Why the rise of American Judaism offers a 'great political story' - PBS NewsHour

[question everything]

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-the-rise-of-american-judaism-offers-a-great-political-story

On our Bookshelf tonight, the dramatic struggles to turn an ancient faith into an American religion. Judy Woodruff speaks with longtime journalist Steven Weisman, author of “The Chosen Wars,” about why he decided to examine the evolution of Judaism in the United States, the religion’s “history of conflict” and the great personalities that created a story worth telling.

From the transcript

Steven Weisman:

I really thought that the story of the rise of American Judaism could be told like a great political story, because it has great personalities and conflicts over real issues.

But I also wanted to show the reader that the history of Judaism is a history of conflicts among Judaism, and reassure people that the conflicts today are rooted in the past, and, if we look to the past, we can figure out how to resolve them.

[EllieBC]

1. Decorum, having services on SUNDAYS, focusing on fitting in.

It made Reform Judaism in some places almost the same as a generic Protestant Christian congregation. Which made it no longer special or worth preserving. Some Reform congregations are moving to more observance and have been over the last 20-25 years. I've met several Reform rabbis who insisted on kosher kitchens on the grounds and do insist on a mikvah for a conversion. I met a Reform rabbi who said she would not perform an interfaith wedding ceremony if the woman was not Jewish and would not convert. So some Reform rabbis and congregations are trying to walk it back and make up for what was lost.

I disagree that American Jews consider themselves as Americans then Jews. Maybe they did but I think the tide is turning.

[question everything]

2. I think that the interfaith weddings started when many rabbis realized

that this is the only way to keep the community growing.

And "urban" temples have to adapt. In my other post replying to you, in the other thread, I highlighted the observation that "social justice" replaced study and this was one reason why I left.

[EllieBC]

3. Interfaith/dual faith doesn't work when it comes to kids.

Once you have kids you have to pick one thing or nothing. Otherwise you end up with no actual tradition that makes any sense and gets dumped eventually. An interfaith kid is not going to keep doing Easter egg hunts after a Passover Seder as an adult. They’ll likely end up just doing the egg hunt if they marry out or they’ll marry in and dump the egg hunt.

Sadly it’s been more the former than the latter.

I think it was a knee jerk reaction to do interfaith weddings. A panic response. They didn’t think down the road and ask, “hey? After the fancy wedding and honeymoon, when you have kids, are you still going to show up for services? Are you going to send your kids to our Hebrew day school? No? Ok then we don’t need to be doing this.”.

[EllieBC]

4. Study being replaced was awful.

Tikun Olam is a phrase that’s been overused and inappropriately so. Without study, knowing the why and how of achieving social justice is impossible.