SPECIAL COMMENTARY
What This Historic Moment Means For Us
New York
community is much better equipped
to mobilize in the face of antisemitism
he historic selection of Sen.
— fighting Holocaust deniers, sup-
Joseph Lieberman to run
porting Israel, combating the show
on the Democratic ticket
trial in Iran — than to reorient its
has been justly hailed as a
communal structures to meet the
turning point in American politics.
In the Jewish community, however,
needs of a successful and integrated
Jewish community.
initial reactions of euphoria and disbe-
lief have given way to a more
The reasons for this are
cautious approach. Although
complex. The most obvious
Jewish leaders have unani-
is simply stagnation. It is
mously celebrated the nomi-
difficult for any community
nation, many were caught off
to adjust itself to a drasti-
guard, shocked that a Jew
cally altered landscape. Jews
should be placed on a presi-
have made unequaled
dential ticket.
progress in America in the
Fears that the Lieberman
last 50 years, but 50 years is
nomination could turn into
only a tiny wave in the vast
a lighting rod for anti-
ocean of Jewish history.
MICHAEL
semitism are not uncom-
The past has always
STEINHARDT
mon. Even if Lieberman
weighed heavily on our
Special to
maintains his image as a
backs, and who can really
the
Jewish News
mentsh, an anxious view
say what the future will
holds that such enormous
bring?
public exposure can only
But there are less justifi-
lead to a backlash.
able reasons why the Jewish communi-
These fears have led to a paradoxi-
ty is stuck in the past. Let's be honest:
cal situation: gentile Americans seem
It's much easier to raise money for
more comfortable with a Jew in the
Jewish causes if you promote an image
West Wing than do Jews themselves.
of Jews under siege, threatened by
How can we explain such disso-
antisemitism and never certain of our
nance in the American body politic?
place in society. It is also easier to jus-
Or, put another way, why does the
ti& the existence of many Jewish orga-
American Jewish community subsist
nizations by promoting the perspective
off an image of itself frozen in another
of "Us versus Them," an outlook that
era?
necessitates the strengthening of orga-
A recent survey showed that 62
nizations born when antisemitism
percent of American Jews consider
truly was a major force in America.
antisemitism to be a major threat,
A remarkable gap exists between
whereas only 32 percent consider the
American Jewish reality and the image
same of intermarriage. Many of the
projected by Jewish philanthropies.
most assimilated and successful Amer-
On the one hand, Jews have become
ican Jews — people who feel no con-
integrated into American life so success-
nection to Jewish religious tradition
fully and embraced by their Christian
and who have integrated completely
neighbors so fully that the Jewish reli-
into mainstream American society —
gion is not considered a handicap in a
presidential race. On the other hand, the
doubt whether antisemitism is truly a
thing of the past.
view from the trenches of the American
Jewish leadership is that our status is
Ancient Fears
precarious and that the Jewish foothold
The fault for this attitude lies largely
in American society could slip and
stumble away.
with the infrastructure of the Ameri-
can Jewish community itself. Instead
Time For A Change
of adjusting their outreach and philan-
thropic priorities to reflect the new
For those who would argue that
reality of American Jewish integration,
there is no harm done in the over-
leaders of the community are fixated
protective, anachronistic orientation
on ancient fears. Thus, the Jewish
of Jewish community organizations,
look around you. Status-quo institu-
tions of yesteryear continue to
Michael Steinhardt is chairman of the
receive philanthropic support while
Jewish Life Network. He is chairman of
new initiatives designed to appeal to
Jewish Renaissance Media, the owner of
fully acculturated American Jews
the Detroit Jewish News and Atlanta
languish.
Jewish Times. He can be reached at
Indeed, a major reason why the
The DJN aol.com
Jewish community has been unable to
T
combat the torrents of assimilation
and intermarriage is that it is fixed on
outmoded programs and perspectives
with which few identify.
Jewish pundits wonder why their
outreach efforts are failing without
stopping to think that the majority of
American Jews cannot relate to the
pitch.
If ever a time has come to change,
that time is now We must reorient and
revitalize our philanthropy and commu-
nal infrastructure to reflect the fact that
American Jews are secular, integrated,
Jews have made
unequaled
progress in
America in the
last 50 years, but
50 years is only a
tiny wave in the
vast ocean of
Jewish history.
accepted in American society and deter-
mined to remain that way.
The infrastructure of the American
Jewish community must serve the
majority of American Jews. It is time
to relinquish the perspective of the
ghetto and to invest our energies as
never before on the inner life of
Judaism.
We must embrace initiatives that
meet American Jews on their own
terms. Instead of placing our priorities
predominately with the minority of
religious Jews who are insulated and
isolated, we should be inaugurating
large-scale initiatives in Jewish educa-
tion and Jewish experience that will
stem the tide of assimilation among
the rank and file, especially non-
Orthodox Jews.
Renewal is necessary not just
among the major organizations but
even in the smallest synagogues. Many
Jews continue to attend religious ser-
vices even though they are secular
themselves and find the services mean-
ingless. Out of a residual discomfort
with gentiles and out of an atavistic
need to be insular, they tolerate the
boredom because this is the inherited
and only game in town. The climate
this creates is one reason young Jews
generally don't attend religious ser-
vices.
But imagine a synagogue that
reflects the new American reality: a
place that is not a haven from an out-
side threat but a center of Jewish joy.
Some synagogues have already reori-
ented themselves to the changing
needs of American Jews; the results
have been fantastic.
Wouldn't it be remarkable if these
synagogues were the norm?
The same holds true for our educa-
tional priorities. In the 20th century,
Jewish American education, which
consisted mainly of Sunday schools
and after-school programs, was noth-
ing short of a disaster. Few non-
Orthodox American Jews were happy
with their experiences at those institu-
tions, or satisfied with the knowledge
they gained there.
Some improvement has occurred
recently, but educational initiatives are
still not well funded compared to the
overall need. Fewer non-Orthodox
youngsters receive any form of Jewish
education today than did those of 20
years ago, although the number in day
schools is growing. It is time to invest
in day-school education that appeals
to today's American Jewish families, to
families that are non-Orthodox and
integrated into the secular world.
An End To Fear
It is notable that Vice President Al
Gore did not simply choose a Jewish
candidate, but an observant Jew. The
message is that America accepts not
only Jews who conform to the main-
stream, but also those who maintain
their distinct practices.
Contrast this with the Jewish com-
munity's implicit perspective that it
would be unwise to wear our identity
on our sleeves and that those who are
observant should insulate themselves
from mainstream society. This, too, is
rooted in assumptions of the past that
have little relevance today.
The time has come to stop assum-
ing we must either distance ourselves
from America or distance ourselves
from our identity. Secular American
Jews are as proud of their country as
they are of their religion. We must
gear our initiatives to them, so that
they may live full Jewish lives free of
unsubstantiated fears.
❑
9/15
2000
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