The Denominational Shift |
The End of American Judaism There
are a number of objective and scholarly reviews of the American Jewish community
that lead us to the conclusion that the American Jewish community will cease to
exist within thirty years. This
conclusion appears reasonable, as a large number of Jews tell researchers that
they are agnostics or atheists but consider themselves Jews because they eat
Jewish food, or they are ethical people, or that they have a sense of humor. These
beliefs assert that there is no difference between Jews and all other Americans,
who are also ethical people, have a sense of humor, and eat Jewish food. In
fact, kosher food is selling mainly to people who are not Jewish, as the kosher
food industry earns billions by selling to Christians and others. Jews
are also the most likely nonbelievers who claim that Shem Yisborach does not
exist and that the universe is self-created, as Professor John Dewey taught at
Columbia and the U of Chicago. How it is possible for the universe to be
self-created is never explained. Consider that we humans are part of the
universe. If it is self-created, then we too must be self created and have no
mother and no father. Many
Jews with some scientific schooling claim that they believe only what they can
see. Since Shem Yisborach is not visible, the agnostic atheists reject His
existence. Yet, no one refutes that Beethoven existed, although he is not
visible now despite the great music this deaf man left behind. The Jewish
community is not only supporting agnostic (from Greek gnosis, meaning
knowledge) views; they are also
heavily intermarried to non-Jews, leading to the conclusion that the
grandchildren of these atheists will not be Jewish. Twenty-nine percent of Jews
married during the past decade married a non-Jewish spouse who claimed to be
converted. Another 21% married someone who did not convert. This group of 50% is
a good deal larger among the younger American Jews, reaching 74% among those
less than 35 years of age. This
high intermarriage rate alone can lead to our end in America, as does failure to
achieve a Jewish education. There
are three kinds of Jewish schools in this country. There are Sunday schools,
which are mostly found among Reform congregations. These schools have no effect
on the survival of Judaism, as they cannot teach much once a week. The same is
true of Conservative congregations. They too teach little about Judaism and
reject all religion after becoming Bar Mitzvah. Afternoon schools are also a
failure. Children who attend afternoon Jewish schools are far too tired to learn
much in afternoon schools. Therefore only day schools can instill pride in
Judaism to their students. All
of this means that we must rely on the Chassidic community to rescue American
Jews from self destruction. That
effort is now in progress. Chassidic Judaism, the real Judaism, is gaining more
and more adherents as American Jews abandon the pseudo Judaism of the majority
and rediscover their roots among those who have followed the Baal Shem Tov and
the Rebbe Scheerson, who are succeeding where all others failed because they are
real, rest on the teachings of our fathers, adhere to the Torah and Jewish Law,
teach their children the greatness of Judaism, and trust in Shem Yisborach, who
will never abandon us. Shalom
u'vracha. Dr. Gerhard Falk is the author of numerous publications, including The American Jewish Community in the 20th and 21st Century (2021). |