The Secret of Jewish Continuity

Publication Date: October 1994

Publisher: American Jewish Committee

Author(s): Jonathan D. Sarna

Research Area: Culture and religion

Keywords: Jewish Identification; Intermarriage; Jewish Continuity

Type: Brief

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

Jewish continuity is the current rallying cry in all circles of American Jewry. But what exactly are the dangers facing the Jewish community? And, is continuity the right medicine for them? Ironically, in worrying about intermarriage, loss of Jewish identity, and related demographic challenges, American Jewish leaders may be underestimating what they are up against. For it is not only Jewish life in the U.S. that is being buffeted by change, but the larger American social environment. Ours is a moment of great transformation: of discontinuity. Just as external discontinuities challenge Jewish stability, so internal discontinuities may provide Jewish revitalization.

In Commentary Magazine vol.88 no.4, pp. 55-58 (October 1994).