Outline the issues that Cohen and Wertheimer claim contribute to the Jewish Community’s continuity challenge.
Cohen and Wetheimer claim intermarriage, lowered birth rates, and decreased social interactions between Jews are responsible for decreasing involvement in Jewish activities and in the Jewish community. While a high number of people identify as Jews, few have a strong connection to the religion or culture, belong to any Jewish communities, or do many mitzvot or rituals. The authors also claim that non-Orthodox movements - especially Conservative and Reform Judaism - are contributing to this continuity challenge.
Cite relevant statistical material contained in the article.
A whopping 72% of non-Orthodox Jews intermarry. Less than one-third …show more content…
Intermarried couples often don’t raise their children as Jews (religiously or culturally) because the Jewish parent doesn’t prioritize Jewish practice or the Jewish community. Few intermarried Jews would be very observant even if they had married a fellow Jew, and it is the lack of dedication, not the lack of a Jewish spouse, which should be addressed by their parents, educators, clergy, and other leaders in their Jewish network. Other intermarried couples wish to incorporate Judaism into their lives, but haven’t learned strategies of doing so while acknowledging their non-Jewish parent. This issue should also be combatted by aforementioned influences, as they have the power to produce resources for such couples, but have not done so in an effective way. Families with few children don’t contribute to the problem because they still have the ability to raise their children observantly. Judaism’s strength has never relied on its numbers, and these claims make little sense in the context of the article, which also writes that Jewish population is on the rise. In fact, this article’s authors seemed unconcerned with Judaism’s population itself, compared to its concerns of this population’s commitment to the religion and culture. If Cohen and Wertheimer are so occupied with the sheer number of Jews in the world, they should take up careers as missionaries rather than criticizing non-Orthodox Jewish birth rates. Non-Orthodox movements, like Reform and Conservative Judaism, engage non-Orthodox Jews rather than isolating them from their Jewishness. Many non-Orthodox Jews in 21st century North America would become secular or abandon Judaism completely if no non-Orthodox community or
Cohen and Wetheimer claim intermarriage, lowered birth rates, and decreased social interactions between Jews are responsible for decreasing involvement in Jewish activities and in the Jewish community. While a high number of people identify as Jews, few have a strong connection to the religion or culture, belong to any Jewish communities, or do many mitzvot or rituals. The authors also claim that non-Orthodox movements - especially Conservative and Reform Judaism - are contributing to this continuity challenge.
Cite relevant statistical material contained in the article.
A whopping 72% of non-Orthodox Jews intermarry. Less than one-third …show more content…
Intermarried couples often don’t raise their children as Jews (religiously or culturally) because the Jewish parent doesn’t prioritize Jewish practice or the Jewish community. Few intermarried Jews would be very observant even if they had married a fellow Jew, and it is the lack of dedication, not the lack of a Jewish spouse, which should be addressed by their parents, educators, clergy, and other leaders in their Jewish network. Other intermarried couples wish to incorporate Judaism into their lives, but haven’t learned strategies of doing so while acknowledging their non-Jewish parent. This issue should also be combatted by aforementioned influences, as they have the power to produce resources for such couples, but have not done so in an effective way. Families with few children don’t contribute to the problem because they still have the ability to raise their children observantly. Judaism’s strength has never relied on its numbers, and these claims make little sense in the context of the article, which also writes that Jewish population is on the rise. In fact, this article’s authors seemed unconcerned with Judaism’s population itself, compared to its concerns of this population’s commitment to the religion and culture. If Cohen and Wertheimer are so occupied with the sheer number of Jews in the world, they should take up careers as missionaries rather than criticizing non-Orthodox Jewish birth rates. Non-Orthodox movements, like Reform and Conservative Judaism, engage non-Orthodox Jews rather than isolating them from their Jewishness. Many non-Orthodox Jews in 21st century North America would become secular or abandon Judaism completely if no non-Orthodox community or