Articles

In 1938, without a port of entry available, one man became dependent on the goodwill and political access of another. That individual was in a unique position to make the case directly with the President of the United States requesting that this German Jewish refugee ought not to be denied access to this nation, due to his physical limitations caused by polio. His argument, “You, Mr. President, also experienced polio and it did not prevent you from seeking and winning this office, permit this individual his opportunity to experience the American dream!”

Serving the next generation demands a new paradigm built on security, engagement, connection, education, and relationship-building.

Is it time for the Jewish community to revisit its organizing principles? All around us we are beginning to see the introduction of various alternative models of organizing. The existing communal and religious framework has been based on two 19th Century organizational frameworks, denominationalism and federalism.

After serving in the Jewish communal space for 50 years, I thought it helpful to reflect on my career and share some of my experiences and insights. I found myself thinking about my path which led me to more than my share of extraordinary encounters and transformational historic moments. This is the second of a two-part series reflecting on my tenure of service. The first part dealt with leadership challenges; in this piece we are introducing a series of on-the-ground experiences.

In this brief outline, some twenty core themes are introduced designed to help frame how as communal and religious institutions leaders we will engage 21st-century American Jews. The data here is extracted from an array of population and attitudinal studies, conversations and observations and extrapolated information drawn from other religious and ethnic communities. Introduced through two lens, the first data set focuses on individual practice and behavior, while the second addresses organizational and operational responses.

What are the questions that the Jewish people will need to be asking and what are the operational realities that our institutions must address? Introduced below are ten of these critical concerns for our consideration:
Jews today ask different questions of themselves and of their community. Our grandparents would ask: Is it good for the Jews? and some of us might inquire: Is it good for our society? but many who operate out of a “sovereign self” frame of reference will offer: Is it good for me?

As we move well into the 21st century, American society, as has been documented, is rapidly changing, as has this nation’s politics. In response to these challenges, the Jewish community relations field is also shifting its focus. In December, Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) released a major policy statement in connection with its work, “The New Jewish Council for Public Affairs: A Changing Political Environment Brings a Strategic Reset.” The document has drawn minimal response, with only few publications reporting on this transformational change.

We have identified twelve organizing ideas that define 21st Century American Jewish communal behaviors and outcomes:

Jewish history is constantly informing and reshaping contemporary Jewry. The American Jewish experience, however, must be understood to represent a distinctive cultural and operational phenomenon. Since the end of the Second World War, the Jewish communal system was successful in both managing external challenges and internal expectations, today we are experiencing a new normal, driven by a series of internal “revolutions” upending the existing communal order and an array of external “threats”.

This is the second essay in a two-part series.

Homeland and transnational politics represent an interesting subcategory of international relations studies and most certainly represents a central feature within Jewish history.