8 | DECEMBER 23 • 2021 ages. The site also provides a daily guide to Zoom events, livestreams and other online resources. Truvie enhances and complements Jewish education for children across the globe by enabling one to create an online Jewish learning experience. Jewish Music Stream is one of a num- ber of platforms offering a broad choice of Jewish musical selections, artists and per- formances. Foundation for Jewish Camping serves as a repository and resource for the Jewish camping field by providing interested par- ents and kids with an array of information about camping, the options and types of Jewish camps. Hazon’s website affords individuals access to Jewish resources, texts and ways to become involved in addressing environ- mental issues. Beyond these particular platforms, con- sumers have the opportunity to virtually tour Jewish museums, attend Jewish film festivals and participate in cooking classes, among hundreds of other learning oppor- tunities. UNDERSTANDING THE RISE OF INDIVIDUALISM COVID-19 accelerated a long-existing trend toward individualized engagement. Every demographic study on American Jews over the past 30 years confirms the growing diversity of our community, con- tributing to changes associated with person- alized consumer selections. Already in 1987, Stephen Hart, in his article on “Privatization in American Religion and Society” advanced this con- cept on privatization in connection with American religion. Hart writes, “That is, within a privatized religious context, people can still have a vital inner spiritual life, can still attend church faithfully, and can even contribute money generously and partici- pate in the organizational life of the church. Societal levels of religious belief and prac- tice can be high. So, what we are talking about is not that privatization undermines religion, but that it empties religion of meanings which con- nect us to each other or to our collective life in non-instrumental ways and deprives American society of the resources such meanings provide. ” A 2017 study on spirituality vs. religious affiliation conducted by the Pew Research Center offers some interesting insights. It affirms that more informal, personalized forms of spiritual practice increasingly reflect the choices people are making. The rise of “radical individualism” within American culture and practice contributes to these diverse and personalized expres- sions of Judaism, especially during this pandemic. The study highlights, “Most new offerings are built on the strong foun- dation of great innovations like artificial intelligence and smartphones. So, this time around, an innovative force with several times the impact of the printing press is rapidly ushering in an all-new age of the individual. ” Similarly, Thomas Talhelm, associate professor of behavioral science, University of Chicago, observed: “The enormous geo- graphic footprint of the U.S. lends itself to the ideals of an individualistic society. ” Charles Lippy also posits in his book, Being Religious, American Style, that the move- ment to individualized religious and cultur- al practices is American in character and has been developing for some time, espe- cially among women. The idea of “private devotion and home-based ritual” represents another derivative of this growing phenom- enon of personalized religion. Judaism has not been immune to these trends. As Steven Windmueller notes, “The new American Jew will cast a fundamen- tally different image: highly individualized, with distinctive loyalties and discrete sets of interests. Individuality will be the defining characteristic of this new species. ” Elsewhere, Windmueller has argued, “We are no longer one community but rather can be described as multiple pods or com- munities. Where once there was a shared consensus about the Jewish story, today each individual is constructing their own Jewish storyline. The collective mythology has given way to a variety of communal narratives. ” Choice and diversity are dominant themes in 21st-century American Jewry. Choice is reflected in the broader cultural behaviors of this generation of Americans. How one defines or describes one’s Jewishness reflects the imprint of these var- ious social forces and the existing consumer mindset. Although holding as a steady, albeit struggling, collective, we have also seen a growing diversity of our community. This diversity of Jewish identity has played out via engagement with particular slices of identity and interest. People are drawn to film, arts, youth groups, education, the Holocaust and antisemitism, Israel- Palestinian issues, the Hillel movement, culinary, environment, history, music, PURELY COMMENTARY COVID had made online learning and gathering more comfortable for many Jews. continued from page 7