Rabbi's Messages

on Monday, 30 December 2013.

RABBI'S MESSAGE FOR JANUARY 2014

In Search of a New Attitude for a New Century

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."  - Charles Dickens

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."  - Mark Twain

Neither of these classic quotes was written to describe the Jewish community in the 21st century, but they both do.

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."

While Dickens referred to a time and place far from our own, the 2010s are, in many ways, the "best of times and worst of times" for North American Jewry. On the one hand, we are undergoing something of a cultural renaissance. Today's Jews are better accepted and more welcomed than any previous generation. We are producing music and culture and literature to rival any era in Jewish history.  But at the same time, studies tell us that Jewish affiliation and identification are in decline. More Jews than ever are leaving Judaism; fewer young people are interested in joining synagogues.

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

But let's not mourn the death of our community yet. Just as Mark Twain sought to assuage fears of his demise, so is it not clear whether what is happening in North America today indicates a decline or a shift; a quantitative change in the number of Jews, or a qualitative change in the ways that Jews understand their identity.

* Today, more Jews than ever are marrying non-Jews. Is it a bad thing?

* Today, synagogues have to work harder then ever to appeal to a generation that has shown little interest in them. Is it the end of our way of life?

* Today, Judaism is as much about family and Tikkun Olam as it is about faith and ritual.  Can it be transmitted to our grandchildren?

These are the questions that define our generation, and our answers to them will define our people's future. Let's begin to address these questions in our three-part Adult Education series beginning January 20 at 7:30. It is entitled "Where are all the Jews going? And does it matter?" We will use historical texts, Jewish law, Reform Responsa, and the latest Jewish community demographic survey to tackle some of the crucial Jewish issues of our time.

L'shalom,

Rabbi Micah Streiffer