VOLUME 16 NUMBER 1 / SPRING 2014 THE JOURNAL OF THE STEINHARDT FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH LIFE

PHILANTHROPIC PRIORITIES IN LIGHT OF PEW FROM THE EDITOR

PHILANTHROPIC PRIORITIES VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1 / SPRING 2014 IN LIGHT OF PEW Eli Valley Editor he rumblings could be heard far and wide. Ominous chatter, faint at first, then build- ing in frequency until it became an overwhelming and all-consuming cacophony. Erica Coleman There was no longer any hope of denying it: We were being treated to another Study. Copy Editor T It happens every few years. A major survey is unveiled to gauge the pulse of a com- Yakov Wisniewski munity. The research itself contains valuable information if understood within wider currents Design Director and contexts. It’s the reaction to the study that causes the din. First, grief: A massive outpouring of despair over an ostensibly dying community. This is followed by rage over programs that are THE STEINHARDT deemed hopeless to stem the losses. Then comes hope, as the same people insist that their pro- FOUNDATION grams are the key to salvation. This lasts until the dawn of the next study, and the cycle repeats. FOR JEWISH LIFE The Pew study was supposed to be different. Using a more reliable sample than that of any other survey of American Jews in history, the Pew study inspired hope that its sober analysis would Michael H. Steinhardt beget thoughtful and reasoned discussion. But no sooner had the study been released than the Chairman spin was set: Jewish leaders across the board erupted in mourning for a dying community facing Robert P. Aronson calamity. Overnight, an onslaught of op-eds, columns and symposia insisted that Pew proved President their preconceptions, citing in particular a lack of interest in Jewish institutions as evidence of a Rabbi David Gedzelman lack of interest in Judaism. That people were finding new ways of relating to Jewish experience Executive Vice President outside the walls of traditional institutions rarely entered the equation. Now that the initial hysteria has subsided, it’s time to catch our breath and reflect on the insights Rabbi Irving Greenberg and nuances of this comprehensive assessment of American Jewish life. Beyond the headlines, Founding President the Pew study is replete with data on all aspects of Jewish identity, affiliation and experience. It Jonathan J. Greenberg z”l provides a portrait of a community in transition as individuals chart new ways of connecting to Founding Director Judaism that are consistent with life in a society that fully accepts and often even celebrates Jewish culture. In particular, as the philanthropic world regroups to consider the most effective CONTACT is produced and distributed by The Steinhardt Foundation areas of resource allotment in light of the study’s findings, it behooves the community to for Jewish Life, 729 Seventh Avenue, approach the study with sobriety. With that in mind, articles in this issue of Contact explore the 9th floor, New York, NY 10019. ramifications of the Pew study from a range of perspectives, from the possibilities of capitalizing on pervasive Jewish pride to the challenges institutions face in appealing to Jews today, from All issues of Contact are available for download at considerations of secular Jewish identity to insights into the myth of Orthodox outreach. Taken www.steinhardtfoundation.org/journal.html together, the essays use the Pew study as a springboard for reflections on how to strengthen and Individual subscriptions are free of charge and are revitalize a community grappling with emerging Jewish identifications that often defy expecta- provided as a service to the community. tions and traditional norms. To subscribe, please send your name and mailing address to [email protected]. Phone: (212) 279-2288 Eli Valley Fax: (212) 279-1155 Email: [email protected] Website: www.steinhardtfoundation.org IN THIS ISSUE For media inquiries about The Steinhardt THE 94 PERCENT INVEST IN THE CHILDREN OF Foundation for Jewish Life, please contact 3 8 INTERMARRIAGE Dan Gerstein at [email protected]. Michael H. Steinhardt Theodore Sasson Copyright © 2014 by 4 THE FEDERATION The Steinhardt Foundation MOVEMENT AND 10 WE ARE SO JEWISH IT’S for Jewish Life. THE CHALLENGE RIDICULOUS: STOP OF JEWISH IDENTITY: WORRYING ABOUT PEW INTERPRETING PEW Sarah Seltzer The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life is Barry Shrage THE REFORM TENT: HALF dedicated to strengthening and transforming FOSTER RELATIONSHIPS, 11 FULL OR HALF EMPTY? Ameri can Jewish Life to ensure a flourishing, 5 BUILD BRIDGES sustainable community in a fully integrated free Fern Chertok Sarah Bunin Benor society. We seek to revitalize Jewish ORTHODOX “RETENTION” identity through educational and cultural WHAT ARE FUNDERS TO DO? 12 AND KIRUV: THE BAD NEWS initiatives that are designed to reach out to 6 IMPLICATIONS OF THE PEW AND THE GOOD NEWS all Jews, with an emphasis on those who REPORT Jerome A. Chanes are on the margins of Jewish life, as well as to Andrés Spokoiny advocate for and support Hebrew and Jewish lit- 13 READY TO PROVE A eracy among the general population. 7 CAN THE PEW FINDINGS PREDICTION WRONG? GUIDE PHILANTHROPIC Rabbi Hayim Herring INVESTMENT IN THE JEWISH Illustrations in this issue appear courtesy of COMMUNITY? 15 GIVE A BOY A HAMMER Bigstock.com and contributors. Leonard Saxe Amy L. Sales

2 he concept of Jewish pride is a rela- tools. Israel expands Jewish pride, adding tively recent phenomenon. In the new dimensions and horizons to our sense of middle of the last century, one of the self. Why is it not the source of more secular defining aspects of Jewish life was the rush to Jewish education in the Diaspora? eliminate one’s connection to Judaism. People Our philanthropy must contend with were discomforted by their Jewish roots; they Jewish pride and orient itself to a newly recognized the barriers that overt Jewish iden- understood landscape. Given what we now tification created for them, and they sought, know about this pervasive sense among secu- first and foremost, to scale those barriers in lar Jews, it is time to invest more seriously in order to succeed. Levis were changed to Lanes, educational endeavors that reinforce it and Goldbergs to Greens. We can credit a range build upon it. Simply put, for a Jew to be of factors, including anti-Semitism and the Jewishly educated today, he or she must desire to succeed in American culture, but know the history of the past 300 years. We the result was that Judaism was not some- must learn and understand our achievements, thing to cherish, but to escape. the Pew report revealed, halachic Jewishness and explore the background and basis of our Now along comes Pew, which tells us isn’t a prerequisite for such feelings. The success. Was it DNA? Social cues? Pressure something that would have been mind-bog- pride comes not from traditional lineage but from persecution? Education? We need to gling just 50 years ago: 94 percent of Jews are from a broader association, a societal associa- educate more thoroughly in this area than we “proud to be Jewish.” The reason for this tion — and that too is different today. have in the past. enormous change is a subject unto itself — Tallies of Jewish achievement are not After all, as we know from the Pew report whether it is pride in Israel or a gradual rec- meant to be simplistic or chauvinistic. On the and other places, there are discernable areas ognition of Jewish achievement that allows contrary, they tap into deep, sometimes ineffa- of decline in terms of Jewish affiliation, partic- Jews to participate in almost every industry ble feelings of connection to previous genera- ularly in terms of institutional connection. We and profession. Regardless, one point remains tions of secular Jewish life, and they reflect an have pride, but not much desire to affiliate. clear: This pride is unprecedented in Diaspora appreciation of a Jewish sensibility and per- How can this be? Our institutions are not Jewish history, and it contains enormous spective that has framed Jewish and Western meeting the needs of an integrated, intellectu- opportunities for philanthropic engagement. cultures since the time of European Jewish ally curious people that arguably obtains more Among secular Jews, the dramatic increase Emancipation. I like to say that my Jewish of its Jewish education from television than in pride has been extraordinary. The question history began 300 years ago, because before from Hebrew school. Frankly, pride is largely then is: What exactly is this pride that an that, all Jews were religiously observant and absent from Jewish education as we know it. overwhelming majority of Jews possess? What halacha was the dominant criteria of Jewish Yes, many Jews may know that Marx, Freud are its contours, and what does it omit? Here culture. After that, Jews were slowly and inex- and Einstein were Jews of great achievement. the issue becomes more complicated. In other orably unburdened of limits — and our cre- But there is very little effort made to educate areas explored by Pew, particularly in the ativity soared. This creativity and its resulting how their ideas were Jewish in iconoclastic realm of communal and denominational iden- achievements are the source of Jewish pride ways that might not fit with traditional defini- tification, the numbers are seemingly not so for the non-Orthodox majority of Jews today. tions of Judaism, and how they — and count- sanguine. One-third of Jews in the Millennial This is why I maintain that the roots of less other men and women, from societies generation consider themselves to be “Jews of secular Jewish pride stretch back 300 years, near and distant — were part of a Jewish no religion.” If we resist belonging, what from the time Jews first began interacting intellectual and cultural revolution that rein- exactly are we proud of? with the outside world. This doesn’t mean vented our ways of seeing the world. I would maintain that we are proud of that Jewish history prior to Emancipation is Unfortunately, at this point in our history secular Jewish achievement and accomplish- immaterial, but that because it was often and culture, we have pride but not enough ment, a phenomenon that has only grown in shrouded in religious cues and contexts, and knowledge to back it up. It’s inchoate; it recent years. I remember when I was a child, because it was by necessity cloistered, it needs to be equipped with articulation. We I knew the name of just about every success- doesn’t speak to most Jews today in the same must start focusing on educational models ful Jewish athlete. For Jews, these sports stars way as does our secular cultural imprint. One that bring the knowledge and content of sec- were heralded, their scores memorized, their could argue that today, most Jews are ambiva- ular achievement to young Jews, and that victories savored. We had the same feeling lent about ritual, but they are passionate help explain what historic Jewish values and about exceptional Hollywood actors who about accomplishment. Our communal orga- ideas contribute to that achievement. We were Jewish. Now take that very specific nizations need to recognize this. Jewish pride must find and train educators with a knowl- pride in Sandy Koufax or Barbara Streisand, is not about laying tefillin. In fact, it has edge base to help Jews understand what ele- and expand it into more fields than you can nothing to do with Jewish spiritual devotion, ments of Jewish history and wisdom have imagine, and you can understand part of although there’s nothing inherently wrong informed the actions of Jews in the secular what constitutes Jewish pride for younger with religious practice. It’s about Jewish sensi- world. After all, it will be much easier to Jews today. Nobel Prize winners, scientists, bility, striving and accomplishment. strengthen a sense of Peoplehood if we teach musicians, great writers and artists, commen- Perhaps the greatest secular Jewish our children the secular history of our peo- tators in every conceivable media — it all achievement of this or any age is the estab- ple. This will create a substrata of emotional comes together in a new, all-encompassing lishment of the State of Israel. What started connectivity upon which a more durable Jew- mosaic of pride that isn’t jingoism but some- as the most vivid dream in Jewish history was ish identity can be built. In the end, our goal thing akin to connection, familiarity and kin- forged into a nuts-and-bolts reality that has must be that in the next generation, “94 per- ship born of shared cultural experience. As become a laboratory of the Jewish creative cent” will be bandied about not just to spirit. Its triumphs and challenges are born of describe Jewish pride, but education, connec- Jewish wisdom and experience, and both tion and commitment — the recipe for a Michael H. Steinhardt is Chairman of The Steinhardt ■ Foundation for Jewish Life. serve as potentially exhilarating educational vibrant Jewish future.

SPRING 2014 3 emphasis on love of Israel was (and to an alarm- ing extent still is) rooted in fundraising pitches, the “empty generosity” that Heschel warned about in 1965. The result was that by 1990, many young American Jews were connected neither to Jewish life nor to Israel in any serious way. Now is the time to create a Federation that is focused on change and on a compelling vision of a Jewish future characterized by purpose and spir- n 1965, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel spoke glory of a connection to a 3,500 year old culture itual grandeur. It is possible to use the tremen- to the Council of Jewish Federations and Wel- and civilization. We want them to experience the dous power of the Federation system as a bully fare Funds at the General Assembly (GA) in intensity of Jewish spirituality, whether they pulpit and as a resource creator to change the zeit- Montreal: choose to call it religion or something else. We geist of a community and to emphasize the pivotal want them to experience the power of being con- role Jewish learning must play. There are two words I should like to strike nected to millions of other Jews and, through that Jewish education of every kind — day schools from our vocabulary: “surveys” and “survival.“ connection, desire to improve the world and and afternoon schools, summer camps and pre- Our community is in spiritual distress, share in the joy of Jewish life. schools, formal and informal, for every age — and some of our organizations are often too Even at the beginning of the 21st Century, at a needs to become a higher priority. Synagogues are concerned with digits. Our disease is loss of time when “umbrella charities” seem to be losing still the gateway to Jewish life for most young character and commitment, and the cure of influence, local Federations and our national Feder- families. They are our natural allies in most of our plight cannot be derived from charts and ation system still embody the hopes and dreams of these efforts, and we need to create stronger part- diagrams... undertaking surveys is an eva- many Jews. Our full engagement in the challenge of nerships if either of us are to succeed. sion of creative action, a splendid illusion. building a broadly based Jewish renaissance is at In Boston we are engaged in a large-scale Survival, mere continuation of being, is the heart of those aspirations. To the extent that we effort to create a “community of learning” through a condition man has in common with ani- fulfill these dreams, we will attract the best and a massive program of adult Jewish education. mals. What is important is attaining cer- brightest leadership, raise necessary resources and Thousands have been attracted to programs tainty of being worthy of survival. receive the blessing of future generations. If we aimed at “universal adult Jewish literacy.” Our young people are disturbed at par- don’t, Federations will disappear from history and According to Pew, only 28 percent of respon- ents who are spiritually insolvent. They future generations will curse our failure. dents believe that being part of a Jewish community seek direction, affirmation; they reject com- In fact, after a hundred years of assimilation is essential to being Jewish. We believe that commu- placency and empty generosity. in the world’s most powerful and attractive cul- nities filled with learning and caring and a commit- To maintain devotion to Judaism, to suc- ture, the alienation of young American Jews from ment to social justice will attract the next generation ceed in the effort to convey my appreciation Jewish institutions is not a mystery. When the of Jews and restore the commitment to community to my child, I need a community, as we all Federation movement was created during the that is central to lives of Jewish meaning. do. In this emergency we call upon the Fed- massive immigration of Eastern European Jews to We also have to ensure quality outreach to eration: Help us! Let us create an atmo- America at the beginning of the 20th Century, everyone. The gateways to Jewish learning must sphere of learning, a climate of reverence. Federations (like most other American Jewish open to those with disabilities if we are to We need a revolution in Jewish life. institutions) supported the aspirations of their become a truly open and inclusive Jewish com- (Adapted from Moral Grandeur and Spiritual communities, encouraging assimilation and pro- munity. Federations must also make a serious Audacity: Essays by Abraham Joshua Heschel, viding the services needed by a generation moving investment in outreach to interfaith families and Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997) from immigrant poverty to the middle class and gay and lesbian families, engaging them through It’s rare (and wonderful!) to face a crisis in beyond. Jewish education was hardly on the Fed- community programs and welcoming them into a our time and to know with some certainty what eration agenda. supportive, inclusive community. one of the great sages of the last century would After the Six Day War, Israel became the “civil Right now our greatest challenge is to lever- counsel. Heschel understood the Federation religion” of American Jewry. It was the golden age age the most successful Jewish identity enrich- movement and its historic opportunity with pro- of the Federation movement. Campaigns flour- ment investment the American Jewish community phetic power nearly 50 years ago, and had the ished and Federations accomplished great goals, has ever made: Birthright Israel. Connecting the courage to speak truth to power in 1965. It’s from the support for Israel in a time of war to the Birthright generation to Jewish learning, meaning tragic that so little has changed and that his redemption of Soviet Jewry. But Jewish education and community is now our greatest opportunity. words are still relevant today. Sadly, he could have remained nearly invisible as a priority for the Right now, the door is open. given virtually the same speech in response to the movement and for all but a few exceptional Fed- The Federation movement is at a crossroads. Pew survey at the 2013 GA in Jerusalem. It will erations. The key will be a commitment to developing a be a crime against the Jewish future if in 2054 it While one can’t fault the Federations for fail- Judaism of meaning, rooted in substance. We can be said that the Federation leadership of our ing to see beyond the cultural imperatives of must build a community with no barriers to time missed another opportunity. those times, it is fair to critique the movement for entry, but with a vision of Jewish life as high as There has been plenty of debate about the its failure to use the development of an electrify- Sinai: filled with the beauty and meaning of Juda- Pew results, but perhaps, as Heschel warned, ing new ethnic Jewish identity in 1967 to build ism, rooted in tradition but focused on the future. we’re studying the numbers when we should be something deeper and even more powerful. In In Exodus, at the burning bush, Moses asks looking at something far more significant. The 1990 the National Jewish Population Survey God’s name and God responds, “I will be what I important question is not how many Jews there revealed that levels of assimilation were far worse will be.” Jewish history has always seemed bal- are or will be, but rather what is a “Jewish life” than any of us could have imagined. It wasn’t an anced between victory and defeat, celebration and worth living, and how do we build it? It is impos- overemphasis on Israel that was driving away a mourning, miracle and catastrophe. But for me, sible to build a strategy to respond to the survey generation of young Jews. It was a lack of decent in the background there has always been an until we answer that question. Jewish education, the absence of authentic spiri- unseen hand that guides us to an unknown future Our aspirations need to be clearly stated. We tuality, the lack of a serious encounter with Peo- but that demands our participation and our indi- want our children to experience the beauty and plehood (something more than ethnicity) and a vidual attention, as if to say, “I will be what I will failure of imagination on the part of synagogues be ... but you will determine the outcome.” Barry Shrage has served as president of Combined Jewish and Federations to rethink their respective pro- The facts of the Pew study will be what they Philanthropies, Boston’s Jewish Federation, since 1987. grams and message. Even the Federations’ will be, but we will determine the outcome. ■

4 ince the Pew Research Center released I BELIEVE in clal yisrael — a sense with others they find through the friend-of- “A Portrait of Jewish Americans” in friend approach. They would invite individuals early October, I have read and partici- of shared community among all for coffee or dinner and find out what they’re pated in many discussions about the findings. Jews — and I believe that individu- passionate about. Then they would connect Several scholars and communal leaders have them with other Jews who have similar inter- reacted with alarm, but the responses that al Jews (and the Jewish collective) ests and encourage them to participate in have resonated most with me and some of my benefit from participating in tight- activities and create communities that are colleagues have been more optimistic. My take meaningful to them — at synagogues and is that the study finds an increasingly diverse ly-knit communities. other organizations, in public spaces and, per- Jewish population and points to several oppor- haps most importantly, in private homes. tunities for organizations and funders to foster cross-cultural relationships, especially in met- This kind of social engineering is already relationships and build bridges among diverse ropolitan areas where Jews tend to live, happening in several organizations, including sectors of the community. wouldn’t we expect a higher percentage of Hillel, Chabad and the Kavana Cooperative in On the one hand, the study finds growth Jews to marry non-Jews? Why are only 44 Seattle. And other organizations are building in the percentage of Jews who report little or percent of Jews married to non-Jews? I think strong Jewish networks. This is especially true no connection with Jewish organizations. On the most important answer to this is that among groups that offer intensive experiences the other hand, it finds an increasingly com- communal organizations — synagogues, away from an individual’s regular life (like mitted and numerous Orthodox population schools, youth groups, Hillels and other Jew- summer camps, summer Yiddish programs, (27 percent of Jewish children live in Ortho- ish organizations — are creating opportuni- farming collectives, service learning trips and dox households). Funders should continue to ties for Jews to get to know other Jews. year-long cooperatives) and groups that meet concentrate on programs that will educate Our Jewish organizations are currently regularly (like Torah study groups, artists’ col- Jews and encourage them to “do Jewish with reaching a large percentage of Jews. Sixty- lectives, minyanim, social-justice fellowships other Jews” (to quote Hillel International’s seven percent of Jewish respondents in the and giving circles). Funders are in a unique former mission statement), and they should Pew study participated in some kind of for- position to incentivize participation in these also strive to build bridges between non-Or- mal Jewish education. And 58 percent report instances of intensive and sustained Jewish thodox and Orthodox Jews. that they attend Jewish religious services at a communal engagement — and not just Individuals’ reactions to the Pew results are synagogue or other place of worship at least a among young adults. necessarily influenced by their values. I per- few times a year. But we can’t expect a major- Funders are also in a unique position to sonally believe that Jews should marry the ity of Jews to participate beyond their bar/bat build bridges, in the interest of Jewish unity, people they love, and I believe that our current mitzvah or to attend services more than a few between Jews who would not normally inter- intermarriage numbers indicate a positive times a year unless they get hooked. How do act with one another. Organizations like trend: increasing acceptance within American we encourage Jews to get hooked? As Ron CLAL, the Wexner Foundation, Boards of society. Many Jews, especially in the older gen- Wolfson argues convincingly in his book Rabbis and Boards of Jewish Education have eration and within Orthodox and immigrant Relational Judaism (Jewish Lights, 2013), peo- long been convening Jews of diverse denomi- populations, hold a strongly opposing view ple participate in communal life not because national orientations, and new groups like that intermarriage is bad. I would argue that of the quality programs or the impressive Encounter, the Jewish Dialogue Group and expressing that value is counterproductive. buildings but because of their relationships Resetting the Table are building bridges When young Jews — many of whom are inter- (social, not romantic). among Jews with diverse views on the Israeli- married — get wind of Jewish leaders treating What does the Pew study say about the Palestinian conflict. Funders can encourage intermarriage as a disease, they may feel current state of Jewish relationships? Seventy- bridging activities like these as well as others rejected and turned off from participation in nine percent of Jews have at least some close that bring together Jews ranging from secular Jewish communal organizations. When they friends who are Jewish, and even among to Haredi (including diverse Hasidic and read about scholars and others calling the “Jews of no religion,” this statistic is quite Yeshivish groups, not only Chabad). results of the Pew study “devastating” and say- high: two-thirds. Clearly there is some infor- Just as any philanthropist makes funding ing that “the sky is falling,” they may feel that mal Jewish network infrastructure in place, decisions based on his or her values, I offer their personal decisions are on trial. and communal professionals and volunteers these suggestions for funding priorities based In fact, instead of complaining that the can tap into it to build more relationships on what is important to me. I believe in clal intermarriage rate is so high, we should be and foster even more dense networks. yisrael — a sense of shared community marveling that it is so low. In this era of Funders can play a central role in this by among all Jews — and I believe that individ- investing in a Chief Community Builder within ual Jews (and the Jewish collective) benefit Sarah Bunin Benor, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of every Jewish institution. The CCB would lead from participating in tightly-knit communi- Contemporary Jewish Studies at Hebrew Union College a team of relationship builders to foster Jewish ties. The Pew report offers an opportunity to — Jewish Institute of Religion (Los Angeles campus). She social networks. Members of this team would put our values into action. I believe we teaches and writes about American Jewish language, develop strong personal relationships with should seize the moment and work together identity and community, and she served on the advisory Jews who have participated in an event and to create stronger Jewish communities. ■ panel for the Pew study.

SPRING 2014 5 co-funding, it is about learning from one another and creating a brain trust of funders to solve concrete issues in the community. Lack of collaboration and unexploited synergies result in millions if not hundreds of millions wasted every year.

6. SCALE — SIZE DOES MATTER n The War of the End of the World (1981), Jews have declared themselves “non-religious There are many great ideas out there. Jews are Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa Jews.” For somebody like me, who grew up in a very good at coming up with creative solutions wrote about a peculiar rebellion that took fiercely secular yet strongly Jewish community, to difficult issues. However, a scant few of place in Northern Brazil in the 1890s. It was a this isn’t in any way a predictor of doom. those ideas are brought to scale in a way they peasant revolt against the metric system. The What this and other findings in the study can affect the entire system. Funders need to insurrection was drowned in blood by the new show is that it is critical, even vital, to open realize the importance of helping good projects Brazilian Republic, and the conflict became a new gateways for people to connect with Juda- go to scale and build a capacity that allows metaphor for how useless it is to try to stop ism. Arts, culture and language need to stop them to grow. Identifying those projects that time and how futile it is to fight reality. being the “poor cousins” of Jewish philan- can go to scale is close to an art, but one we So it is with Pew. The Pew report is not thropy. They are extremely powerful tools to need to master. There are some good models good or bad. It is what it is. It shows the com- build identity. out there: Birthright Israel, PJ Library, Moishe plexities — some fascinating, some troubling In light of Pew, funders need to help open as House, Hebrew language charter schools and — of living in an era of radical free choice in many gates as possible to Jewish life and, above others are good examples of funders bringing which the internal and external bounds that all, not be judgmental about which ones are projects to national and even international have kept us together are being dramatically more authentic. After all, nobody has ownership scale. We need more of these. reformulated. It is a reality that affects not only of “Jewish Authenticity,” because that concept 7. FUNDING IDEOLOGICAL INNOVATION Jews. Rather, it is both the glory and the mal- doesn’t exist. It is brutally simple: the more gates Much of the debate around Pew has to do with aise of the 21st Century, populated by individ- we open, the more people will come in. what programs work and what don’t. But that ual kings who are hyper-empowered, 3. FUNDING INCLUSION IS CRITICAL misses the point, because the biggest crisis of hyper-connected and yet, sometimes, hyper- In an atomized world, everyone is a minority. the Jewish people today is a crisis of meaning, lonely. Pew shows the triple crisis/opportunity The mainstream has been redefined to mean a not of programs, and that is due to the fact of Judaism in the early 21st Century: a crisis of collection of different communities. No Jewish that we are running on ideological fumes. belonging, a crisis of meaning and a crisis of leader runs a majority government anymore. The ideologies that organize and give organizational structures. So inclusion of people of different ideologies, meaning to contemporary Jewish life are all So what are the implications of the Pew of different sexual orientations, of interfaith products of the 19th Century. They are modern report for funders? For astute observers of real- families and of people with disabilities is criti- inventions (Reform: 1810; Conservative: 1837; ity — and most funders are — Pew is old cal for every organization. Chabad: 1814; Political Zionism: 1880s; etc.) news. It just gives figures and numbers to and in a way, we are all — especially the ultra- trends that we intuitively knew and that 4. INNOVATION OUTSIDE AND INSIDE Orthodox — reform Jews. None of those ideol- already guided many of our philanthropic pri- Seeing that many legacy Jewish organizations ogies are eternal, but they were responses to a orities. Yet, as somebody who works with struggle to adapt to the new realities, funders specific set of historical realities. They were funders from all walks of life, I’d like to offer are tempted to simply write them off and fund useful to tackle the challenges of modernity some thoughts on how the philanthropic com- new, entrepreneurial, grassroots groups. I’m all and they are proving inadequate to respond to munity should respond to these new realities. for start-ups. However, we also need to the challenges of post-modernity. acknowledge that legacy organizations provide 1. NO “EITHER/OR” ZERO-SUM GAME Yet I see few ideological innovations: new delivery systems that have unmatched scale and Some reacted to Pew with “I told you so.” They ways of understanding the Jewish people, God, reach. Federations, JCCs, synagogues and other claimed their strategy — for example, invest society and the human condition. Probably the institutions still have the capacity to reach mil- heavily in Jewish education, or invest heavily last big ideological innovation dates back to lions of people. It would be cost prohibitive to in Israeli film festivals — was right. Before we Mordechai Kaplan in the early 20th Century, reinvent those delivery systems. So the chal- even start, we need to acknowledge that a very when he founded Reconstructionist Judaism. In lenge is to help drive change inside legacy orga- complex, fragmented reality cannot be tackled this post-denominational world, we desperately nizations and foster a healthy ecosystem of with a single strategy. There are no silver bul- need new ideologies and new ways of making innovation both inside and outside the estab- lets; the right approach is a mix of different sense of an uncertain world. Why be Jewish? lishment. Funders can play an important role by strategies. Jewish philanthropy is not a zero- What does it mean to be Jewish in this radical supporting a balance of external entrepreneur- sum game, so we don’t need to worry about free world of overlapping identities? As humans, ship and “intrapreneurship.” Sometimes we diluting resources. The Matching Grant Initia- we yearn for meaning. As Jews, we have been need to spawn many new organizations, and tive of the Jewish Funders Network shows that experts at finding meaning and relevance in dif- sometimes we need intelligent birth control. a funding field can grow without hurting oth- ferent historical circumstances. Our survival ers. Funders need to look at a portfolio of 5. NETWORKING, PARTNERSHIP AND depends on that more than anything else. actions that, in combination, can have a sys- COLLABORATION Walt Whitman once said “I accept reality and temic impact. This may sound self-serving coming from dare not question it.” Yet, Judaism is about execut- 2. OPENING NEW GATEWAYS TO someone who runs a funders’ network, but ing a complex dance of acceptance and change. It JEWISH IDENTITY philanthropic collaborations and partnerships is about swimming both with and against the cur- Some are alarmed by the fact that 30 percent of are key to tackling many of the challenges that rent. As in a tango, it’s about alternatively leading Pew presents. The issues we face as a commu- and being led. It is about rebelling and embracing. nity are too big and intractable to be solved by As funders, and as concerned Jews, we need to Andrés Spokoiny is President and CEO of Jewish ■ Funders Network. a single funder. Collaboration is not just about learn how to dance.

6 by LEONARD SAXE

he 2013 Pew Research Center’s “Por- reported the findings, the proportion of the have had no formal Jewish education. trait of Jewish Americans” was like population that is secular has remained rela- What do the Pew findings suggest about manna from heaven for pundits tively stable over time, although these num- philanthropic strategy and the use of communal across the Jewish world. The study unleashed bers may be even larger than they estimated. resources? It’s crucial to note that the portrait is a virtual tsunami of commentary. Most com- Pew also identified nearly 2.4 million adults not of a community in distress or in need of mentators lamented the state of American Jew- of Jewish background (i.e., individuals who urgent remediation. To the contrary, the picture ish life described by Pew and saw the findings have Jewish parents or upbringing). Although of American Jewry provided by Pew is of a as evidence of fuzzy identification with Juda- Pew did not consider them to be Jewish growing community. American Jews are highly ism, growing secularization and lessened Jew- because they are thought to have another reli- educated and socially successful. But, more ish engagement. Pundits typically saw the gion, most of these individuals consider them- importantly, more than 90 percent of American findings as confirming their respective views of selves to be all or partly Jewish and many Jews are “proud” to identify as Jews. the Jewish community and bolstering their engage regularly in Jewish practices. Also noteworthy is that although Pew prescriptions for renewal of Jewish life. What accounts for the population increase framed the study as an inquiry into a religious A cross-sectional survey such as the one identified by Pew? Although some have sug- group, most respondents did not share Pew’s Pew conducted is not, however, a diagnostic gested that the finding is a methodological frame of reference. Most respondents — instrument, nor is it a strategic planning doc- artifact, this is unlikely. The estimate of the including those who identify as Jews by reli- ument. A host of questions remain about the number of nearly seven million Jews by reli- gion — view being Jewish as primarily a matter state of American Jewry and what one might gion comports with findings by my colleagues of heritage and culture rather than religion. A do to address the challenges suggested by the and me at the Steinhardt Social Research Insti- piece of that identity, almost universally shared, findings. In addition, there are a number of tute. Our estimates are based on a synthesis of is remembering the Holocaust. In contempo- questions about the study itself and whether several hundred surveys that ask questions rary terms, this may contribute to the sense by the interpretation of pundits is accurate. about religion, and it was statistically improba- a vast majority of Jews that Israel is an impor- A threshold question is whether the ble that their estimate would be very different. tant or essential part of their identity. American Jewish situation is as bleak as com- There are several explanations for the pop- Thus, the philanthropic need is for the mentators believe. It’s not. Pew reports that ulation increase, including immigration to the support of efforts that can strengthen and American Jews are an increasingly small por- United States, intermarriage, the growth of enhance Jewish life. For example, Jewish edu- tion of the total U.S. population and that the Orthodoxy and the longevity of the Jewish cation is not universal, and approximately one- secular population is growing, particularly population. Intermarriage may be the most third of those who identify as Jews have had among young adults. According to the study, surprising factor, but it is also the most impor- no formal Jewish education. In addition, much the proportion of Americans who claim Juda- tant. Increasingly, Jewish identification no lon- of the Jewish education received is of a poor ism as their religion has dropped by nearly ger ends when someone marries a non-Jew. quality and results in dramatically low levels of half in the last 50 years (from nearly 4 per- Increasingly, it is passed on to the children of facility with Hebrew. Hebrew fluency not only cent to less than 2 percent). More than 20 intermarried couples. Because intermarriage facilitates engagement with Jewish religious percent are Jewish, but Judaism is not their results in an increase in the Jewish population institutions, but also with Israel and Israelis. religion. These conclusions, however, obscure when the rate of children raised Jewish There are tremendous opportunities here for the most important finding: The U.S. Jewish increases by more than 50 percent, it is likely well-considered philanthropic investment. population has grown over time. that the effects of intermarriage rates will have Specific philanthropic strategy needs to be As estimated by Pew, the total Jewish pop- even more significant impact in the future. built on more elaborate data than that which ulation is now 6.7 million. Not only has the One of the most controversial interpreta- were reported in the Pew study. Philanthropic overall population grown, but in contrast to tive issues of the Pew study concerns individu- efforts need to walk a line between support- the bleak narratives some have drawn from the als who consider themselves “partly” Jewish. ing the existing institutional structure and report, there has been a substantial increase in According to Pew, a Jewish child is one who is disruptive efforts that foster development of the number of Jews by religion — the popula- being “raised Jewish” — either fully or partly. new forms of engagement. More specific data tion most engaged in Jewish religious and cul- It is not clear, however, how respondents about how programs and institutions function tural life. Thus, compared to 1990, there are interpreted the question. For some, it may for particular populations, as well as data today at least 25 percent more adult Jews by have indicated how much formal Jewish edu- from systems such as JData.com, can help religion (a total of 4.2 million). More American cation parents were providing. For those being these efforts succeed. Jews engage in Jewish life, including ritual life raised partly Jewish, is it that they are being We live in an era in which Judaism contin- and support for Israel, than ever before. given no Jewish education, or are they being ues to provide a framework for relating to the Just as there are more Jews by religion, provided religious training in another faith? past and providing meaning for the future. In Pew also found that there are more secular Pew’s estimate of 1.3 million children excludes a world that is changing rapidly, the constancy Jews (“Jews not by religion”). As Pew .5 million children who live in Jewish house- of Jewish culture and tradition is no doubt one holds. For many purposes in the Jewish com- of the reasons the Jewish people have sur- Leonard Saxe, Ph.D., is Klutznick Professor of Contem- munity, such as eligibility for Taglit-Birthright vived. But we want to thrive, not just continue porary Jewish Studies and Social Policy at Brandeis Uni- Israel, having a Jewish education is not a pre- to exist, and the Pew findings provide an versity, where he directs the Cohen Center for Modern requisite to participation and, in the Taglit important starting point for a conversation Jewish Studies and the Steinhardt Social Research Institute. case, more than 20 percent of participants about how we accomplish that goal. ■

SPRING 2014 7 main focus of demographic households that would raise Jewish chil- But the Pew report, administered after concern since the publication dren. Surveys asked intermarried parents the wave of children of intermarriage born of the National Jewish Popula- whether they were raising their minor chil- in the 1970s and 1980s had reached tion Survey of 1990 has been the rate of dren as Jews. The National Jewish Popula- maturity, afforded the first possibility of an intermarriage. According to the new Pew tion Study of 2000-01 reported that just 33 alternative look at the impact of intermar- Research Center survey, the rate of inter- percent were doing so. Over the past riage. After publication of the report, I marriage began increasing rapidly in the decade, that statistic strongly bolstered the asked the Pew research team to look at 1970s, reaching about 55 percent for mar- view that intermarriage contributes to pop- the rate at which the young-adult children riages between 1995 and 1999 and ulation decline. of intermarriage actually identified as Jew- 58 percent for marriages between 2005 The Pew research group initially ish. The results are displayed in Figure 1. and 2013. adopted the same general approach, albeit From the older to younger generation, the All else being equal, the mathematics allowing for a greater range of possibili- proportion of adult children of intermar- of intermarriage are fairly simple. When ties. According to the survey, 20 percent riage identifying as Jewish steadily two Jews marry each other they produce a of intermarried parents are raising their increased, reaching 59 percent among single, inmarried household; when each children Jewish by religion; 25 percent are Millennials (born after 1980). Twenty-nine percent of the adult children of intermar- riage identified as Jews by religion; 30 100% percent identified as Jews of no religion. 90% The higher-than-expected level of retention of the adult children of inter- 80% marriage has had a number of effects on 70% the demography of the American Jewish 60% community. It enlarged the young-adult 50% age cohort — making it almost as large as 0.30 the baby-boomer cohort — and skewed 40% the overall Jewish population toward the 30% 0.18 0.21 young. It drove an increase, from older to 20% younger generations, in the proportion of 0.18 0.29 Jews that are the children of intermarriage 10% 0.19 0.18 0.07 — among Millennials, half of all Jews are 0% the children of intermarriage (Figure 2). 65+50 50-64 64 30-49 18-29 And, along with other factors, including ■ Jewish of no Religion ■ Jewish by Religion immigration and the increase in the Orthodox population, it contributed to FIGURE 1: Percent of Adults with Intermarried Parent who Identify as Jewish (by Age Groups) overall Jewish population growth. The retention of the children of inter- marriage has also driven an increase, from marries a non-Jew, they establish two raising them partly Jewish by religion; 16 the older to younger generation, in the intermarried households. Because inter- percent are raising them Jewish not-by-re- share of the population classified by Pew marriage produces twice the number of ligion; and 37 percent are raising them as “Jews of no religion” (Figure 3). When households, the result is a net population not Jewish. asked in the survey screener about their loss only if fewer than half of intermarried The first wave of commentaries on the religion, these are people who responded households produce Jewish offspring. Pew report emphasized either the glass “none” but then, in response to further Until the release of the Pew report, half-full or glass half-empty implications questions, indicated that they have a Jew- social scientists had only one method of of these numbers. On the one hand, just ish parent and consider themselves to be predicting the proportion of intermarried one-fifth are raising children Jewish by Jewish or partly Jewish “aside from reli- religion — by implication, with some gion.” Most Jews of no religion are the Theodore Sasson, Ph.D., is author of The New form of Jewish education and household adult children of intermarriage, and the American Zionism (NYU Press, 2014). He is a senior research scientist at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish observance. On the other, 61 percent are increasing rate of intermarriage during the Studies, a professor at Middlebury College and a raising children with a Jewish identity of 1970s and 1980s fully explains the consultant to the Mandel Foundation. one sort or another. increase in the no-religion portion of the

8 THE PEW report, 100% administered after the 90% wave of children of 80% intermarriage born in 70% the 1970s and 1980s 60% 0.48 had reached maturity, 50% afforded the first 40% 30% 0.24 possibility of an 0.18 20% 0.06 alternative look at the 10% impact of intermarriage. 0% Silent Boomers Generation X Millennials

FIGURE 2. Percent of All Adult Jews with Intermarried Parents (by Generation) population from the oldest to youngest claimed to be raising them as Jewish in dren; rather, they are the programs that generation. the NJPS 2000-01 survey. This fact likely engage a broad range of Jews of all back- In terms of their socio-demographic pro- reflects a variety of dynamics including grounds: Jewish preschools, summer file, the Jews of no religion look much like the increasing social prestige associated camps, youth groups, Hillels and Israel other non-Orthodox American Jews: They with being Jewish in America and the trips. And in addition to these programs, tend to be politically liberal, college edu- increasing reach of young-adult engage- there is a great need to expand innovative cated and avoid non-Jewish worship ser- ment initiatives. cultural, social and educational initiatives vices. However, their level of engagement in Looking ahead, the philanthropic pri- geared to young adults and situated in the all aspects of Jewish life — secular as well as ority should be to maximize the propor- neighborhoods where they work and live. religious — is substantially lower. tion of children of intermarriage who are Failure to draw intermarried families If not a demographic guarantee, the raised as Jews and then to keep the door and their children into the heart of Ameri- higher-than-expected rate of Jewish iden- open for young adults not raised as Jews can Jewish life will ensure that the prog- tification among the adult children of to find their way into Jewish life as adults. nostications of the demographic pessimists intermarriage is nonetheless a significant The programmatic vehicles for accom- will eventually come true. Success, how- milestone. The rate at which young-adult plishing these goals are largely known. ever, will ensure the opposite result: a children of intermarriage identify as Jew- The critical programs are not the ones flourishing and vital Jewish community in ish exceeds the rate at which their parents geared to the intermarried and their chil- the next generation and beyond. ■

Religious Affi liation by Age Jewish Identity by Generation

18-29 32 67 Greatest (born 1914-1927) 93 7

Silent (born 1928-1945) 86 14 30-49 21 77

Boomers (born 1946-1964) 81 19

50-64 15 84 Gen X (born 1965-1980) 74 26

65+ 990 Millennials (born after 1980) 68 32

■ Unaffi liated ■ Affi liated ■ Don’t know/Refused ■ Jews by Religion % ■ Jews of no Religion %

FIGURE 3. Jewish Identity by Generation

SPRING 2014 9 uring my early and Jewish institutions. It’s a small mid-20s, I embodied world, and one opportunity the attrition phenom- has led to another. But also, enon in organized Jewish life. these organizations found me My growing disinterest was the where my interests lie and very kind that the recent Pew where my Jewish identity was: study, subject of so much atten- in art, in social justice, in jour- tion in both religious and secu- nalism. My editors and the staff lar media, captures. I dropped at these programs understood into free services at the theo- that Jewish identity was my logical school near my apart- identity, period. There was no ment and had holiday dinners facade of piety assumed on with my family, but that was Saturdays, but rather a Jewish pretty much it. I joked that my core that informed all my life first Hillel Shabbat dinner at choices every day. These publi- college was also my last. I was, cations and fellowships have and am, just too skeptical for helped support my pursuit of that kind of organized religious enthusiasm. condescension that the allegedly more lifelong dreams that are intrinsically con- This, strangely, is partly a product of pious so often offered towards the less. nected to my Jewish self: to create art, to my first decade of education at a progres- If you ask for an example of that con- consider current affairs and to try to repair sive Jewish day school. Although I’m glad I descension, I would point to what hap- the world. attained the basics of Hebrew and Jewish pened to my friends when they went to A great deal of public worrying accom- history there, I also gained deep familiarity Hillel to daven on the High Holidays. My panied this season’s Pew poll, which with many aspects of organized religion joyous, riotous college friends would revealed younger Jews becoming less reli- that I decided I didn’t want in my future assume false levels of seriousness and giously invested and more willing to criti- life. I knew from an early age that I wasn’t grown-upness that I found put-on. I don’t cize Israel. The statistics were called “grim” going to be a regular synagogue attendee, reject serious spirituality — in fact, as a while intermarriage and assimilation, famil- or probably even a member. lifelong social-justice advocate there are iar bogeymen, were made scapegoats for Despite the fact that I was a very spiri- many things I take quite seriously — but the imminent destruction of our people. tual person who loved ritual and singing, I rather that the veneer of religion somehow But I urge deep breaths. My case dem- bristled at what I saw as competition and meant our Jewish selves were separate from onstrates a great deal of reason to be hope- sanctimoniousness in the religious aspects our everyday selves. To me, my Jewish self ful. The Pew poll captured an exciting of synagogue and day-school experiences. I was my everyday self: inquisitive, question- trend: the secularizing of a younger genera- found the organized and, specifically, the ing, funny, melancholy, seeking and tion of Jews that encompasses my entire hierarchical aspects of organized religion obsessed with rectifying injustice. social circle and me. We are so Jewish it’s antithetical to my own deep spiritual sensi- I finished college, became a teacher and ridiculous. Like many of the Pew respon- bility. We studied the hierarchy of the a writer in New York, and didn’t do much dents, we have a “strong sense of belonging medieval church in school and I rejected its in the way of Judaism or Jewishness in the to the Jewish people.” My friends and I in centuries-old schematic take on sacredness. formal sense. And then Gabi Birkner, a all sectors of life joke that our brains are But even in my liberal shul, I saw schema neighbor of mine who was soon to be a wired in a Jewish way. I’d guess that my that I didn’t like. friend and mentor, told me she was found- non-Jewish friends are probably tired of the Yes, I loved being a Jew, reading Jewish ing the Sisterhood Blog at the Jewish Daily number of times the Jews they know attri- YA fiction and singing Jewish songs, but I Forward. Gabi suggested I could expand bute characteristics — such as our book- did not love listening to people brag about my writing repertoire to encompass Jewish ishness, our neuroses, our health issues, having the rabbi over for Shabbat or about topics and I agreed, but I was skeptical that our preference for events with lots of food being more Jewish than thou. I didn’t love I’d find material for more than a few posts. — to our cultural and ethnic identity. Pew the fact that the most expensive High Holi- Five years later, I write for three Jewish tells us that 94 percent of American Jews day tickets got congregants access to the publications — the Forward, Lilith and are proud of this identity. Where is the nicer chapel — or the fact that High-Holi- ZEEK — and I just completed my first-ever cause for alarm? day tickets cost money at all. organized Jewish outing (I skipped every I have never been more actively Jew- Over time in college, I began to change single Shabbaton in elementary school) with ish, yet I am probably more distanced my identification from a spiritual agnostic the TENT: Creative Writing program at the from Israel and less religious than I’ve to an atheist. This was the post-911 Bush Yiddish Book Center. I’ve also received fel- ever been. But I’m actively Jewish because era, in which religious fervor, arising from lowships from LABA: A Laboratory for Jew- I feel supported and nourished by Jewish both Islamist and Christianist sources, ish Culture at the 14th Street Y in New groups that have given me chances I turned me off from religion even further. York City and the Hadassah-Brandeis Insti- might not have received elsewhere, and But I would argue that my nonbelief alone tute, while I work part time at the National that are helping me to grow profession- wouldn’t have kept me from practicing my Council for Jewish Women and help com- ally, artistically and personally. The binary own religion — what I disliked was the municate its social-justice mission. of religious vs. secular is old and out of Essentially, I have gone from being dis- date. To reach young Jews, find them Sarah Seltzer is a writer living in New York. affected to totally invested in organized where they are. ■

10 he Reform Movement stands at a that these policy decisions have succeeded. THE DISENGAGEMENT of so crossroads. The current moment Intermarried households identify with the is rife with challenges to tradi- movement, and the vast majority of these many Reform Jews from syna- tional religious institutions, and the move- families are raising their children Jewishly. gogue life is a significant concern ment faces a set of critical decisions about The Pew findings, however, also suggest in a movement where the how to adapt in order to engage and serve a host of concerns for the Reform Move- the next generation of American Jews. The ment. Thirty-five percent of those raised in organizational building block ability of the movement’s umbrella organi- the movement no longer identify as Reform. and the primary conduit of zation, the Union for Reform Jewry (URJ), Perhaps the finding that should give the its rabbinic organization, the Central Con- movement greatest pause is that synagogues education, engagement and ference of American Rabbis (CCAR), and are not central to the vast majority of Ameri- influence is the congregation. its seminary, the Hebrew Union College- can Reform Jews. Only 34 percent of Jews Jewish Institute for Religion (HUC-JIR) to who identify as Reform currently belong to a retirement and senior citizenship? Where adapt to the evolving nature of American synagogue, and less than one-fifth attend and who are the young adults (18-35 years Jewish life rests, in part, on its capacity to religious services at a synagogue even once a old) who grew up in Reform congregations, develop and use knowledge about the atti- month. Many Reform Jews interact with and how might the movement help them to tudes and practices of those who currently their synagogues only sporadically, when enact their Jewish identities during the identify with the movement. The recent they have a particular need such as a life-cy- extended period between their departure for release of the Pew Research Center’s “A cle event. The Pew data suggest that Reform college and the enrollment of their own Portrait of Jewish Americans” paints a com- Jews do not view being Jewish as mainly a children in supplementary schools? The plicated picture of Reform Jewry. Some matter of religion, but rather of ancestry and answers to some but not most of these findings should be cause for optimism, but culture. It should not be surprising, there- questions can be found in the Pew study. some are troubling and should be of deep fore, that membership and engagement with There is a clear need for additional informa- concern to the movement. a synagogue — the home of ritual practice tion to support the policy planning of the The positive news is that Reform Jews — is not a priority. Reform Movement. comprise the largest denominational group The disengagement of so many Reform Armed with a greater understanding of of American Jewry. Thirty-five percent of Jews from synagogue life is a significant those who identify as Reform, the Reform those considered to be Jewish by Pew iden- concern in a movement where the organi- Movement and its philanthropic partners tify as Reform. These Jews are near-univer- zational building block and the primary need to develop opportunities outside the sal in their pride in being Jewish, and the conduit of education, engagement and synagogue for emotional, behavioral and vast majority have a strong “sense of influence is the congregation. Synagogues, intellectual engagement with Jewish life, belonging to the Jewish People.” For many not individuals or households, join the Jewish community and the Reform Move- Reform Jews, leading an ethical life and URJ. In other words, if you are not a mem- ment. This might take the form of campus- working for justice are the essential com- ber of an affiliated congregation, you are based Reform clergy to engage college ponents of their Jewishness. not a member of the URJ — and in many students who were raised in the movement. Another cause for celebration is that the ways you are outside its reach. Perhaps it will entail developing the role of Reform Movement has made Judaism rele- How can the Reform Movement respond community rabbis to reach out to young vant for the 50 percent of its community to these concerns? The place to start the adults, empty nesters and seniors living in who are part of intermarried families. process of informed decision making and metropolitan areas. One could also envi- Midrash tells us that Abraham and Sarah’s planning for the future of the movement is sion short-term, immersive programs to tent was a structure with numerous by better understanding the lives, attitudes make Shabbat a joyous and meaningful entrances so that travelers approaching and needs of those who identify as Reform. experience and to help individuals and from any direction could easily find their For example, who currently identifies as a families experience Jewish life and commu- way inside. Landmark policy changes in Reform Jew — both those who are and are nity. Although synagogue membership may the late 20th Century opened the Reform not affiliated with congregations? Where do be the byproduct of these efforts toward tent to many children of intermarriage. In they live, what do their families look like engagement, it should not be the focus. the mid-1980s, the Reform Movement and what are they seeking from the Jewish The Pew data presents the challenges of accepted patrilineal descent. At the same community? What are the attitudes and the changing landscape of Reform Jewry. At time, the movement’s prevailing approach commitments — toward religiosity, Israel, the same time, the overall trends reported to intermarriage shifted to creating a wel- social justice, philanthropy — of those who also create opportunities for growth in the coming and supportive environment for currently identify as Reform or were raised Reform Movement. Pew will hopefully interfaith families. The news from Pew is in the movement? What are the changing prompt the movement’s lay and professional needs of Reform Jews as they transition leaders to think about new ways to create Fern Chertok is Research Scientist at the Cohen Center through different life stages including vibrant and engaging tents for Reform Jews for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University. marriage, family formation, empty-nesting, throughout their Jewish journeys. ■

SPRING 2014 11 e are swimming — indeed under 30, the retention rate is 83 percent. course. The astronomical sums put into the drowning — in the ink spilled Noteworthy is that Orthodox retention rates range of kiruv programs over the decades are on the data from the Pew are vastly lower among older people who were not reflected in the returns — in the view of its Research Center’s 2013 study of American brought up Orthodox than they are among proponents, “returns,” literally, to Judaism. In a Jewry. Early reactions from the religious move- younger people. A mere 22 percent of Jews 65 word, Orthodox kiruv does not work. Some ments have been, predictably, along the lines of and older who were raised Orthodox are still place the blame on the shrinking of the Con- the Talmudic “Kol ha-doresh, doresh l’atzmo” — Orthodox, while 57 percent of people aged servative Movement, which provided kiruv “The one who analyzes, analyzes in his own 30–49 who were raised Orthodox are still programs with many young Jews who had at interest.” There have been a number of analyses Orthodox — and the percentage rises as the least a minimal familiarity with Jewish tradition of the data, but to date we have seen mostly group gets younger. and ritual, enough to be comfortable with reflexive, defensive responses from the move- This relatively high percentage — 83 per- Orthodox outreach. In 2013 there are simply ments. Thus, to paraphrase Chabad: “We were cent — among younger Orthodox, as com- not enough young Conservative Jews out there undercounted!” The Conservative (in effect): pared with the overall 48 percent Orthodox as potential targets for outreach professionals. “We are interested in quality, not quantity.” And retention rate, is more reflective of history Others blame the kiruv programs themselves, the Orthodox, triumphantly responding with than of sociology. Analysts suggest that the which often are heavy-handed, indeed crude. no small measure of schadenfreude to the Con- fact that the Orthodox Movement retains But it’s not all about the numbers. The servative decline: “We told you so!” fewer than half its adherents reflects trends of question for kiruv is not how many potential But Orthodox reaction is a tad puzzling, yesteryear, and that Orthodox retention will adherents become Orthodox, but whether especially in light of the “retention” numbers: become healthier as today’s younger members these programs are lighting a spark to deepen — who according to Pew are remaining and enhance Jewish involvement — whatever THE NUMBERS Orthodox — grow older. What is the explana- that involvement may ultimately be. It’s highly on kiruv, in tion for this phenomenon? My sense is that nuanced. I asked Steven Bayme of the Ameri- terms of drop-out rates, are not good; the varied options for Orthodox youth — can Jewish Committee about the issue. He especially the more conservative Centrist suggested, “People who are touched by the some estimates are that up to 80 to Orthodox — may be compelling and therefore National Council of Synagogue Youth, Chabad 90 percent of participants in kiruv lead to greater cohesion, which was not the and other programs and do not become case in previous generations. Orthodox, or who try Orthodoxy out for only programs do not stay the course. More to the point is that the Orthodox com- a brief period, may well become more active munity is retaining its young people through the Jewishly within the Conservative and Reform how many people have chosen to remain “odyssey years,” those high-school and post- Movements, or they may try out a ‘congrega- Orthodox — and how many have not? high-school years that are crucial to religious tion of renewal’ such as New York’s Romemu.” First, there is the basic question, sadly not identification and loyalty. It may be almost cli- Unfortunately, the Pew data have nothing addressed by Pew: What is “Orthodox”? There chéd to point this out, but attending day schools to say about this hypothesis. But if it is indeed are at least six Orthodox groups: the Modern through the high school years largely works. the case that potential subjects for kiruv go in a Orthodox, which is beleaguered by religious Furthermore, we ought not to discount the “gap- number of directions — not necessarily Ortho- and social forces from the right; the Centrist year” phenomenon. Unknown 50 years ago and dox — it is positive. “It is to the collective good Orthodox, occupying most of the middle rare 40 years ago, the post-high-school gap year, of the Jewish people,” Bayme asserted. ground, increasingly conservative in its politics often spent in a yeshiva in Israel, has become There are data that suggest that a substan- and its religion; the Hasidic communities; the standard for Orthodox youth. The gap year in tial percentage of the Orthodox community — sectarian world of the non-Hasidic yeshivas Israel is a powerful factor cementing adherence as much as 25 percent, according to some (“yeshivish,” in contemporary parlance); Cha- of youth to some flavor of Modern, Centrist, or estimates — are “baalei t’shuvah,” so-called bad, a discrete group, not part of the Hasidic even sectarian (yeshivish) Orthodoxy. “returnees to observance” from other move- community; and Satmar, a sectarian group, also What about remedies? The most popular ments. Even if that number is accurate, we not Hasidic (contrary to conventional wisdom), flavor over the past three decades and more need to remember that the Orthodox popula- with its own distinct character. has been “kiruv” — “bringing close” — out- tion remains small compared to the non-Or- On retention rates for the Orthodox, reach to the non-observant. But what is clear thodox population. The percentage of there’s bad news and good news. The bad from the Pew data is that any growth in non-Orthodox who have become Orthodox, news is that among those who were raised as Orthodoxy will come from inside the move- therefore, represents a very small percentage Orthodox, only 48 percent are currently ment. Despite massive outreach efforts on the of the larger religious community, and raises Orthodox; the rest are now affiliated with less part of Orthodox groups to non-Orthodox critical questions as to whether money traditional movements. (The retention num- Jews over many decades, the Pew data show invested in kiruv has been well spent. bers for the Conservative are bleaker: only 36 that a mere 4 percent of Jews brought up So kiruv is a mixed bag — but outreach percent of those who were raised Conservative Conservative, and perhaps 1 percent of Jews certainly does not represent a congeries of ini- are currently Conservative.) brought up Reform, are currently Orthodox. tiatives designed to reverse the bleak Orthodox The good news: among Orthodox Jews The obverse side of the kiruv coin is the retention numbers. What are the implications numbers. Indeed, the numbers on kiruv, in of this verity for philanthropy? Limited, for Jerome A. Chanes, a fellow at the Center for Jewish terms of drop-out rates, are not good; some Orthodox retention. Potentially substantial, for Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center, is the author of estimates are that up to 80 to 90 percent of the fiber of Jewish life. Jewish funders are, as four books on Jewish history and communal affairs. participants in kiruv programs do not stay the always, facing hard choices. ■ 12 by RABBI HAYIM HERRING

he Reform and Conservative Movements are accidents of history and will disappear within 50 years.” Michael Steinhardt delivered that death sentence on September 6, 2000, before a group of about 150 people, mostly rabbis, at the formal launch of STAR (Synagogues: Transfor- mation and Renewal). Thirteen years later, I want to assess Michael’s prediction within the shadow of the Pew study. Individual Conservative leaders correctly note that “there are no surprises” in the Pew report. But where are their collective statements of immediate action to reverse the decline? They did not create most of the problems, but they are responsible for them. As a proud product of the Conservative Movement, I urge them to decisively resolve four existential questions: Who can turn around the Conservative Movement? What is its mission? What is its vision of the ideal world that it hopes to shape? How will it add value to constituents and to the broader Jewish world?

A LEADERSHIP TURNAROUND When an organization that still has value teeters at a precipice, its board often installs an emergency turnaround team. Within three to six months, its task is to develop a unifying strategic vision with prioritized actions. For the movement, I can envision a temporary, two-part structure: the first, a task force of leaders from major centers of Conservative Jewish life around the world, with at least a third of its members from the Millennial and Gen X cohort. This group would inventory Conservative Judaism’s global assets, crowd source ideas worldwide, prioritize evidence-based recommendations and build support for change. The second part would consist of a smaller action team, determined by talent and not title, to implement prioritized recommendations.

AN AFFIRMATIVE MISSION AND VISION The general perception of the Jewish public continues to be that Conservative Judaism is a movement of “nots” — not Orthodox, not Reform and not clear. It needs to become a movement of affirmation and advance a single, clear mission that states why it exists and what is its desired impact on the world. The old slogan of “Tradition and Change” reflected where we came from, but was not a mission guiding us to where we needed to go. Recently, at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism’s Centennial Conference, I heard Rabbi Harold Kushner offer a simple formulation of Judaism’s essence: “Make us holy through Your commandments” (kadshenu b’mitzvotecha). This simple statement is valuable because it: • reminds us that personal pleasure is not the ultimate reason for being, • challenges us to realize our potential as individuals and as a Jewish community within the human family, and • decelerates our frenzied pace.

Rabbi Hayim Herring, Ph.D., C.E.O. of HayimHerring.com, is a national Jewish thought leader, consultant, author and organizational futurist who specializes “in preparing today’s leaders for tomorrow’s organizations™.”

SPRING 2014 13 It is a call to be a part of and apart will broaden its potential audience within • Offer free preschool education and from this world, to live within it and and outside the Jewish world. create a pipeline between Conservative critique it from the outside. Rather than preschools, congregations, camps and making its primary enterprise about ONLY THEN, MONEY MATTERS day schools. setting boundaries, such a mission Once these issues are resolved, then finan- • Fund rabbis to work exclusively on would enable the movement to invite cial cuts and long-term investments must college campuses and in the broader people into its communities, regardless be made by decreasing duplications of community. of personal or familial status, for an service, creating efficiencies of greater ongoing exploration of how to trans- scale, improving and expanding offerings 3. EASE ACCESS form their lives. and extending the movement’s reach • Eliminate duplication and offer a more So what does a more perfect Jewish through the smart use of technology. diverse array of teen experiences. • Create a single point of access for THE GENERAL PERCEPTION of the Jewish those interested in Conservative Jew- ish learning opportunities. public continues to be that Conservative Judaism is a • Provide congregations with know-how movement of “nots” — not Orthodox, not Reform and and funding to create a “one pass” membership, so that a member of one not clear. It needs to become a movement of Conservative congregation can access affirmation and advance a single, clear mission that most of the services offered by another. • Pilot a large number of congregations states why it exists and what is its desired impact on that move from mandatory dues mod- the world. els to other alternatives (e.g., volun- tary, fee for service). • Re-conceptualize Jewish complemen- tary education as afterschool care and world look like in the eyes of the Following are some suggestions to programming. Conservative Movement? And how consider after a turnaround team stabi- does that world intersect with and lizes the movement and charts a path 4. REFRESH AND ANCHOR THE influence the broader world? These are for growth, grouped according to the VISION critically-needed discussions about four core issues that will likely deter- • Develop a series of incubator sites in vision. mine the destiny of the Conservative North America, Israel, Europe and Movement. South America and provide seed fund- CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM’S VALUE 1. CREATE LEADERSHIP FOR ing for new ideas and approaches to The Pew report confirms the findings of THE FUTURE Jewish living. many earlier studies: that most self- • Expand avenues for engagement of • Partner with organizations and net- identified Conservative Jews do not Jewish teens and college-age young works like Mechon Hadar, the ROI want to inhabit a full-time Conservative adults through mentorships, paid Community, Moishe House, Taglit- halachic world. Therefore, we need to internships and social networking. Birthright Israel’s NEXT and Kevah. raise our expectations about increasing • Cultivate a global leadership network the pool of individuals who feel a deep • Fund experts in planned giving to per- of high-performing adolescents from emotional attachment to Conservative suade Boomer members to include post-b’nai mitzvah through college. Judaism, while tempering our expecta- Conservative causes in their testamen- tary gifts. tions about the number of Jews who 2. SPREAD THE MISSION will embrace a total Conservative hala- • Develop and sell educational products • Provide Massive Online Open Courses chic lifestyle. with broad appeal. In a relationship, some magical trans- (MOOCs) taught by exceptional faculty. It is now six months since the release formations happen when you let go of • Create apps that provide value to Con- of the Pew study. If there is not a plan to unrealistic expectations and embrace servative Jews, such as finding minya- mobilize and unify the disparate and often people as they are. The majority of peo- nim, using location-based services to competing arms of the Conservative ple who become involved with the Con- receive invitations to Shabbat meals Movement within another six months at servative Movement may never fully when traveling, and finding talks by the latest, it’s likely that Michael Stein- accept its demanding orientation, but engaging Conservative scholars. hardt’s prediction will be proven true. But they have shown a willingness to support it won’t be because of an absence of indi- Conservative causes with volunteerism, • Develop iPad-based Jewish educational vidual talent and spiritual relevance. It passion and money. When leaders accept curricula for anyone, anytime, will be because of the failure of the this reality, I believe that the movement anywhere. demands of great leadership. ■

14 ASKING A RESEARCHER to list philanthropic priorities in light of Pew is like giving a small boy a hammer. The boy sees that everything needs hammering and the researcher understands that more research and research education is needed.

he public reaction to the Pew report lead to better policy, it defers to others on Jewish life and community. Large swaths of has been extraordinary. There has policy analysis and on all other matters Jewish life are not included in the study been a sustained, high level of com- related to the application of the data. (e.g., volunteerism, cultural arts, social net- munal conversation that far exceeds any- In addition, Pew was not interested in works) and there are no data from poten- thing we’ve experienced in the past. Results conducting the new NJPS, but rather it was tially important subgroups (e.g., Jews with have been discussed not only on academic pursuing the next frame for its ongoing mixed religious identities or Jews who have list serves but also in Jewish sanctuaries and research into religion in America. The Jew- found a home in Chabad or with other boardrooms, and in gatherings hosted by ish community was not its primary audi- Orthodox outreach groups). every type of local and national Jewish orga- ence and the Jewish press was not its first The Pew data are best seen as a starting nization and movement. Meetings that line of dissemination. Its audience was an point for future research, as they raise a host would usually attract 50 people bring in 150 informed American public and its target of interesting questions. Answering these when “Pew” is included in the title. The was The New York Times. questions could help determine priorities for phenomenon appears to have extended to As a result of this stance, the findings philanthropic investment. For example, Canada and other Jewish communities as were cast in terms of religion in America. when Jewish parents say they are not raising well. Perhaps they are concerned that the In most regards, the Pew data are not their children as Jews, what do they mean? Pew study reveals something about their comparable to NJPS numbers. To the extent Is this a comment on Jewish education, own future. Or perhaps, like everyone else, knowledge advances by comparison, the home life or something else? How do their they do not want to be excluded from the comparison in this case will be to other children see themselves? And what implica- big conversation. religious groups in the United States and tions do the answers to these questions have The National Jewish Population Survey, not to previous studies of Jews. The head- for families? Are those who consider them- by contrast, was an insiders’ game. After the line has thus been the secularization of selves Jews Not By Religion (JNBR) similar release of the 1990 NJPS, the research com- American Jewry. The evidence has been the to teens who refer to themselves as “just munity gathered at Brandeis University to number and percentage of those who are Jewish” as a way of eschewing denomina- discuss how Jews are counted and to debate Jewish but not by religion. tional identification? How did the JNBR who is a Jew. The Federation world galva- This narrative has captured the attention come to identify in this way? And what does nized around the 52 percent intermarriage of the Jewish public and provoked and it mean to them? Note that these questions figure. It adopted the language of “Jewish dominated public discourse. It is clear that cannot be answered with a socio-demo- continuity” and quickly followed with multi- people, Jews included, do care about graphic survey. Rather, they need a qualita- million dollar investments in Jewish conti- research. It provokes their thinking and tive approach that invites people to express nuity initiatives. These methodological and reflection. It can ignite a conversation in personal meaning. policy conversations were largely limited to which they have a stake and on which they Another valuable form of research is the scholars and to volunteer and professional have opinions. They want to be informed systematic testing of different policy options. leadership in the Federation system. NJPS and believe that having the data makes Suggested interventions and policy prescrip- 2000 also had a limited audience. It was them so. They want to be part of the tions should be implemented as social undermined by methodological controversy broader conversation — not the contentious experiments with built-in research compo- (a specialty of researchers) and failed to gen- one about Israel but the one about who nents. This approach, known as action erate a compelling narrative (the driving they are, what they care about and what is research, is based on the premise that the force of policy). With Pew, however, every- happening to the American Jewish commu- best way to understand a system is to try to one is in the loop. Even the Pew researchers nity. This is very good news for the research change it. Results from these studies will have expressed amazement at the involve- community and a game-changer for Jewish deepen our understanding of the varieties of ment of the Jewish community writ large, social science. ways that Jews experience their Jewishness, which they say has been unparalleled com- Asking a researcher to list philanthropic the reactions they have to Jewish-related pared to their other studies of religious priorities in light of Pew is like giving a opportunities and the relative strengths (and groups in America. small boy a hammer. The boy sees that weaknesses) of different interventions. Why is this? One explanation is the Pew everything needs hammering and the The investment in research should also Research Center’s orientation. It aims to researcher understands that more research include support for public education on inject timely, reliable information into the and research education is needed. how to assess, analyze, interpret and apply public discourse, and it explicitly welcomes Pew has given us descriptive data. The data responsibly. The level of engagement, debate. Although it assumes that debate will study was not designed with an eye toward conversation, debate and concern raised by the needs of Jews, the capacity of the com- the Pew research makes this a particularly Amy L. Sales, Ph.D., is Associate Director of the Cohen munity to respond to those needs, or poten- propitious time to create a more data savvy ■ Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University. tial interventions that might strengthen Jewish polity.

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