In this four-part Daily Kavanah, Rabbi Ron Stern examines the recently-released Pew Research Center survey of American Jews. To catch up with previous entries, click here.
Several years ago, during the High Holy Days, I presented a sermon that imagined the experiences of individual Jews across three different eras of history. I characterized the way each of those Jews understood religion, God, and the Bible.
I began with the pre-modern Jew, who believed that God managed all human affairs, created the world in six days, and ordered the changing seasons. Next, it was a Jew on the cusp of the Enlightenment who—once educated—had their traditional notions challenged by evolutionary science. Finally, I described the beliefs of the modern, educated Jew who challenged the divine authorship of the Bible, questioned traditional ideas of God, and sought to change the religion to suit their purposes. I suggested that Judaism had to change in order to meet the future. I heard from many of you. Mostly, I heard words of gratitude for articulating what they were feeling, but I also heard from some who were troubled by my challenge.
Enter: the recent Pew Report, which tells us that, of all Americans, it is Jews who are least likely to attend religious services on a weekly basis and believe in the God of the Bible. In fact, we are half as likely as our fellow Americans to hold certain ideas about religion—believing that religion is important at all, attending services, and believing in a higher power or spiritual force. Find the report here (see page 22).
Rather than lament that which appears to be the inevitable outcome of modernity, I’d like to suggest that we have an opportunity. Jewishness, as an identity, is undeniably meaningful to most American Jews (73%). Yet, many of those Jews are ambivalent about some of the core ideas of traditional religion. At Wise, our clergy and educators realize that we must provide meaningful Jewish experiences to our membership every day. We literally stay up nights developing strategies to meet the changing needs of our community.
So, here’s your kavanah for today: What is compelling to you about your Jewish identity? When you truly listen to the next generation, what is compelling to them about their Jewishness, and how can we all work together to craft a path to Jewishness that brings meaning to their lives?
—Rabbi Ron Stern