Articles

Political scientists Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel assert that there are two major dimensions of cross-cultural variation in the world:

Traditional values versus secular-rational values and
Survival values versus self-expression values
Created in 1981, the World Values Survey (WVS) has become one of the most widely employed cross national studies, involving over 120 societies or approximately 95% of the global population.

In preparation for the 2024 campaign, there is an emerging discussion about the possibility of one or more “third parties” entering this race.[1] Beyond whether there will be a high-profile third-party nominee, numerous “candidates” are already lining up to run.[2] In connection with the two major parties, the core question, who benefits and who doesn’t?

As America prepares for the 2024 Presidential Sweepstakes, what data will be helpful in understanding the “Jewish vote”? In 2020, on these pages, I laid out a number of political principles concerning the patterns and behaviors of Jewish voters.

Framing American Judaism: Judaism has always had to endure and accommodate to change. Two organizing models helped to shape American Judaism. Adopting the Protestant idea of “denominations”, the American Jewish religious framework would employ this form of identification. Similarly, drawing on American Progressivism, a second organizing model was incorporated for the federated model of American Jewish social and human services. From 1880-1985, this dual church-state system proved successful within the American Jewish context.

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?