Jewish Choices

Ephraim Tabory, Arnold Dashefsky, J. Alan Winter, Bernard Lazerwitz

Description

Having a religious preference and expressing it via a denominational choice is a fundamental way Americans relate to their society. Similarly, American Jews have divided their religion into four parts—Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and no preference Jews. This book focuses on how Jewish lifestyles are expressed through denominational affiliation.

The development of American Jewish denominations is viewed as more a matter of individual choice than family heritage. The characteristics of individual adherents of the three major denominations vary systematically as does one's involvement both in local Jewish communities and in the community-at-large. The authors show that as one goes from Orthodox to no preference Jews, the extent of religious expression, ethnic attachments, and Jewish community involvement declines. They project the distribution of denominational preference in 2010 and conclude with recommendations for those who wish to see Jewish identity survive and thrive in America.

List of Tables and Figures

American Jewish Society in the 1990s: An Introduction
Barry A. Kosmin and Sidney Goldstein

Foreword
Andrew Greeley

Preface

PART I

1. Denominations in American Religious Life

Chapter Preview

2. A Sociohistorical Overview of American Jewish Denominations

The First Jewish Denomination: Reform Judaism
The Counter Reformation: Orthodox Judaism
The Centrist Denomination: Conservative Judaism
Denominational Development in Historical Retrospect
Denominational Differences: Homosexuality as a Case in Point
The Social Psychology of American Jewish Denominationalism

PART II

3. A General Description of the Adherents of American Jewish Denominations

The Two Surveys
The Population of Interest
Characterisitcs Associated with Differing Denomiational Preferences
Demographic and Socioeconomic Concomitants of Denominational Preferences
Religious and Jewish Community Involvement: 1971 and 1990
Consequential Dimensions of Denominational Preference
Jewish Denominations within the Context of America's Denominational Structure

4. The Components and Consequences of Jewish Involvement

The Models

5. Jewish Denominational Switching: Permeable Boundaries among Jews in the United States

Denominational Switching among American Jews
Concomitants of Denominational Switching

6. Denominational Preferences and Intermarriage: Permeable Boundaries between Jews and Non-Jews

Intermarriage and Denominational Preference
Intermarriages Before and After 1970
Variables Associated with Intermarriage
Raising Jewish Children
Jewish Community Size and Intermarriage

PART III

7. A Look toward the Future: Jewish Fertility, Births, and Denominational Preference

Jewish Religiosity and Fertility
A Fertility Projection: A Look at the Future

8. Summation, Conclusions, and Recommendations

Summary of Major Findings
The Challenge of Americanization
Recommendations for the Denominations
Closing Comments

Appendix A. Methodology of CJF 1990 National Jewish Population Survey
Joseph Waksberg

Appendix B. Total Sample Errors and the Comparison of the 1971 and 1990 Surveys

Appendix C. Model Indices Cited in Chapter 4

Appendix D. Computation of the Projection in Chapter 7, Table 7.2

Notes

References

Subject Index

Name Index

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 21 mars 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438410234
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 17 Mo

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