The Jewish American Paradox

Robert H Mnookin

Description

Who should count as Jewish in America? What should be the relationship of American Jews to Israel? Can the American Jewish community collectively sustain and pass on to the next generation a sufficient sense of Jewish identity?

The situation of American Jews today is deeply paradoxical. Jews have achieved unprecedented integration, influence, and esteem in virtually every facet of American life. But this extraordinarily diverse community now also faces four critical and often divisive challenges: rampant intermarriage, weak religious observance, diminished cohesion in the face of waning anti-Semitism, and deeply conflicting views about Israel.

Can the American Jewish community collectively sustain and pass on to the next generation a sufficient sense of Jewish identity in light of these challenges? Who should count as Jewish in America? What should be the relationship of American Jews to Israel?

In this thoughtful and perceptive book, Robert H. Mnookin argues that the answers of the past no longer serve American Jews today. The book boldly promotes a radically inclusive American-Jewish community—one where being Jewish can depend on personal choice and public self-identification, not simply birth or formal religious conversion. Instead of preventing intermarriage or ostracizing those critical of Israel, he envisions a community that embraces diversity and debate, and in so doing, preserves and strengthens the Jewish identity into the next generation and beyond.

Introduction

The Puzzling Nature of Jewish Identity

The Matrilineal Principle

Must a Jew Practice Judaism?

The Puzzle of “Jewish Blood”

Peoplehood

Who Is a Jew in Israel?

Who Is a Jew in America? A Twenty-First-Century Standard

Can We Survive Acceptance?

The Challenge of Israel

The Challenge of Intermarriage

Raising a Jewish Child

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Notes

Index

Sujets

• Sociology of Religion
• Philosophie et théologie
• Reform
• General officer
• Judaism
• Religion
• General

Informations

• Publié par: Platform Books, LLC
• Date de parution: 13 septembre 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781735996868
• Langue: English

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