There is a widespread narrative embraced by large segments of the Jewish leadership, and much of the Jewish media, both in Israel and North America, which purports the ongoing decline of interest and participation of young Jewish adults outside of the Orthodox world. This theory of erosion and weakening can be tracked to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) – which found that 52% of American Jews who married between 1985 and 1990 did so with non-Jewish spouses. This served as a wake-up call for the American Jewish leadership. To the extent that the North American Jewish communal agenda after the 1967 Six Day War focused on rescuing Jews at risk and resettling them in Israel, caring for the poor and the elderly, and combatting antisemitism – the 1990 NJPS prompted the American Jewish leadership to refocus the communal agenda, and place the highest priority on Jewish education, strengthening Jewish identity, and safeguarding the Jewish future.
This refocusing resulted in many positive developments. Multiple initiatives which followed were framed by the “good news” – also revealed in the 1990 NJPS – the correlation between positive Jewish identity – synagogue membership, participation in Jewish philanthropy, marrying within the Jewish community, having a high percentage of Jewish friends, support for Israel – and having experienced intensive Jewish education. Further studies (by Steven M. Cohen (1993), Sylvia Barack Fishman and Alice Goldstein (1993), and Bethamie Horowitz (1993) identified day schools, Jewish summer camps, youth groups, and Israel experience trips as having positive long-term impact on the formation of strong Jewish identities.
During the last three decades, Israel experience programs have expanded exponentially. Birthright is no doubt the best known, and deservedly so. This unique partnership of philanthropists, the government of Israel, and Jewish communities has made it possible for over 750,000 young Jews to participate in Birthright’s intensive ten-day trips to Israel. The Jewish Agency also launched Masa (3-6-month internships in Israel) and Upward Israel. Relatively new programs such as Honeymoon Israel have been developed and have enjoyed significant success.
Other prioritized areas include Jewish summer camping: the Foundation for Jewish Camping has invested in expanding the menu of camping opportunities – new camps have been created, focusing on the arts, sports, and the environment – and strengthening the recruitment and training of Jewish summer camp personnel. BBYO has emerged as a far stronger national youth group movement, and the campus-based Hillel system has been energized and elevated with strong leadership and enhanced funding – at both the national and campus levels. Jewish life on university campuses, although challenged by increasing polarization about Israel, has been enriched by a range of new educational programs, and large numbers of Jewish community centers have developed new Jewish educational programs for all ages. To be sure, intermarriage rates remain high, and there is continuing erosion taking place, as successive population studies document. However, as the above partial list of initiatives cited above demonstrates, there is also enormous revitalization and renewal underway in North American Jewish life.
It is in this context that the publication of Dan Feferman’s rich study In Search of Authenticity merits the attention of all who care about strengthening the future of North American Jewry. Feferman’s previous book, Rising Streams: Reform and Conservative Judaism in Israel (JPPI, 2018), perceptively documented how the Reform and Conservative movements were impacting Israeli society far beyond their organizational size, and beyond what had been previously understood. The volume has received extensive press attention because it has literally changed the way analysts and policy makers understand how religious life is evolving in Israel. Similarly, In Search of Authenticity provides an important window into how a relatively recent and still limited phenomenon – the appearance of emergent communities, independent minyanim, and other supposedly “fringe” developments, both outside of the major denominations and organizations, and some operating from within these organizations – is changing the landscape of religious life in North America.
In Search of Authenticity provides readers with an astute description of the broad sociological and cultural trends framing Jewish identity development for millennials. It also provides an ethnographic description of seven communities that have emerged during the past decade and now constitute the Jewish Emergent Network. It further takes a new look at the world of independent minyanim and other innovative developments that are succeeding in attracting young Jewish adults, primarily those who might not otherwise engage with Jewish life. Feferman carefully outlines what differentiates these from more established synagogues and institutions, even from those that are considered successful. The salient characteristics of these communities include being deeply rooted in Jewish content and tradition, while also remaining open to innovation and experimentation; “radical welcoming” – being inclusive of Jews and non-Jews of all backgrounds; being highly optimistic, setting a clear vision, consciously striving to inspire and uplift, and far more.
These seven communities that compose the Jewish Emergent Network are all that. Even if we take into account the over 100 independent minyanim and dozens of innovative projects mentioned throughout, what Feferman and others dub the “Jewish innovation ecosystem,” they remain relatively minor compared to the thousands of synagogues and institutions that provide the foundation for the “mainstream Jewish community.” Yet, as Feferman correctly points out, each is highly attuned to the sensibilities and emerging culture of millennials, and is therefore succeeding in connecting to new audiences that many, if not most, of the more mainstream institutions appear to find difficult to engage. To be sure, some traditional institutions, including synagogues, are thriving, packing their halls and successfully experimenting with new approaches as well, and they receive much-deserved mention throughout. The collective learnings of this network of new and emerging communities have much to inform communal decision makers as they seek to maximize the opportunities at hand, and reach out to the many young American Jews disconnected or alienated from communal life.
One of the main themes Feferman picks up on as he analyzes the landscape of innovative Jewish organizations, is that young adult Jews with few or no attachments to Jewish life must connect positively with Judaism, i.e., that Judaism must offer positive and immediate value to their lives. A focus on themes such as the Holocaust or defending Israel or Jewish continuity, that work through guilt or nostalgia or obligation, are either growing outdated, can at times be off-putting, or are too abstract or devoid of immediate or deeper meaning. Moreover, too often, Jewish communities focus heavily on programming geared for children and families, while young adults in North America are marrying and having children later in life, if at all. It is through offering positive and well-defined meaning, authenticity, and value that young American Jews are connecting to their Jewish identities, and, eventually, the broader Jewish community, Israel, and global Jewish life. To be fair, successful institutions, mainstream or otherwise, have always done this. The organizations discussed in this study are picking up on how to adapt these strategies to a new era.
Therefore, the challenge facing this generation can be succinctly stated as follows: Can American Jewry create Jewish life that is sufficiently inspiring and engaging that Jews will choose to self-identify not because they have to; they do not. Not because of guilt; they have little. But, because of the meaning, wisdom, and community they find as they experience Judaism and Jewish life? The network of communities and initiatives brilliantly studied and analyzed by Feferman provides rich and valuable lessons and insights for communal decision makers and funders to consider moving forward.
Lastly, after framing the current developments within a historical context, Feferman leaves the reader with much food for thought. In a chapter entitled “Rethinking Everything,” Feferman launches into a thought-provoking reflection of some of the major conceptual and organizational elements these new organizations are “rethinking,” including the role of technology in Jewish life, uses of space and organizational formats, funding models and concepts of membership, the usefulness of denominations and national organizations, and generally developing a capacity to adapt to future trends. This section perhaps raises more questions than it answers, but there is certainly enough material to spur many critical and fascinating discussions among Jewish communal leaders.
The insights contained in this study include both how to support the birthing of such communities, and how the approaches that characterize these communities might be utilized to strengthen key gateway institutions – synagogues, JCCs, camps – where large segments of American Jews not raised in committed Jewish homes or communities continue to be introduced to Jewish life. The lessons from this study can be adopted in multiple arenas of Jewish life, for they capture many of the interests, preferences, and predilections of the millennial generation. Feferman’s study is a valuable resource for volunteers, donors, professionals, and academics working to strengthen the likelihood of a flourishing Jewish future in North America.