It was not LIFE or LOOK magazine that predicted the end of Judaism in America by 2000, but rather a comment made by an Orthodox rabbi, who predicted that we’d all either go to Israel, or stay in the US and become soul-less suburbanites.  I believe that it was in TIME magazine.  I remember thinking, “what an idiot”, which is about what I think of Uzi Silber’s silly article. He and Margolis might start talking with the young Israeli Shapardim and the ‘Russians’, because the majority of them are definitely not headed in the Orthodox direction.  The Conservative move3ment is the only one in the progressive movement that is in trouble.

As a devout Jew, who travels regulary between Israel and the rest of the world, I don’t remember ever seeing any bar to Jews living in the diaspora.  That’s nonsense.

As a ReformaDox, I don’t remember seeing anything in Talmud that says Jews to be Orthodox to be Jews.  Most of the shabbat liturgy and prayers were composed AFTER Talmud, so the streamlining of Judish observance by Conservatives, Reformers, Liberals, Reconstruction, and Renewal cannot be a violation of Talmud.

250 years ago, the Vilna Gaon excommunicated Chassids, so obviously, Chassids aren’t Orthodox.  The rabbis of Spain, Italy, and France excommunicated Moshe ben Maimon, so obviously he wasn’t a Jew.  For thousands of years Jews, like Acher and toiday’s Orthodox have aided the Nations in isolating and killing off other Jews.  Don’t forget, the kapos in the camps were all Orthodox big shots.

It is the insulting arrogance of Orthodox pontificators that keeps me from claiming to be Orthodox.  We Jews are called to be the light of the world, and since Orthodoxy utterly fails in that Mitzvah, Orthodoxy can no longer claim to be Kosher.  Therefore I will deny being Orthodox, because I am Kosher.

What is so interesting about various Jewish movements is how contrary they are to the way we think they may appear in chronological order. Many of the “Orthodox” movements make up for some of the most recently developed historically. Reform, in many ways, is quite old. Having said this so many of the attacks on each other from right or left is an artifice that has little to do with being Jewish.

Predicting where the American Jewish community will be in 30 years can be quite tricky. Numerically Orthodoxy is still quite small. Growing but small. Many Reform and Conservative Jews who do intermarry have children that grow up with Jewish identities. Historically intermarriage has been a double edge sword. In some parts of the world through Jewish intermarriage the community all but disappeared (China and India). In other parts, it actually revived and caused Jewish communities to grow and develop. Evidence can be seen around the world by how Jews in particular places look uncannily like the surrounding populations (black in africa, brown in the middle east and asian in India, etc).

The Jewish population in the United States is still growing...slowly.
The Conservative movement in Israel is growing...slowly.
There is a tremendous effort underway to change the law so there can be civil marriage and recognition of marriage conducted within Israel by non-Orthodox Rabbis. This will be a significant game changer.

Finally, about half the world’s Jewish population consist of people of color. This is the fastest growing segment of the Jewish population. It may be that in 30 to 50 years more Jews will be black and brown and this may be the face of Jewish America and world Jewry. Although plenty of Orthodox most are not.
Phillip

Now… as for that 2bit jerk David… let me just say I am sick to death of you cowardly defenders of your own inaction.  I have had so many of you pot-bellied rebel flag waving drunken nit wits tell me… a vetern of service… things like that it makes me queasy in a too much lard in the pancakes this morning queasy.  The one thing you learn from a position of strength is you can tolerated the weaker a lot easier… David you have repeatedly brought, you and your buddies, a foul blend to these forums and really I wish, if you’re Jewish to learn to keep your mouth (typing fingers) shut for a change.  If you aren’t Jewish then just leave… you are offensive, insulting, and hateful towards Jews.

First, I think “MEATBALL HERO” is IN MY OPINION, an idiot.

Just this past week, a Nobel winner in science was an Israeli; when was the last Iranian (with what? 8 or 10 times the population) the home of a Nobel winner?  Or, any Muslim country (in a field of science).
I cannot think of any.

Israel is the home of perhaps one fo the greatest concentrations of engineers, scientists and medical people.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would also like to repsond to Mr. Rob Brownstein.

I agree that it is difficult to extrapolate decades into the future.

A few eeeks ago, the Rabbi of the Shul I go to discussed this issue, and brough up an interesting point.

In (I beleive the year was 1964-not sure, but in the 1960’s or so) LOOK MAGAZINE ( remember that?) predicted that by the year 2000, there would be NO JEWS IN THE US, due to intermarriage, low birth rates; conversions; assimilation, etc.

Yet, as we can see, that is not the case.

Yes, Reform Judiasm is weak- but, it was (in my view) more for social ( and business/networking) meeting palce then religion.  With the religion coming in second (or third) in importance.

(I attended a funeral service at a Reform Shul, a few years ago, where the Rabbi talked about going to eat lobster, and pork ribs; and criticized a mourner- who is Orthodox, for having a beard, and wearing tsitises (hope spelled correctly).

I am not Orthodox ( and went as a courtesy- to a family member, who ahs offered me assistance in personal matters, several times over the years), and I was offended.  NOT that the Rabbi ate the lobster and pork, but that he talked about it in a Shul.  A Christina- with any knowledge of the jewish religion wuld probably- upon hearing something like this, think ALL Jews are hypocrites, or worse. 

Anyhow, my 5 cents worth.

Like Yonason, there are veterans in my family and my father died from his military service when I was a little boy. 

Like many Jews, The United States of America is my country and Israel is my home!

JTA COMMUNITY: the last person to ‘out’ Cheryl and debunk her make-believe claim to be a bona-fide Jew, was ‘reported’ by her and unfairly bounced from this blog.  So if I disappear, you will know why - and, if you believe in truth and fairness, complain about it to the JTA!

To say that Eretz Yisroel is a Jew’s home, and that his or her country of residence is not, is fundemental and basic to our theology and history.  There are veterans in my family who have served this countrerty from WWII to the present - and I believe that I am a loyal and good citizen of this country - but Eretz Yisroel is still my “home.”

Go for it! Make aliyah! Get the f---- out of my country.

...the disappearance of the “secular and religiously liberal” American Jew is inevitable due to intermarriage, low birth rates and assimilation…

Reform Judaism is destroying the Jewish community… and maybe the Jew too.  I can understand wanting to live life to your own beat but, without community there is no real identity and without identity one tends to wander aimlessly through life.  Are we really ready for this experiment of life to end for us?  Outside influence on the gene pool is not only essential but also beneficial, yet letting go of the traditional identity of a people cause that people not to be.  There is strength, purpose, and joy in the traditional unity of the Jewish community and that is what must be preserved if we are to remain an entity unto ourselves… The Jews.