AN

IVIEILICILN/ISItik

N

only Jews are con-
cemed about diminish-
ing memberships in their
places of worship.
"All religions have been bur-
dened with lessening affilia-
tion in the United States," says
Stephen Whitfield, professor
of American Studies at
Brandeis University.
But Jews, he adds, are far
more likely to be unaffiliated

than Protestants or Catholics.
Jews are not only a religious
group, but also an ethnic
group," he says. "So we can be
a Jew, not believe in anything;
and still call ourselves Jewish."
Israeli Shiri Katz-Gershon,
34, studying for her doctorate
in psychology at Wayne State
University, says, "Only when I
came to the United States and
was surrounded by non-Jewish

"

people did I feel what it is to
be a Jew and not an Israeli."
Neither she nor her hus-
band, Yaniv Gershon, 30, a
CPA, was affiliated with a syn-
agogue in Israel, which they
say is common, except among
Orthodox Jews. Synagogues of
other streams of Judaism are
not widely available in Israel.
"I'm proud of being a Jew,"
says Gershon, who has visited

six different synagogues with
his wife since arriving in
Detroit 1 V2 years ago. "But it
has nothing to do with being
religious. Maybe it's like my
nationality — half Jewish, half
Israeli."
Both believe the choices
here are very important.
For their son,
Evyatar, born this
past May, they hope

only measure of Jewish identification.
debate among synagogues and Jewish
Jewish organizations like Hadassah (the
organizations on how to stem the tide
women's Zionist organization) or the
of Jewish unaffiliation, intermarriage
Jewish Community Center also draw
and assimilation. A flurry of programs
Jews into the Jewish community, says
was soon established. Most notable is
Kotler-Berkowitz, who is working on
Synagogue 2000, a comprehensive pro-
the new national Jewish population
gram to make synagogues more inviting
study to be released this year. But, he
and more of a center for learning and
says, the most dramatic story revolves
living Jewishly, not just for praying.
Rabbi L ass
around the number of Jews who no
According to the survey, only 39 per-
longer choose to practice their religion
cent of Jews in the United States
as synagogue members.
described themselves as current synagogue mem-
Over the last few years, synagogues have
bers. But this figure, cautions Dr. Laurence
developed outreach programs to welcome inter-
Kotler-Berkowitz, senior project director of the
faith fainilies, those newly converted and the
United Jewish Communities in New York City,
unaffiliated.
refers to membership, which changes as families
The Reform movement especially has been on
mature. So when the survey asked, "Have you
the leading edge with outreach. "Every Reform
ever been a member (as an adult) of a syna-
synagogue is autonomous; our synagogues run
gogue?" the percentage, which includes the 39
the whole gamut on interfaith membership,"
percent currently affiliated, climbs to 58 percent.
says Kathy Kahn, assistant director of outreach
"Synagogue affiliation is related to lifecycles,"
at the Union of American Hebrew
says Brandeis' Sternberg. "People who have chil-
Congregations in New York City.
dren are more likely to affiliate than young pro-
"We think it's important to examine and
fessionals or empty-nesters — especially those
arrive at a policy," she adds. "And then let peo-
who move."
ple know the decision is not arbitrary, explain-
Synagogue membership, however, is not the

munity," says Rabbi Bennett.
"Torah on Tap was designed
to reach the young adult
community from each of our
synagogues."
But the rabbis were sur-
prised when the program
brought in people, says Rabbi
Bennett, "from all walks of
life" — those from other con-
gregations and unaffiliated
Jews."
"We were honest and
showed our differences

[Reform and Conservative],
but in friendly disagreement,"
says Rabbi Krakoff The first
meeting was billed, "Double
Vision: Two Jews, Two Views,
Let's Shmooze."
"But the No. 1 bestseller
of Judaism to me," he says,
"is having people over for
Shabbat dinner. I was trans-
formed by it many years
ago." Cl

- Sharon Luckerman

Diane Kreger:
Its been

important for
me since childhood
to find meaning
anda sense of
spirituality before
I even knew the
meaning of the word."

he "knows about being
Jewish" and has the opportu-
nity, not available in Israel,
to go to preschool with chil-
dren from different back-
grounds. El

— Sharon Luckerman

