The Ever-Renewing People

Jewish life in America is actually flourishing, thanks in part to the energy of children of intermarriage.

By Chip Edelsberg and Jason Edelstein for Mosaic Magazine

Jack Wertheimer and Steven M. Cohen’s “The Pew Survey Reanalyzed,” an examination of data omitted from the Pew Research Center’s 2013 “Portrait of Jewish Americans,” is a welcome addition

to the body of commentary on what that study says—and does not say—about American Jewish life today. Their essay, however, even as it raises a number of valid points of interest and concern, is puzzling. To us, Wertheimer and Cohen seem stuck—too heavily reliant on anachronistic frameworks of analysis and on sources of scholarship that are neither apt nor helpful. Conspicuous among the latter is the late Milton Himmelfarb’s quip chiding Jewish grandparents of children born to interfaith couples that these new family members should be understood as “Christian.” In addition, the two authors posit assumptions and postulate fables that are likely exaggerated or erroneous.

Perhaps most striking in Wertheimer and Cohen’s essay is the absence of relevant statistics, especially in areas where they themselves see hope for potential growth in rates of Jewish engagement. Thus, they recommend communal and philanthropic investment in Jewish overnight camping, but fail to mention that over the last eight years, the number of young Jews enjoying the benefits of residential Jewish camps has already increased from 48,000 to 75,000—many of them, not incidentally, those whom the authors would label “Christian” grandchildren. The Foundation for Jewish Camp anticipates further growth, to as many as 93,000 campers, in the next six to seven years. Similarly, while urging investment in youth groups, the authors neglect to cite the already burgeoning numbers of Jewish teens engaged in Jewish life and learning through such programs as the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), Moving Traditions, Jewish Student Connection, and Teen Philanthropy.

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Share Our Holiday Lights

This article has been reprinted with permission from InterfaithFamily 


By Dan Brosgol

I don’t know anyone who was born with a sharing gene.

In fact, it’s the opposite. It seems to me that we’re all born selfish, but over time we get the idea that sharing is better and we should play nicely in the sandbox. Think about it: When was the last time you heard a toddler being scolded for sharing too much? If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time reminding the little (and big) ones that they should be sharing MORE, not less.

The tension of sharing versus not sharing in the Jewish tradition goes waaaay back to the days of the Torah and of the Talmudic stories about the ancient biblical text. In one of my favorite legends, the Talmud tells a tale about the creation of the sun and the moon. According to the legend, the sun and moon were created equal in size, to which the moon cried out “Can two kings share the same crown?” God’s response was to make the moon smaller as a punishment for the moon’s selfishness. Later, God changes his mind and tries to make it up to the moon by making the (smaller) moon visible in the day and nighttime, and by having the stars appear alongside the moon at night.

In this season of lights, these two anecdotes of sharing and of light illuminate a lesson that we all might benefit from learning.

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Hanukkah Booklet

This article has been reprinted with permission from InterfaithFamily 

Hanukkah is one of the most home-based and family-centered of the Jewish holidays.

A child’s delight, it can be full of gift-giving, games, parties, and good food. Based on an historical event in post-biblical times, it is a minor holiday whose impact exceeds its status because of the need to party in the midst of the coldest and darkest season of the year.

But what is the holiday all about? This booklet explains the history of Hanukkah, the symbolism and significance of lighting candles for eight nights, the blessings that accompany the lighting of the candles, the holiday's foods, the game of dreidels, and more!

A guide through the why and how of the winter festival of Hanukkah, this booklet can also be used:

• as the foundation for a class on Hanukkah for family education;
• as a handout for new synagogue or community members;
• to help interfaith families — and all families — who need a refresher on Hanukkah's signficance;
• as a handout for religious schools, community gatherings and events during the winter season.
  
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STYLING - A TALE OF TWO FAITHS

From TheMarionHouseBook.com

A couple of months ago I had the privilege to work on this story for Today's Parent about how multi-faith families celebrate the holidays at this time of year. With Hanukkah right around the corner I thought it would be a good time to share it!

Nothing says Christmas and Hanukkah like a snowflake wreath with dreidels! This amazing craft and the others throughout the piece are by a woman named Steph Hung who worked at Martha Stewart Living in the Craft Department. I peppered her with questions about what it was like to work there, if she ever met Martha, and what Martha's expectations were for each shoot. It was fascinating! If you'd like to learn how to make this wreath you can check out the DIY over at Today's Parent.


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For more great Hanukkah ideas, check out our    page.

Non-Jews Play Growing Role in American Synagogues, Researcher Says

By Judy Maltz reprinted in The Jewish Daily Forward

(Haaretz) — Non-Jews have come to assume prominent roles in Conservative and Reform synagogues around America, in some cases accounting for a relatively large share of congregation membership, according to a prominent Israeli-born scholar who has been studying the changing face of American synagogues in recent years.

“Sometimes as many as half the people in a synagogue are either non-Jews or married to non-Jews, or have a close non-Jewish relative, said Yaakov Ariel, a professor of religious studies from the University of North Carolina at a recent two-day conference in Jerusalem on the growing appeal of Judaism worldwide.

Ariel, who has been focusing his fieldwork on synagogues in the southern United States, said the increased presence of non-Jews in these congregations had in many ways changed the discourse inside.

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