Posted by:
Tevai
(
)
Date: July 18, 2016 09:17PM
Good post, anybody!!!
Here's my response to the one I know the most about:
anybody Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Judaism:
>
> From what I can gather the big current issues are
> (1) Who's really a Jew (that one never goes away),
> (2) exogamy and secularism and (3) increasing
> influence of the ultra-Orthodox. Most Jews that I
> know are very much into social justice like my
> Catholic friends and tend to be secular but still
> consider themselves to be Jewish at least on a
> cultural level.
1) "Who Is A Jew?" is usually the most contentious issue in Judaism, but at the same time, Jews have now (in 2016) come to accommodations with each other on this particular issue (something that really began in the 1950s), and these accommodations now usually work more-or-less well, at least most of the time.
The huge, gigantic issue is Israel, because things that are "civil" matters in most Western countries are "religious" matters in Israel (marriage, divorce, burial, etc.), but even here there are accepted accommodations, and some things seem to be loosening up (especially now that Orthodox women are being ordained as Orthodox rabbis). Conservative Jewish conversions are being accepted more-and-more in Israel in many different ways, and (more often than anyone would like to admit) with the whispered-behind-a-hand okay of the Chief Rabbinates (but it is still going to be a very long time before Reform Jews get to this point in Israel).
Overall, the "Who Is A Jew?" issue is improving with the dawn of each Jewish New Year.
2) Overall, secularism is growing robustly---even though a sizable portion of "secular" Jews INSIST that they are Orthodox (mostly from the different ethnic groups: Syrian, Yemeni, Iranian, etc.). What they are really saying is: They remain the proud offspring of their families, and if they go to High Holy Day Services, you better believe that it is going to be in an ORTHODOX synagogue...and if they are saying Kaddish for a deceased parent, etc., it is going to be in an ORTHODOX congregation (if they can possibly do it given where they work, etc.)...but for the other Jewish observances, their observance level is, mmmmmmmmm...actually NOT so observant. ;) Another way of saying this is: those who IDENTIFY as Orthodox are not necessarily Orthodox in their life practices, except for those practices they consider really important from a family viewpoint (like saying Kaddish).
3) In Israel, the Orthodox constitute their own "sector" of the Israeli government...and the ultra-Orthodox live in usually very highly segregated areas (for everyone's comfort), and they usually have lots and lots of kids. There is certainly growth there.
On the other hand, there is a growing outflow of born-and-raised Orthodox who are becoming less Orthodox in their lifestyles or are becoming secular.
Orthodox young women can choose to do their military service in a "dati" [highly-Orthodox conforming] sector...or in a "regular" IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] way [Orthodox in things like food...very often not Orthodox in things like sex]...or in a "lo dati" ["not religious"] secular way that is sort of a combination of eating kosher military food, going to services when feeling led to do it, and otherwise being like any other secular Jew. Although some secular-leaning Jews do become more "religious" [means: observant] as a result of their IDF service, my sense is that the REAL flow is from the more-religious/"observant" to lesser observance in their daily lives.
In certain areas of North America, there is now outflow from the ultra-Orthodox to the more secular "communities" of Jews, but the birth rate is high among the ultra-Orthodox, and so the actual numbers might be going in the "ultra-Orthodox" direction...
...at least, until those ultra-Orthodox-raised kids reach adolescence or young adulthood, when there is often movement towards the secular left. When one adolescent or young adult ultra-Orthodox person leaves their community for the secular world, at least some siblings often follow in succeeding years.
My conclusion: regardless of the numbers at any moment in time, the overall direction of movement is, I think, towards the secular world.
Again, very good post, anybody!!!
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2016 09:28PM by Tevai.