers!) The popularity of Mrs Maisel proves interest! (There IS an annual Borscht Fest but they have no $ an' it's all pie--chocolate babka?--in the sky without it)
2. settin' up concert tour "series" featurin' noo an' old-style jooish performers, klezmer, israeli, yiddish zingers, instrumentals etc all ovuh the US where haters ain't congregatin'...
3. do a "Choir Choir Choir" (already run by chews--we LOVE Daveed & Nobu!) but with jooish zongs ta learn & zing together!
4. yiddish theater--it's already robust in NYC but expand it--it's zo fun! (also yiddish lessons)--also yiddish / jooish musical theater!
5. bring back fun jooish summer camps! YES to tie-dye & swim & campfires, but NO ta coding an' stem--all the diggy-tail stuff that puts screens in front've eyes instead of fellow joos / human faces! (have a real shabbos on Fridays like mine did too!) put on shows! (good prep fer Borscht Belt partissypaytion....) Jooish summer camp, some'a my best memories!
6. FIX Sunday skool--it's zo boring! (if it was made fun & interestin' kids wouldn't object!) INCLUDE the his'try an' culcha of joos all over the whirled (includin' mizrahi, sephardic, etc)....
7. TEACH jooish culcha'....every kid needs ta know the stories, the performers, the lit'ra'chur... kids today know gornischt (I've tried ta teach mah goils better--at least they know the fabulous Barry Sisters!)
8. anythang for the kinder should be also offered (in more sophistocated versions...) fer the adults...
9. temples should become "more"--an' host debates, lectures, concerts--they need ta become not just houses of worship but go-to destinations! The Jooish Y's too (BOTH mah NYShitty synagogue--Emanu-El--an' the 92nd St Y do this WELL--but they are lefty-delusional an' also wielded Empire pass like the Yellow Stars--for shonda! But nearly nowhere else I know of has temples or Y's that do this stuff--they should!)
10. bring back da joos to the jooish moose-see-yums--the bee-u-tee-ful one in mah hometown NYSeized started doin' ahrt shows where the ahrtists warn't even jooish (nor were the themes presented) say whut?
BONUS -- bring back REAL jooish delis! I cry at the loss of Carnegie, 2nd Avenue (the original, not the re-brand), an' yes Ratners (grumpy waiters & all).... (only Katz's remains!) an' do so in even every medium-sized city as well as the big-uns....(at least I could drive ta one mebbee?) I'd also have a Sammy's Roumanian in every town if I had mah druthers! (egg creams, lotsa schtick, an' fab flanken & egg creams, how kin ya miss?!)
ps of course all this would only "woik" if they schtopped hatin' us an' we don't end up (again!) cowerin' in sumbuddy's attic... b/c everythang old is nu again...
I'm not Jewish, but I agree w/ this 100%. I also would like to add that Jews need a new political party as well as new Jewish groups/ leaders too. #1. The ADL sucks, so I recommend the ZOA. # 2 The GOP or an indept party b/c Dems are embracing antiSemites more often. [Like ''The Squad'']
You might want to check out a visionary Rabbi in Newport Beach: Reuven Mintz. He and his wife, Chani are doing amazing things in our community. Let me know if you want their contact info.
What is your suggestion for actions we can take?
Well , number one, do not act like ghetto Jews. That says it all. Jews in the Diaspora, including our leaders, think it should be someone else to fight against the haters. Writing letters to the editor, debating, and writing opinion pieces are beyond useless when dealing with these haters. Do what the jihadists do. Let them realize that we can do the same as the jihadists and let them be frightened of us, like they are of the jihadists and the brainwashed Red Guards at universities including the academics, instead of them thinking we can be stomped on as we are passive and run for cover at the slightest aggression or verbal assault. Being peaceful and waving one's country's flag in demonstrations is laughable when fighting for our survival. Why people take pride in that is beyond me when all it gets us is derision from the legacy media and the general population.