The Future of American Orthodoxy


 

Publication Date: February 2001

Publisher: JFL Media

Author(s): Jonathan D. Sarna

Research Area: Culture and religion

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.