There is no question that United Jewish Communities has the ability to be nimble. The national body of local Jewish federations raised hundreds of millions of dollars in aid when war broke out last summer between Israel and Hezbollah, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina it ably directed communal resources to meet crucial needs. In both cases, it proved itself relevant and indispensable to the Jewish community.
Knowing how quickly UJC can move when it comes to fundraising for emergency aid, however, makes it all the more frustrating to watch how slow the federation can be at times in addressing the crucial issues of Jewish identity, peoplehood and education.
The UJC made these issues part of its mission with the advent of the Renaissance and Renewal Pillar in 2000. But while some important headway has been made, these issues have remained the neglected stepchildren to those issues of survival that tug most at our hearts. As demographer Gary Tobin told me awhile back, “It’s easy to raise money for threats; it’s tougher for Jewish education.”
The fact is, initiatives that might spark great changes in Jewish education seem to move at a much slower pace. It’s clear that in the organizational hierarchy, the agenda of the Renaissance and Renewal Pillar is not at the top of list.
Now, UJC is reportedly being retooled in an effort to create a more focused body to the meet the needs of Jews in the United States, Israel and elsewhere around the world. To what degree already neglected areas of Jewish life will be kept on the organizational agenda remains to be seen.
The risk is that in the attempt to focus on issues to which more American Jews can easily relate, the Renaissance and Renewal Pillar will become even more of a stepchild. Were that to be the case, it would be detrimental not only to American Jewry but also to the federations themselves.
For decades, the catalysts for involvement with federations were the Holocaust and building up the State of Israel. But the generation that felt threatened is passing on.
Most young American Jews are secure, and for them the Holocaust was not a first- or even second-hand experience. They do not feel that there is a real major threat to the Jewish people and Israel. Antisemitism has subsided in America. Jews are able to achieve their dreams; you can even run for president and observe Shabbat.
Living with unprecedented freedom, personal security and financial success, young American Jews do not have the same communal anxieties that their parents had. The majority of today’s young Jews are comfortable and content.
To reach them, we need to build on the positive, not the negative. It’s clear that the old principles that molded Jewish identity are not working with the new generation.
Look at any recent communal Holocaust Memorial Day observance: As the older generation passes on, younger Jews are not replacing their numbers. This generation does not see the relevance of these tragedies in the same way.
You can’t reach them by simply saying, “You know they really hated the Jews and tried to kill all of us.” Not only does it not inspire them, it might also cause more than a few to bolt from the community, figuring that being Jewish isn’t worth the price. Just look at the high intermarriage rate among children of survivors.
They way to engage the next generation is by educating them about the depth and beauty of Jewish tradition. Jews will be loyal to the Jewish people when they see that Judaism speaks to their souls and enriches their lives. And when they feel connected to their heritage, to their people and to their legacy, they will give to the community.
As UJC reorganizes itself, it would do well to bring the agenda of the Renaissance and Renewal Pillar from the sidelines to the center. In order to retain its relevance, UJC must make Jewish learning, Torah education and personal engagement with Jewish tradition relevant to modern Jews — while at the same time, of course, pursuing its crucial mission of helping Jews around the world.
The federation movement has proved, time and again, that it can accomplish remarkable things for the benefit of the Jewish people. It now needs to put Jewish intellectual and spiritual engagement higher on its agenda. Doing so, UJC leaders may be pleasantly surprised to find out, will bring a renewed vigor and commitment to the federation system.
Rabbi David Eliezrie, Chabad’s national liaison to United Jewish Communities, is the Chabad shaliach in Yorba Linda, Calif.
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This is an interesting article -- but I think the discussion at another article from the same edition, , speak to the concerns raised as well. I understand that a Chabad liaison would view the issue as first of all one of faith, religion, and the Jewish tradition. And, indeed, there is so much to be done. Consider -- this may sound like a cliche, but I will jump right in -- Jewish lawyers. Many Jewish law graduates I know are curious and enthusiastic about the idea of Jewish law, and what it can teach them. Yet any academic programmes addressing this area are targetted to the religious. Imagine an LL.M. programme for law graduates which taught them the Jewish law approach to basic legal issues, alongside the common or civil law approaches used today; and did so assuming little background knowledge and in the framework of ordinary law studies. Courses on family law, contracts, torts, environmental law, and so on -- all of which Judaism tackles, but none of which is available in that format to any Jewish law graduate, no matter how curious. But this speaks to a larger approach I believe is necessary, and which I have the sense that R' Eliezrie agrees with in his op ed piece here. Attract secular people, not simply by preaching them to be more religious, but sparking their intellectual interest in specific aspects of the Jewish tradition and history. The rest will follow, step by step. That is why attracting secular and non-traditional Jews to Israeli society, in which they can engage with Jewish tradition -- as diaspora Jews who take the whole thing in with interest, not as Israelis who take it for granted -- is so important; hence the discussion beneath the other article by Mr. Yoffe.
I am sorry, the Web link did not come through. The other article I refer to is entitled "When We Let John Hagee Speak for Us", Eric Yoffie, May 18, 2007.
R' Eliezrie is correct that the Federations have no sense of urgency and have failed to recognize opportunities. I wonder too if they have irretrievably lost their relevance. It seems to me the big donors have been funding their target programs directly and therefore cutting out the "middleman." Here in central NJ our Federation keeps the local Jews entertained with lots of film festivals, musical acts, booksignings etc. The senior citizens seem to eat this stuff up. We also get winetasting fundraisers and gimmicky communal events like "Mitzvah Day." I wouldn't look to our current Federation leadership to be a catalyst for Torah educational or deep spiritual connections, they are simply working with a cultural, rather than religious, definition of what it means to be a Jew. B"H we have many other fine organizations in the area doing the serious work of Torah education and kiruv. I have convinced myself that as the demographics of American Jewry change over the next generation, the Federations will either wither away as their funding dries up, or the leadership will be replaced by a more energetic cadre of Torah-observant Jews who can truly reinvigorate these organizations.