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NOTES JBU SPEECH RCA CONVENTION Jewish Leadership NOTES JBU SPEECH RCA CONVENTION Jewish Leadership: the struggle for Authority and Power DATE: 6/14/93 tit^j-i n hx ^ ru -fr Introduction: Over the past five years, I have travelled the country working with Jewish organizations and Jewish communities on a variety of problems and issues - 40 project in 10 states -- ranging from care of the elderly to Jewish population studies; from plans to restructure Jewish education to strategies for outreach. -- the struggle for Authority and Power ־- Focus: Jewish leadership talk is in three parts: .Q outline what I see as the major challenges to Jewish leadership in North america; the specific role that the orthodox community can and should play in helping the overall Jewish community meet these challenges and the implications for Rabbinic leadership. SIX CHALLENGES TO JEWISH LEADERSHIP IN NORTH AMERICA 1. THE BROADER CULTURE DOES NOT SEEM TO SUPPORT OUR COMMITMENT TO JEWISH IDENTITY AND CONTINUITY • Americans are generally receptive to intermarriage with other religious and ethnic groups • The commitment to the "mosaic" of multi-culturalism seems to support black and hispanic identity, but not necessarily those of other growing ethnic groups 2. THE JEWISH COMMUNITY WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY FLUID IN ITS BOUNDARIES • The community is going to have to learn to live with large numbers of "quasi-Jews" Differences of view about "who is a Jew" exacerbate the schisms in the community • It is virtually impossible to intelligently measure the size of the Jewish community, given multiple definitions 3. THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE FEWER SELF-DEFINED JEWS IN NORTH AMERICA IN THE FUTURE • Jewish population is at or near a negative growth rate o Conversions in are balanced by conversions out o Even accounting for later marriage and child-rearing, fertility rates suggest that Jews are not reproducing themselves o Immigration is hard to predict; but not likely to substantially affect the numerical results (60,000 to 200,000 per year(?) o Many "secular" Jews are intermarried and are not raising their children as Jews ** / I 4. THE QUALITY OF JEWISH LIFE IS AT RISK WITH FUTURE GENERATIONS Intermarriage data has the American Jewish community "spooked" Their lack of experience with the formative Jewish events of the century (the Holocaust and birth of Israel) makes being Jewish less compelling to younger people Most Jews are neither affiliated/identified nor unaffiliated /unidentified; they are moderately affiliated/identified. For these families, the Jewish education that their children receive is not sufficient to compensate for the Jewish Oweakness of their families The geographic dispersal of Jews (suburbanization + regional shifts) leaves behind the support structure of established neighborhoods B'nai B'rith financial capacity is declining rapidly: Hillel programs are at risk The cost of living Jewishly may influence the decision of moderately affiliated Jews to not take part in Jewish communal activities. 5. THE CULTURAL AND POLITICAL TIES BETWEEN ISRAEL AND NORTH AMERICA ARE WEAKENING • Young people are less connected to Israel by every measure -- unless they have visited • By the year 2000, Israel will be a larger Jewish community than the United States • Language, life style, economic status, military service, and physical threat contribute to the growth of two Jewish cultures 6. PHILANTHROPY IS LESS FOCUSED AND HARDER TO MOBILIZE • Israel is still the main draw for Jewish resources, especially if safety is at risk • "Hands-on" giving increasingly important, as reflected in growth of philanthropic funds and supporting foundations • Concern about Jewish continuity has not yet translated into large-scale domestic philanthropy outside the orthodox community FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE ORTHODOX JEWISH COMMUNITY IS POSITIONED TO TAKE A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE BROADER JEWISH COMMUNITY • We are a tiny component of the total Jewish community -- 6% or 8% or 10% -- doesn't matter 9 out of 10 American Jews are not orthodox, by even the most liberal definition of the term orthodox. We are doing o.k. ,but we are not the wealthiest; there are few orthodox jews in important roles in political life. We have relatively few points of leverage. The largest group of Jews in the United States self-identity as conservative ^-Jcws; the Reform movement is the fastest growing. hr^ , pMt* • Our potential lowrogs comes from one place, and one place only - The concern for Jewish continuity has become the central issue on the communal agenda - today we are poised between rhetoric and action • When it comes to Jewish continuity, we do have authority -because we have the best track record, (e.g. the lowest intermarriage rates) • All of the available qualitative and quantitative evidence suggest that Jewish continuity will be assured where young people develop and maintain a strong sense of their own identity as Jew; and that while the family is probably the key instrument for building identity, the best thing the community can do is provide young people with intensive Jewish experiences of which three stand out: day school; Jewish camp and trips to Israel. Day Schools For the first time in American Jewish history, the day school is a serious option for non- orthodox Jewish families. Most day school boards are controlled by orthodox lay people. This combination presents a tremendous opportunity for us to exert leadership. In making day school our own internal communal priority In recruiting faculty and administrators who are going to be relevant to non- orthodox families In making less observant families feel welcome as parents and as school leaders [increasingly the faculty are the products of charedi yeshivot; the national day school organization - Tora U mesora has become the plaything of the charedi rashei yeshivot] In being unrelenting in our advocacy within the broader community .. There is a new angle in Jewish continuity planning around Federations (we don't have to invest in day schools because those parents are committed already we should invest in the non- committed or marginally committed + don't invest in day schools, they reach such few kids -invest in supplementary schools they reach more kids. Needs to be fought- primacy of day school as an instrument ;potential to double day school enrollments with support (have seen it already) Partnership with Federation The focus of organized Jewish life in the United States is and will continue to be the local Federation There is a tendency in rabbinic circles not just orthodox, to dismiss the to view with suspicion jews־- Jewish continuity language of Federations as merely rhetoric who don;'t know a tzurat aleph talking about Jewish learning; to be bitter about the "Johnny come-lately aspect of -why has Federation woken up so late... all is counterproductive ... We have a potentially critical role in nudging Federations from « / "I rhetoric to reality Orthodox balabatim need to get involved - in community after' J } f^Gmrmmtf^Tsee one or two kipot in a room full of leaders— don't dismiss rhetoric of י y, 4A I Jewish continuity -view it as an opportunity - Thank God that there still mat be time to 5 \ 5^V K d0 something... but if our people are not at the table, bad decisions are going to be ; \ ^f made— outreach to the intermarried will take 80% of the new money 5 ן If knowledgeable Jews are at the table- Jewish continuity program will have content; if / \ \ we are not at the table in significant numbers, the Jewish continuity will be in form only, I and nothing will happen: instead of programs to prevent intermarriage; day schools will be shut out despite their potential; Jewish camps will be Jewish in name only, and trips to Israel will focus feature scuba diving and horseback riding instead of learning. \ Jewish continuity involves relying on a firm synagogue-Federation partnership. Yet the historical separation between Federations and the religious movements, and among the religious movements, will make it difficult to marshall a concerted effort. , ^ ״נ ^ H* *י ^ The Orthodox Rabbi as communal leader The orthodox pulpit rabbi, with the explicit agreement of his baalai batim, needs to e w fa< די 1) find or create opportunities to learn with Federation lay leaders -- office sheurim are growing all over America - MANY OF YOU ARE DOING IT --YOU ALL SHOULD BE DOING IT . ן־ bo/pK^ir* A fA^ ( 1) ^ י״־* 2) Encourage young^eople, anshei shelomainu to go into chinuch Y J lack of clarity about role is a major impediment to exercising leadership - if you and work every congregation should have a vision statement and a strategic plan -including an explicit statement of the role of the Rabbi- with your own leadership to develop a vision of the synagogue - clarify your role — what is the role of an orthodox rabbi in North America today - is it teacher/ shepherd/ counselor/ role model/ community figure/ educator\~ how much of each? . ) 7*vf ^UjLa /d \ v CONCLUSION 11 We started out with a question about power and authority: at the most basic level, teaching torah is the source of our power and authority. We need to have the confidence and courage to face outward not inward. UKELES ASSOCIATES INC THE CABLE BUILDING 611 BROADWAY NEW YORK, NY 10017. Tel: (212) 26 0-8 758 Fax: (212) 2 60-8 760 ^ בי *? June 17, 1993 Rabbi Jacob S. Rubenstein Rabbi nail Council of America 275 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10001 Dear Rabbi Rubenstein: It was a pleasure to speak at the recent RCA Convention. Several people spoke to me after the session, and I would like to be able to follow up. Would you mind sending me a list of the names and addresses of the attendees? I also noticed that the session was taped. Was that by the RCA or by an individual? If it was by the RCA, would it be possible for me to get a copy of the transcript (if it is transcribed) or the tape (if the tape is not transcribed).
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