Study: U.S. Jews increasingly non-observant (Like their Christian brethern.)

One News Now ^ | 8/9/2009 | Staff

[IbJensen]

HARTFORD, CN - A new survey suggests that the number of American Jews who consider themselves religiously observant has dropped by more than 20 percent over the last two decades.

The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey found that around 3.4 million American Jews call themselves religious, out of a general Jewish population of about 5.4 million.

Those who call themselves only culturally Jewish rose from 20 percent in 1990 to 37 percent last year according to the study, which also found Jews more likely to be secular than other Americans.

[Nachum]

I didn’t agree with him, mind you, but it is a defensible position.

A position usually inhabited by those who are married to, have children by, or have loved ones who do not meet the guidelines of matrilinial descent.- Otherwise known as the Halacha which has been Jewish law for a milennia or two.

[Jewbacca]

Maybe, but this guy is Israeli by-way-of Istanbul.

Rabbi Chelouche (head rabbi of Netayana) was in the paper recently saying, in the offical opinion of the Orthodox Rabbinate, Karaite are Jews and did not need to undergo even a token circumcision to be halakhically Jewish -— but were to be considered tinok shenishba (prisoner/kidnapped babies), at worst.

Pretty much got there because, even if not Jewish, the Karaite oaths taken (coupled with an existant circumcision) would be sufficient for a gentile to have converted, so certainly good enough for an arguably “half-Jew.”

[Nachum]

but were to be considered tinok shenishba (prisoner/kidnapped babies), at worst.

Not sure about that. I would not necessarily accept this one opinion anyway. An "apikoras" is much more serious an issue than this. It would take a bais din to figure it out.

Pretty much got there because, even if not Jewish, the Karaite oaths taken (coupled with an existant circumcision) would be sufficient for a gentile to have converted, so certainly good enough for an arguably “half-Jew.”

Also not necessarily true. Conversion is more complicated than merely having a bris and taking the oath. "Half Jew"? It's like being "half pregnant"; one is either a Jew or not.

Anyway, it is an interesting subject- and a long winded one. :)

[Jewbacca]

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t disagree with you, I just think they have a defensible position.

“Half Jew” = half pregnant.

Sure. Hence, the quoatation marks in my post.

To summaraize a very, very long article, the Orthodox Rabbinate postion came about because, when you really grind the conversion process down to the essentials (note, not “best practive” but “essentials,”) they look to conversion of Ruth, which was: (1) accepting G-d as the one true god;(2) taking the Jewish people as ones own people; and for men (3) circumcision.

The “half Jew” (cough) issue helps because a patrlineal Jews is “of” the people even if not “in” the Jewish people, so its a smaller step, so to speak, so making the Jewish people “their people” is a matter of mindset.

It’s a little different in Israel, where you could drop off almost any group (say, Russians with a Jewish grandfather or Indians whose ancestors chos to be Jewish) and, within a generation, they will be propertly Jewish simply by the critical mass of Jews living there, through quiet and private conversion, if need be.

[Jewbacca]

Re: “aprikoras”

(1) The haredi in old city Jerusalem consider the haredi down the street heretics (and vice versa)

(2) and they consider the Tel Aviv haredi heretics, who think the USA Jews are all heretics

(3) and they all consider the Reform and Conservative heretics,

Etc.

So it’s a small charge these days.

The Karaite Jews are odd (no candle lighting before Shabbos, etc), but they are religously serious Jews, with good intent, and have all pretty much made the aliyah.

This goes a very long way in my book, even when I disagree with them.

[Nachum]

(1) The haredi in old city Jerusalem consider the haredi down the street heretics (and vice versa)

You could go even farther with that. LOL. The Misnagdim think the Lubavitchers are heretics too. We have met the enemy and it is us.

and they all consider the Reform and Conservative heretics The Karaite Jews are odd

Um.... yes. :)

[ansel12]

Historically, Jews have voted Democrat since FDR.

Historically Jews have never voted republican period, ever.

All Roosevelt did was take it from 72% to 82% (reaching 90% in 1940 and 1944), currently it stays at about 78%.

[M. Espinola]

The alarming effects of this across the board decline are reflective in what the voting public allowed into the White House during the last presidential election.

It's like a replay of the fall of Rome.