We’ll all be hearing about the outcomes from the Pew Report in the coming weeks and months about the state of American Jewry…
“The first major survey of American Jews in more than 10 years finds a significant rise in those who are not religious, marry outside the faith and are not raising their children Jewish — resulting in rapid assimilation that is sweeping through every branch of Judaism except the Orthodox.” (Excerpt from NY Times article below)
Think about the following:
What are the ramifications of the phenomenon of “Jews of No Religion”?
What are the key factors that have led to these trends?
What are the key factors that have led the Orthodox community and others to be the exception to these trends?
I sincerely hope that the takeaway for those who consider themselves part of the Orthodox community is not “told you so,” but rather great alarm for the general state of American Jewry. No part of the Orthodox community is isolated from these trends.
So last question– How should we react to this? What can be we be doing?
Read further for more information. The full Pew study can be found here:
http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/jewish-american-beliefs-attitudes-culture-survey/
Articles covering the report
http://forward.com/articles/184795/jews-bound-by-shared-beliefs-even-as-markers-of-fa/
A blog worth reading
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-bell-tolls-for-american-jewry-thoughts-on-the-pew-report/