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AMERICA \I
JUDAISM
.
Ake
,
•
•
IONAIl AN a SARNA
lation today, down from close to 3.6
percent in the World War II years. But
he retains confidence that, as it has
done so many times from the 1640s
on, American Judaism will reinvent
itself.
Looking back at centuries of Jewish
life in America, Sarna shows how
Judaism has grown, changed and
become revitalized here.
Mordecai Kaplan's Reconstructionist
theories about Jewish peoplehood, the
growth of Zionism as an American
Jewish "religion," the upsurge of
Jewish spirituality among students and
intellectuals that began in the 1970s,
the contemporary rise of a newly con-
fident Orthodoxy — he sees all of
these developments as helping to meet
the challenges to Jewish continuity
posed by America's open, pluralistic
and democratic society.
Very much to his credit, Sarna tells
the story of Judaism in America
against the backdrop of American reli-
gion in general. Sarna has at his fin-
gertips not only the vast literature
about Judaism in America but also the
vast literature about Christianity in
America. He is able to explain periods
of awakening in Jewish life, or periods
of decline in religious faith, as reflect-
ing what is going on in the nation as a
whole.
The perspective is important: Jews
sometimes forget that non-Jewish reli-
gious movements also face assimila-
tion, and non-Jewish ethnic groups
also encounter high rates of intermar-
riage.
In addition to Sarna's sprightly style
and his ability to cover pretty much
every important development in a
book of reasonable size, American
Judaism is notable for its conclusion:
"With the help of visionary leaders,
committed followers and generous
philanthropists, it may still be possible
for the current 'vanishing' generation
of American Jews to be succeeded by
another 'vanishing' generation, and
then still another."
Well, that's guarded optimism, but
optimism it is.
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marry within the faith.
Both of these issues make it hard
for Jews to pass on their heritage.
"I would say that America generally
has been a difficult place for small
minority faiths in that it is such a lib-
eral country," said Sarna. He added
that the difficulty applies not just to
Jews: "Small minority faiths become
endangered species."
Of course, our enormous nation,
with its much-vaunted freedom of
religion, can also be a terrific place
for these same religions. One of the
reasons for this is bigots don't neces-
sarily focus all their energy on a sin-
gle religious group.
"America is very pluralist in its
hatred," said Sarna, noting that anti-
Semites have to share the stage with
anti-Catholics, anti-Mormons, and
others.
Sarna also mentioned that our
national psychology is unique and,
compared to other cultures, quite tol-
erant. "In much of the world, anti-
Semitism is part of the noble history
of the country," he said.
"Conservatives [in these countries]
2
22
(15 Mile & Orchard Lake
look back to an era when Jews knew
their place. This sort of thing is alien
to much of American thought."
The historian suggests that a large
measure of American open-minded-
ness is built into our political
processes. Consider, for instance, the
way our national elections are organ-
ized.
"The nature of the two-party sys-
tem is that both parties know that
elections are close and they need to
strive for every vote," he said. "They
have discovered that you win far
more votes by appealing to different
groups than by hatred."
And while Sarna is cheered by the
idea that America is, on the whole,
an excellent place to be Jewish, he
sings once again his cautious chorus:
"It's always bad for Jews to be com-
placent."
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What a Shayna Punim!!
Was your mug in the Jewish News?
Would you like a copy of the photo or article for framing?
Jonathan Sarna speaks 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Jewish
Community Center in West
Bloomfield. (248) 432-5577.
You can order reprints of photos and articles
that have appeared in any of our publications.
For price and size information,
Iwo
call Pam at 248.354.6060 ext. 219
or use the online order form at:
www.detroitjewishnews.com/reprints
S80610
2004
55