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Publication Date: January 2001
Publisher: Rabbinical Assembly of America; Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Author(s): Ezra Kopelowitz
Research Area: Culture and religion
Keywords: American Jews; Congregations; Jewish organizations
Type: Report
Coverage: United States
Abstract:
In the second half of the 19th century a new religious institution, the "synagogue-center" appeared in the United States. This institution was an ambitious attempt to return Jews to the fold and is a distinctly modern conception of the interface between religion and community. In this essay, I argue that the ironic consequence of the creation of the synagogue-center is the erosion of Jewish communal life.