Monday, October 10, 2005

Marvin Shick of Cross-Currents: "Should We Give Up On American Jewry?"

Presenting information from an an article by Jack Wertheimer of JTS, Shick summarizes:
He notes that our median age is “seven years older than other Americans” and that “among Americans of all kinds … Jews have the fewest number of siblings, the smallest household size, and the second lowest number of children under eighteen at home.”

Furthermore, too many of us do not marry. Those who do, as often as not, marry non-Jews. We also marry later and have fewer children than other white Gentiles. In short, as Jews have become more appreciated by their fellow Americans and have made distinctive contributions, we also are moving in the direction of becoming extinct.

He asks:
Apart from the Orthodox whose ranks will continue to grow, although aliyah and abandonment by some of a religious life will limit the gains, is it time to face reality and say that there is little to be done to avoid the inevitable loss of nearly all non-Orthodox Jews? Is it time to throw in the towel, perhaps by deciding that our resources should be directed toward helping Israel?
I don't see why a campaign to promote marrying at a reasonable age and having larger families could not succeed. Non-religious American Jews are worse off but not qualitatively different in this respect than other educated affluent populations. As a matter of fact, I wonder how the American Jewish birthrate compares to the European Gentile one. Besides the fact that we're doomed otherwise, a family is beautiful and fullfilling thing. It has to be possible to increase public awareness of this fact. Perhaps the campaign in recent years among Jewish Federations to reemphasize all-day Jewish education could serve as a model. Maybe liberal Jews can be convinced that P'ru Urbu is actually a profound mystical component of that supreme mitzvah of all mitzvos: Tikkun Olam!

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