Sign up to receive email newsletters about the
latest research for the topic areas that
interest you.
The Future of American Orthodoxy
Publication Date: February 2001
Publisher(s): JFL Media
Author(s): Jonathan D. Sarna
Series: Sh'ma, February 2001
Special Collection: Berman Jewish Policy Archive
Topic: Culture and religion (Religion and religious groups)
Keywords: Orthodox Judaism; Community Development; Religious Denominations; Leadership
Type: Brief
Coverage: United States
Abstract:
Despite the recent triumphalism expressed in some circles of American Orthodox Judaism, the author contends that several challenges must be addressed by Orthodoxy if it is to continue to flourish. Among the issues the author discusses: that Orthodoxy has difficulty retaining its members; a leadership crisis in American Orthodoxy; a "brain drain" in which the most promising thinkers make aliyah (move to Israel); controversies about how to approach modernity; challenges from contemporary feminism; and a rash of ugly scandals.