JEWISH OUTREACH Strategies and Opportunities Steven M. Cohen The American Jewish Committee and The Nathan Cummings Foundation JEWISH OUTREACH Strategies and Opportunities Formerly a professor of sociology at Queens College of the City University of New York, Steven M. Cohen now teaches Jewish sociology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His books include American Modernity and Jewish Identity (1983) and American Assimilation or Jewish Revival? (1988). Copyright © 1993 Steven M. Cohen All rights reserved TAB L E O F CONTENTS Foreword V Summary 1 Why Outreach? 3 A Working Definition 4 Outreach vs Inreach 6 The Outreach Critique 10 Some Outreach Programs 12 Who Are the Underinvolved? 14 Recruitment, Initiation, Enrichment 19 Learning, Worship, SocialJustice 21 Programs & Practitioners 24 A Philanthropic Strategy 30 Conclusion 35 Sources 36 group whose daily lives are governed by traditional Jewish norms? This question highlights the differences FOREWORD between advocates of "outreach," who seek to enlarge communal numbers by reaching out, and advocates of "in- reach," who feel priority should be given to creating a Jewish community (O^or American Jews, "continuity" has so attractive that others will wish to t_x become the watchword of the day. join it. The findings of the National Jewish Related to this policy question is the Population Survey have identified question of principle and ideology: Jewish assimilation, illiteracy, and How can the Jewish community declining Judaic commitments as the preserve norms concerning in-marriage critical threats to the American Jewish and conversion and effectively target future. As a result, Jewish communities outreach to mixed-married couples and across North America are struggling to their children? Outreach proponents find ways to strengthen Jewish identity fear that rhetoric that encourages Jews and are placing issues of affiliation and to marry other Jews or advocates Jewish education at the very top of conversion to Judaism will be off- communal agendas. The Council of putting to mixed-marrieds for whom Jewish Federations recently established conversion is not an immediate pros­ a broadly based Commission on Jewish pect. In-reach advocates fear creating a Continuity and task forces on intermar­ climate in which mixed-marriage riage and on college students. Such becomes simply one option among initiatives symbolize the high priority others, and Jewish communal prefer­ Jewish continuity is receiving on the ences for in-marriage and conversion Jewish communal agenda. become "politically incorrect." To be Unfortunately, Jewish continuity is sure, considerable agreement exists somewhat akin to the weather—every­ here over the desirability of in-mar­ one talks about it; few know what to do riage, conversion, and continued about it. To facilitate meaningful action outreach to mixed-married homes, but by the community to enhance continuity, the community must find ways to four questions in particular must be balance these differing imperatives that addressed. First is the question of target are often in tension with one another. group: Should we focus primarily on Thirdly, the Jewish continuity those who are completely unaffiliated in agenda is larger than any one sector or the hope of drawing them in, or is there set of institutions within the commu­ more to be gained by targeting the nity. Ways must be found to build new "middles" of Jewish life, those who have coalitions across the lines of the expressed interest in leading a Jewish respective religious movements and life but have not yet joined the core between the various communal institu- tions—-federations, synagogues, schools, munal leaders and policy makers will and community centers—all of which find it helpful in addressing these critical have critical interests in addressing Jewish and often divisive issues of identity and continuity. No one set of Jewish institu­ affiliation. tions can do the job alone. Rather, we Steven Bayme, Ph.D. must find ways to enable the different National Director, movements and institutions within the Jewish Communal Affairs, American Jewish Committee community to work together in new and creative ways toward shared goals and objectives. Rabbi Rachel Cowan Director, Life Affairs, Finally, to formulate a continuity Nathan Cummings Foundation agenda, the community needs to know which programs are actually working and which are not. The communal landscape is dotted with programs that claim success. Rarely if ever is a program deemed to have failed. Every program can marshal eloquent defenders and advocates who claim that their activities are ensuring Jewish continuity. Any serious communal policy will have to overcome our collec­ tive reluctance to acknowledge failure, learn from past mistakes, and be willing to engage in critical evaluation of what have in fact been successful programs to determine their replicability. The Nathan Cummings Foundation originally commissioned the following paper by Steven M. Cohen to help formu­ late a philanthropic strategy for funding outreach initiatives. The paper addresses many of the key policy issues that form the core of these communal debates. We present it here as a joint publication of the Nathan Cummings Foundation and the American Jewish Committee to advance communal thinking about how best to pursue a Jewish continuity agenda within the community. It is our hope that com­ / are likely to join) synagogues and other Jewish agencies but who are not much involved in Jewish life. Al­ SUMMARY though these differences are not crucial for understanding how outreach operates, they lie at the heart of a divisive and potentially counterproduc­ tive debate within the field. he surging incidence of Jewish- Those who want to target interfaith Gentile intermarriage has been a prime families argue that this population is factor in promoting the Jewish outreach growing enormously and that, as a phenomenon. Jewish outreach refers to a result, hundreds of thousands of wide variety of efforts aimed at enriching grandchildren of today's American the Jewish lives of "unaffiliated" or Jews will not identify as Jews. They "underinvolved" Jews. also note that many such families, In contrast with prevailing attitudes owing to their internal religious among most conventional Jewish institu­ differences, are open to interaction tions, the outreach approach embodies a with outreach professionals, though readiness to welcome the mixed-married possibly only for the next five to ten and others who are remote from Jewish years. They accuse those who want to life. It is also marked by a more aggres­ focus primarily on the affiliated as, in sive promotion of Judaism amid the wider effect, writing off the huge number of American marketplace of competing mixed-married young parents. cultural currents and affiliations. Those who want to focus primarily This report aims to help both potential on the moderately affiliated believe philanthropists and the outreach field to that this group is easier to identify and understand this relatively new phenom­ reach, and that it is more open to enon in American Jewish life. The report elevating their involvement in Jewish describes how outreach works, highlights life. Moreover, the more traditional major controversies within the field, members of this camp believe that examines why many Jews feel remote most of the outreach efforts to the from prevailing currents of American mixed-married have the undesirable Judaism, and suggests some areas where effect of legitimating intermarriage, philanthropic intervention can be most undermining the traditional Jewish effective. ideal of in-marriage, and raising the intermarriage rate even higher. Outreach specialists are at odds over Outreach workers from both camps which groups to target. Some focus their level a trenchant critique against their work primarily upon interfaith couples. colleagues in the established Jewish Others engage in a form of "inreach." community. They claim that many They try to upgrade the involvement, rabbis, educators, social workers, and enthusiasm, and education of the "moder­ lay leaders lack the interest or motiva­ ately affiliated," those who belong to (or tion to search out and welcome less 2 involved Jews. They also claim that most They also tend to focus on some higher of their colleagues lack the requisite Jewish purpose such as Jewish learning, "people skills." Last, they criticize the prayer, or social-justice activities. Other Jewish community's inability to present features of successful outreach programs Judaism in ways that address and professionals include: low entry underinvolved Jews' most keenly felt barriers; a suspension of judgment; spiritual and personal problems. empathetic, exuberant, and engaged Outreach programs vary widely. They teachers; a Judaic ideology coupled with include courses in basic Judaism, work­ a qualified pluralism; a presentation of shops for interfaith couples, beginners' Judaism as relevant to existential per­ worship services, Jewish family activi­ sonal problems; a commitment to "... they criticize ties, how-to holiday instructional ses­ egalitarian treatment of men and women; sions, and, most broadly, whole commu­ and empowerment of lay people (not just the Jewish nities that make special efforts to recruit volunteers) to undertake Jewish activi­ community's and welcome underinvolved Jews. The ties. These features, both singly and in inability to present major "players" in outreach efforts combination, distinguish outreach include: Lubavitcher