Jewish Matrilineal Descent Challenged in British Court

A recent article appeared the the New York Times entitled, "Who is a Jew" (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/world/europe/08britain.html?_r=1&em). It dealt with a decision by a British appellate court that a Jewish School (state-supported as are all religious schools in Britain) cannot refuse to accept a student because it doesn't consider him a Jew since his mother was converted to Judaism in other than the Orthodox tradition. In fact, the court went further by saying that admissions criteria must depend not on family ties, but “on faith, however defined.” It proposes that belief and practice define religion rather than heritage. The British Supreme Court will take up the issue soon and make a final decision.

As I have mentioned before, the Orthodox tenet of defining Jewish identity as transmitted by the mother alone was not always part of Jewish law and is a major factor in keeping Jewish numbers low, as well as creating a division between Jews of the Orthodox/Conservative persuasions who follow the rule and the Reformed/Reconstructionist persuasions who don't. Despite claims to the contrary, the rule is not a 5,000 year-old tradition. It was instituted in about 70 AD at around the time of the destruction of the Second Temple and may have been intended to identify the children of raped Jewish women as Jews.

Why does Judaism seem to be the only religion in which belief and practice of the religion is not considered enough for membership? What do bloodlines have to do with religion? Was Hitler correct in thinking that Jews are a race more than a religion? The sooner we get away from that notion, the better. Fortunately, Judaism's genetic distinctiveness is diminishing due to intermarriage, adoption of children from non-Jewish backgrounds, and immigration to Israel of Jews from Africa and West Asia. Just as with other religions, Judaism would do well to reach the point where one cannot recognize a Jew by the shape of his nose or the combination of his skin/hair/eye color. The antiquated, arbitrary, divisive rule of matrilineal descent that weakens Judaism should find its way to the trash can. Let religion be defined by belief and practice! And let ethnic identity be up to the individual.

Birthright Israel Helps Keep Jews in the Fold

The Jewish Advocate newspaper of October 30, 2009 reported that a study of the Birthright Israel program verifies the program's effectiveness in keeping young Jews in the fold. Supported by charitable foundations, the program sends Jews up to age 25 on free trips to Israel. The Brandeis University study compared Jewish-related outcomes between a group of people who had been on the trip and a group who had applied for the trip but were not able to go for whatever reason. All study subjects were non-Orthodox Jews. Seventy-two percent of those who had been on the program later married Jews compared to 46% if the non-participants. In summary, compared to non-participants, those who went through the program were 57% more likely to marry Jews, 30% more likely to feel that raising children as Jews is very important, 23% more likely to feel very connected to Israel, and 28% more likely to attend religious services monthly or more. For the Jewish member of intermarried couples, program participants were 93% more likely to say that raising children as Jews was very important. The spouses of intermarried participants were 4 times as likely to have converted to Judaism. At its peak, the program sent 45,000 young people on the program annually. But the sagging economy and Madoff swindle of Jewish philanthropists has reduced that number to 25,000.

Atonement?

Although I have only attended High Holiday events sporadically for several years, I felt like attending some this year. I went to a Rosh Hashannah service that did not require temple membership. Everyone met at a wooded site and hiked up a hill to a cabin facing a beautiful pond. The service was conducted outdoors, in front of the cabin, facing the pond. It was a pleasant experience and I enjoyed hearing and singing some of the songs I used to sing when I attended temple during my childhood. I also attended Kol Nidrei service conducted by a Jewish workshop. I enjoyed hearing the traditional song that begins the Yom Kippur holiday. However, I could not get into the prayers and did not stay much after Kol Nidrei was sung.
I have difficulty understanding the concept of atoning in one day for sins you committed during a whole year. First of all, I think it is difficult or impossible to really atone for sins against people. I know that the prayer book distinguished between sins against God and sins against people. If the sins against God involve breaking religious rules such as keeping the sabbath, putting on tfillin, or keeping kosher, then I can understand atonement. However, how can you really make up for sins against people like beating your wife or child, breaking trust, or committing crimes? It seems to me that you should not be doing such things in the first place and, if you do them, you should not be let off the hook so easily. This is the same feeling I have about Catholic confession. Once the damage is done, it is almost impossible to reverse. I think it would be better if people knew that they could never be absolved of their sins and that, in the final accounting, all the good and bad they did over the course of their lives would be weighed. As an agnostic, I do not particularly believe in the concept of a heavenly being judging whether we should go to heaven, hell, or purgatory. However, I think that for those who do believe, their behavior would be better influenced if they felt they could not get off for their sins.

Increase in "Cultural" Rather than Religious Jews

The August 14, 2009 edition of The Jewish Advocate, a venerable Boston-area Jewish weekly newspaper, reported that the proportion of "cultural Jews" has doubled over the past two decades to 37% of the U.S. Jewish population. "Cultural Jews" are defined as those answering the question "What is your religion, if any?" with, "no religion, atheist, agnostic, secular, or humanist", while qualifying themselves as Jews because their parents were Jewish or they had a Jewish upbringing. This sounds pretty close to what I define as "Ethnic Jews", except that some of these people may feel reluctantly Jewish, while I consider Ethnic Jews to at least somewhat enjoy the cultural aspects of Judaism. The rise in this group is attributed in the article to intermarriage and disaffection with Judaism. However, the latter must be the primary cause because people for whom religion plays a prominent role would not intermarry.

The Advocate article also reported that 500,000 out of the 3.6 million adults with a Jewish mother followed another religion, generally Christianity. The article paralleled the increase of secular Jews to the general increase in non-religious U.S. adults, which has climbed from 8% to 15% over the last 2 decades. However, the numbers show that, while secularism has risen by a similar percentage among both Jews and Christians, the proportion of the Jewish population that is secular is more than double that of the Christian population.

There seems to be two strong forces in the Jewish community that conflict with each other. One is the religious force, encouraging Jews to join synagogues and temples and to engage in Jewish prayers, rituals, and rules of behavior. The other is a tendency toward the worldly rather than the spiritual and mystical, towards the scientific rather than the dogmatic, towards open-mindedness rather than provincialism, and to reason and logic rather than blind obedience to rules. The latter cultural inclinations have no doubt greatly influenced Jewish contributions to science, medicine, academia, the creative arts, and the media. As an ethnic Jew, I admire these aspects of the culture. On the other hand, I feel some disappointment that a lack of emphasis on the spiritual and mystical in mainstream Judaism has left so many Jews indifferent about religious services. Christian religious services place an unabashed emphasis on God and spirituality, while mainstream Jewish temples emphasize humanistic values more than interaction with God.

Taglit Birthright Israel program

My son just got back from a trip to Israel sponsored by the Taglit Birthright Israel program. Even in this time of diminished charitable contributions, the Birthright program attracts philanthropic funds because of its effectiveness in enhancing Jewish identity and support for Israel. In my son's case, I would say that the trip indeed accomplished the program's goals. He got to see religious and cultural sites like Yad Vashem, the Old City of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tsvat, Kibbutzim, and Masada, as well as other places of interest including the Golan Heights, Sea of Gallilee, and the Dead Sea. A few Israeli contemporaries traveled with the group, giving the opportunity for friendships to develop. I think my son came away with a greater sense of being part of the Jewish People, a knowledge of Israelis as people, friends, and brothers, and a view of Israel in the context of history and present day world politics and power struggles. So, I salute the Taglit Birthright Israel program and thank those contributing funds to keep the program vibrant and available to most of those who want to participate.

More Evidence of Self-defeating Attitude Among Religious Jews

An article in The Jewish Advocate newspaper of July 3, 2009 states that Jewish religious schools prefer to exclude students who don't have a Jewish mother, while some allow such students as long as they convert ASAP. What hogwash! One can readily see why Jews are so low in number in the U.S. and represent a rapidly shrinking proportion of the country's population. What is the purpose of this exclusionary attitude? Don't the schools' leaders recognize that any student and his/her family willing to bear the burden of tuition as well as the extra daily school hours needed for Jewish studies is quite motivated to be Jewish. Isn't that enough? The religionists seem to feel that someone is a Jew if his mother was Jewish, even if he knows absolutely nothing about Jewish teachings. But they feel that someone with only a Jewish father is not Jewish even if he/she bears the burden of daily Jewish study. This attitude is maddening!! Judaism would be much stronger and more dynamic if Jewish schools and congregations welcomed those who want to be Jews rather than setting up roadblocks for them.

Rabbinical Schools Bar Students in Taboo Relationships

I just read in the Jewish Advocate weekly newspaper that entry to rabbinical school in all branches of Judaism is barred to people who are married or in a committed relationship to non-Jews. This is despite the fact that intermarried families are now welcome to join, as lay members, all Jewish congregations but the Orthodox. It is also despite the fact that the Reformed and Reconstructionist branches recognize children with Jewish fathers but non-Jewish mothers as Jews, going against centuries of tradition. The reason given for barring entry to rabbinical school, even in the latter two branches of Judaism, to those in hetero-religious relationships is "the importance of family modelling."
It seems to me that Judaism is on a self-destructive path. A recent survey of Americans has determined that a very large percentage have changed religions, although many of the switchers have jumped from one Protestant denomination to another. Catholicism has lost many non-Hispanic whites to Protestantism, but Latin-American immigrants have filled the deficit. Given the large degree of religious fluidity in the U.S., a religion that only worries about people leaving but does nothing to welcome newcomers, or even deters potential converts, will inevitably shrink in numbers. It's like trying to plug a large leak in a swimming pool with chewing gum while closing the intake valve to allow no more that a drip to come in. If Judaism is to survive and thrive, this attitude has to change. Conversion to Judaism should be based on sincerity of motivation and belief and little else.
The basis for matrilineal descent and difficulty of conversion appears to lie in the notion that the Jewish People are a race rather than a religion. This is basically hogwash because a large percentage of Jews cannot be physically distinguished from non-Jews. Too much interbreeding within a group leads to genetic problems as evidence by Tay-Sachs disease that befalls only those of Jewish descent. I say, let Judaism welcome all who have a sincere interest in joining the religion. Let Judaism be a true religion, not a race, and do not try to fight the religious fluidity that characterizes a free society. Yes, Judaism will lose some adherents, but will also gain some. And by being more welcoming, it is likely that Judaism will expand in numbers and regain its vitality.

My rabbi cousin's view of my mixed marriage

As long as I remember, I have seen religion as something that creates barriers between people. No doubt religion has had some good consequences, such as promoting charity and encouraging ethical behavior. However, a basic fact of religion is that its adherents believe they have found the right way and everyone not following their religion is at minimum misguided and at worst sinfully wrong. This self-righteous view leads to feelings towards non-adherents ranging from sympathy to hatred. This applies even within the different Judaic groups - Chasidic, Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed, Reconstructionist, and non-religious ethnic. An example from my personal life centered around my marriage to a non-Jew. My wedding, officiated by a reformed rabbi, happened to occur a day before the wedding of my cousin Ed, who was attending yeshiva in order to become an Orthodox rabbi. In all the excitement, I didn't notice that Ed wasn't at my wedding, and I attended his very traditional Orthodox ceremony a day later. However, over the years, it registered on me that he resented my marriage to a non-Jew and, while acting friendly toward me, ignored my wife and 2 children. I'm sure he saw it as a good thing that my marriage ended in divorce, but must have plotzed when my second marriage, several years later, was to a non-Jew as well. His apparent resentment about this seems to have created an unfortunate wedge within the family. Ed's mother and sisters (his father died a while back) have always been open and friendly to me and my family and, while religious, do not seem to harbor any resentment towards me or my family. However, Ed's position as a religious leader and the bearer of his family's rabbinical tradition casts a negative pall over the relationship between the religious and non-religious branches of the family. I feel certain that these segments of the family would be closer if not divided by religiosity. I am a strong believer in the value of family ties, and am saddened by this barrier to family harmony.

Israeli rap version of "Adon Olam"

The version of "Adon Olam" by the Moscow Male Jewish Cappella" stuck in my head for days, so I sought other versions of the song on youtube. I came across a powerful Holocaust-themed version that combines violin, rap, and modern dance. I hope you enjoy it. As I've said before, I don't think that the Holocaust should be the main pillar of anyone's Jewish identity, as we must focus on the positive aspects of Jewish history and culture. However, there's no denying that the Holocaust, by its impact on the Jewish people, is seared into our memory.

An Ethnic Jewish Event

I like a wide variety of cross-cultural events, but am quite pleased when I find an enjoyable Jewish-oriented event that doen't require religiosity. I looked over the event calendar at the Combined Jewish Philanthropies web site for something interesting to do last weekend and found a listing for a Jewish a cappella festival at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. I had never heard of Jewish a cappella. Surprisingly, I found out when I got there that it is a major phenomenom sweeping college campuses across the nation with significant Jewish enrollment. There was a large crowd of mostly college-aged people trying to get into the large auditorium where the concert was to be held. Arriving 15 minutes early, I managed to get a seat in the last row, but people kept coming in. The concert started 20 minutes late because of the continued arrival of attendees. Rows of chairs were added wherever there was room and latecomers had to stand along the walls. I estimated a crowd of about 450. The first group was called Jewish Fella A Cappella (JFA), from Brandeis University, which got tremendous cheers. However, I was somewhat disappointed in the 8-man group because I didn't hear any outstanding voices and the group did a lot of silly mugging and imitation of Motown chorus steps. The gigantic ovation they got made me wonder if they were popular because they represented the host school or if young strongly-identified Jews (religious and/or ethnic) craved some youth-oriented Jewish entertainment. The next group, Pizmon, was made up of both male and female students from Columbia, Barnard, and the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. They were clearly better than JFA and used vocal artistry rather than silliness to win over the audience. However, I felt they were pretty good, but not excellent. I had the same feeling about The Shabbatones, a male/female group from the University of Pennsylvania. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by the next group, Manginah, a male/female group from Brandeis. They were truly excellent, and I left feeling good about the event. All the groups sang at least half their songs in Hebrew, and I surmised that they were Israeli popular songs. I missed the last two groups because I had to get home. They included Kaskeset of the University of Binghamton and Varsity Jews from the University of Toronto. The next day, I searched YouTube for Jewish a cappella music and came across the Moscow Male Jewish Cappella group whose version of Adon Olam totally blew me away. I hope you will view and enjoy it. My conclusion about my Jewish a cappella experience is that there's a great craving among strongly-identified Jewish young people for youth-oriented Jewish music (I guess Britney and Beyonce might not appeal to them). There's also rising Jewish art in the former Soviet Union after the fall of Communism. As an ethnic Jew, my heart feels good!

Who likes weakness?

Growing up in the United States, the most powerful country in the world, tends to inculcate a feeling of power among its citizens. Most Americans, even those who criticize or protest against the more internationally assertive policies of our nation, come to enjoy, to varying degrees, the feelings of strength associated with being a part of a country unsurpassed economically, militarily, academically, creatively, and in many other ways. The United States, with all its warts and the major setback of the George W. Bush administration, remains a light unto the nations. In contrast, Judaism is the smallest of the "major" religions. In fact, its appelation as a major religion is more due to its historical position as a promoter of monotheism and a precursor to Christianity than to its current presence in the world. The entire Jewish population of 14 million represents one-fifth of one percent of the world's people. By adherents, Judaism ranks 14th among world religions, not only behind Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, but behind the likes of Sikhism and Juche as well. Not only is Judaism very small in number of adherents, but it is declining as a percentage of the world population with a 0.3% rate of growth compared to a world growth rate of 1.4%. One study predicted that the Jewish population of the United States would decline by a third within 80 years, given the current low Jewish fertility rate and migration patterns. All this leads to an American Jewish identity conflict. Feelings of being a member of an immensly powerful nation contrast strongly with feelings of being part of a small minority group, weak in numbers if not in accomplishment, and persecuted throughout recorded history. And there is considerable evidence of continued negative views towards Jews that will very likely persist into the foreseeable future. In addition to increasing physical attacks on Jews in Europe, a recent survey shows strong negative attitudes towards Jews in several European countries. The weak position of the Jewish people is largely due to its small numbers, which is in turn related to current religious policies that keep it small. The first is the Jewish Orthodox and Conservative tenet of matrilineal Jewish identification that excludes those with Jewish fathers from being considered Jewish without a formal, lengthy, and difficult conversion process. This also affects adoptees whose birth-mothers are not Jewish, even if the child is raised from infancy in the Jewish faith. The difficult conversion process also discourages other people who might be interested in Judaism from becoming part of it. Contrast this with the Christian churches whose affiliation requires no more than accepting Jesus Christ as one's Lord and Savior, and a brief baptism ceremony. Thus, Jewish religious policies perpetuate the numerical weakness of the Jewish people. It's thus not surprising that many Jews have a conflict between their identity as strong Americans and weak Jews. If Judaism is to survive and flourish, it will have to become more inclusionary. After all, the existing exclusionary policies do not date back to the bible, but were developed by rabbinical scholars well into the modern era.

Jewish Identity

A nice article on Jewish identity.

BlueFoodBlog: Are you Jewish?

BlueFoodBlog: Are you Jewish?

The bond among various kinds of Jews

The Jewish people is widely diverse, being made up of those who are members of synagogues and temples (Chasidic, Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed, or Reconstructionist), those who are not affiliated but practice Judaism individually or in small groups, and ethnic Jews who have a Jewish identity even though they are atheist, agnostic, or practice another form of spirituality, such as Buddhism or even Christianity. The latter group raises hackles among many Jews because Jews practicing other religions are usually regarded as apostates who disguise themselves as Jews in order to bring more Jews into the fold of their new-found religion. This is reflected in the bitterness frequently expressed against "Jews for Jesus."
So what binds this diverse group of Jews together?
1) Genetic relatedness - ("flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood"). Though genetically diverse, Jewish ancestry has been traced via the Y-chromosome. It is human nature to feel a degree of relatedness to those sharing one's genes. Evolutionary theory posits that we have an instinct to preserve and proliferate our genetic stock.
2) Shared history - Unfortunately, much of this shared history is negative and dates back thousands of years to include: serial conquests of what is now Israel by several different empires, capped by mass expulsion from the land; dispersion into countries in which they were weak, frequently persecuted minorities; and the massive genocide of the Holocaust. Yet some of the shared history is positive, such as the tradition of learning, intellectuality, and critical thinking both within and without the religious context (e.g. the great rabbis vs. Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud). Marx, the noted theorist behind Communism, actually came from a long line of rabbis. It is unfortunate that much of the identity of ethnic Jews centers around the Holocaust, while religious Jews have many more positive associations with their Jewishness.
3) Concern for Israel and Jewish survival - Most Jews, whether religious or ethnic, are concerned about the physical survival of the Jewish people. While it is true that there is an element of liberal Jews that condemns the state of Israel for its "aggression", even they usually have a gut-level concern for the physical survival of the Jewish people. Such liberal Jews are generally against any kind of war or violence and have the idealistic view that all people of the world can live together peacefully if they only try to understand each other.
4) Shared outlook - Because of their acculturation, Jews often have similar world views even if they vary greatly in their religiosity. Jews tend to be politically liberal and have most often voted for Democratic candidates for political office. Three quarters of Jews in the U.S. self-identify as moderates or liberals and only 19% voted for Bush in the 2000 elections. Jews in the U.S., whether religious or ethnic, have favored careers in science, medicine, education, and business while avoiding occupations such as construction, other manual trades and the military. Some of these cultural predilections may have their source in the Jewish religion, while others may have developed independent of religion, as they have for all groups of people who have lived somewhat separate lives from other groups around them.

Is there a spirituality gene?

I wonder if there is a spirituality gene. It seems as if there are a great number of people who are programmed to believe in god and in the tenets of their religion. It also seems as if there are a smaller number of people who are programmed to question beliefs and want evidence before they believe in something. It seems quite obvious that we can neither prove or disprove the existence of god or that one religion is right and all the rest are wrong. However, people who have an innate inclination towards spirituality don't seem to mind the lack of evidence and are perfectly content to rely on faith. On the other hand, there are scientifically-oriented people, some of whom are considered great geniuses, who believe there is no god. However, their atheistic beliefs are no more logical or evidence-based than is the belief in god. So both are religious in a sense, basing their conclusions on gut feelings and innate spirituality or lack thereof. Are these inclinations genetically based? Probably to some extent. No doubt the strength of one's education or indoctrination can contribute to the strength of one's beliefs. However, there also seem to be clear individual differences as to whether one is inclined to see everything in the context of god and religion or in terms of random development within the laws of nature. There is mounting evidence that personality is strongly influenced by genes. So, my guess is that there exists a spirituality gene. As an example, my sister's friend lost a son in a motor-scooter accident. The parents were devastated, but got great support from the congregation of the Jewish temple to which they belonged, which helped them recover as best as possible from their tragic loss. My sister, who is a prominent physician, said that she sometimes wishes she could believe in god and religion because she would welcome that kind of support if needed, but try as she may, she just can't do it. And she is the granddaughter of a rabbi. I feel the same way. I just can't believe or disbelieve in god, no matter how much I think I might benefit from it. It's just against my nature. Neither can I believe that any particular religion is the true right one.

Challenging Jewish matrilineal descent

I am a Jewish man married to a non-Jewish woman, and resent the fact that Orthodox and Conservative Judaism would require my offspring to be converted in order to be considered Jewish. As far as I'm concerned, if my children feel Jewish, they are Jewish. In actuality, there is no biblical basis for the matrilineal dictate. In biblical times many Jewish men married non-Jews, and the religion of their children was passed by the father. Judah, Joseph, Moses, David, and Solomon all married non-Jewish women, and their children were obviously accepted as Jews. In addition, passing of the status of Kohen continues to be patrilineal. The rabbinical switch to matrilineal identification occurred around 70 AD, around the destruction of the second great Jewish temple, and may have been intended to identify the children of raped Jewish women as Jewish. However, the rabbinical justification of matrilineality is based on a weak and convoluted interpretation of a bible passage banning intermarriage. Fortunately, both Reformed and Reconstructionist Judaism have come to accept patrilineal as well as matrilineal descent as a basis for Jewish identity and even accept as Jews adopted children raised to be Jewish, even when the religion of the children's parents is non-Jewish or unknown. The matrilineal rule is one factor that has kept the Jewish people small in number and weak. As an American, I have enjoyed growing up with a feeling of strength as part of my identity. I find no joy in feeling weak. I feel that if the Jewish people are to survive and thrive, it must make some changes, a major one being abandonment of the antiquated rule of matrilineal identification. It is unfortunate that Israel uses that rule because its small religious minority elects parliamentarians who form a swing vote almost always needed to form a government. Therefore, Orthodox rabbis have inordinate power in Israel over identifying who is considered a Jew. I would like to see the authority over Jewish issues in Israel shared over all the branches of organized Judaism, which would allow people to be accepted as Jewish according to the Reformed and Reconstructionist interpretations.

Israel and the ethnic Jew

As an ethnic Jew, I am 100% in support of Israel's right to survive as a Jewish state. In it's efforts to survive and thrive, Israel sometimes makes mistakes, just as any country does. The Arabs have several Arab states and no-one seems to question their legitimacy. Why can't Jews have a state of their own? It appears that people just accept it as a fact that Arab countries are under all-Arab and mostly totalitarian control, with rampant persecution of non-Arabs and non-Muslims. However, Israel, which includes Arab members of parliament and gives indiginous Arabs virtually all citizenship rights except military service, seems to be judged much more harshly. Europeans, who have been shown in a recent survey by the Anti-Defamation League to harbor considerable antisemitism, seem to expect Israel to allow any Palestinian Arab who wants to move to Israel to be allowed to do so and be given full citizenship rights. That would be the end of Israel as a Jewish state as Arabs would quickly outnumber Jews. A state controlled by Jews is the best way for the Jewish people to ensure its survival. If an ill wind blows in other nations, a Jewish Israel will always provide a haven for Jews who have to escape persecution. In Europe during the diaspora, the Jewish people became a passive lot, almost totally incapable of mounting its own defense. In contrast, Israelis have developed a strong culture of self-defense and have become very adept militarily. As to who has a right to the land of Israel and its surroundings, the answer is whoever has the strength to fight for it and defend it. It's as simple as that. The land has been fought over for thousands of years and control over it has changed hands many, many times. There is no disputing that both Jews and non-Jews have lived there for millenia and control of the land has always been a matter of military strength. So why should that be different now? Arabs and Jews will always dispute ownership of the land, so control of it via military strength is the only option. Most Israelis have accepted the unfortunate fact that they will always have to fight for their land. Better to fight and lose some loved ones than to go to the slaughter like cattle.

The failings of my Jewish education

I attended public elementary school in Brooklyn, NY. At that time, all students had the option of leaving public school early to attend religious instruction twice a week. I, and many other children, both Jewish and Catholic (Protestants were non-existent or invisible) participated in this program. The religious instruction at our local synagogue was a disaster. We received no teaching in Jewish law or ethics, and none in the Hebrew language. Our entire instruction consisted of sitting at a desk and listening to a rabbi translate bible passages phrase by phrase, without any interpretation whatsoever of the significance of any of the text. This was, of course, extremely tedious to the kids, and we paid minimal attention. If this was intended to teach us anything about the Jewish religion, it failed miserably. If the intention was to teach us the Hebrew language, it also failed miserably. I don't remember much more than "Vayomer - he said" and "Melech Yisrael - King of Israel." How could anyone in his right mind consider this a Jewish education?

A brief background of my famly's Jewishness

NOTE: The names below have been changed to allow the narration to be as open and frank as possible without threatening the privacy of anyone mentioned therein.
My grandfather, Saul, was a rabbi who came to the U.S. in the early 1900s. From what I've heard, he was originally Chasidic, but became modern orthodox after he arrived in New York. He had 5 daughters and a son. He organized the building of a synagogue in Brooklyn, NY in a Jewish/Catholic residential neighborhood of mostly 2-family homes with well-kept small gardens in front and small backyards. The rabbi was a very kind and gentle man. His household was run by his gritty and rough third wife (the other 2 died prematurely) who was not the mother of any of his children. It is striking that, of the rabbi's 6 children, only 1 remained deeply immersed in Jewish life when she reached adulthood. And she did mainly because she married a young, dashing rabbi from California. She moved west with him and had 3 children and 12 grandchildren, most of whom have stayed religious. Her only son, Edwin, became a rabbi, more orthodox than his father, a somewhat laid-back othodox rabbi who wore light-colored, fashionable suits and shoes, while Edwin has a beard and wears only dark suits. All of rabbi Saul's children attended public school, and that may have been the start of their drift from orthodoxy. It has been conjectured that Saul really didn't mind the shift because, if his 5 daughers remained religious, their educational and career options would have been very limited. The 4 youngest daughters were attractive and highly intelligent, and the rabbi may not have wanted to have their future's stifled by being boxed into the traditional role of religious Jewish women. Thus, these 4 daughters all attended college and some attended graduate school. The rabbi's oldest daughter from his first marriage and his son were not as brilliant as their 4 youngest sisters or educationally motivated. It's all conjecture at this point, because no-one can go back and read rabbi Saul's mind. However, it seems that, even though he was very religiously observant himself, he was ambivalent about having his children grow up with all the restrictions of the religous Jewish world. So, by not insisting that they be educated in yeshivas or strictly follow Jewish laws and customs, he passively let them drift away from orthodoxy. With all due respect, financial constraints may have also been a factor in Saul's not sending his children to yeshivas. Yet it seems that, if he really wanted to, he could have found a way.

Can the Jewish people continue with minimal religious involvement?

The Jewish people probably cannot continue as an identifiable group without significant religious involvement. This was not generally the case before the middle of the 20th century because Jews were clearly defined as "different" whether or not they observed any religious practices. They were Jews whether or not they wanted to be and they often lived in enclaves separated from the indigenous population. The inability of Jews to merge into the broader society was made brutally clear when even fully acculturated Jews in Germany, including those who had converted to Christianity, were arrested and murdered if they had a single Jewish grandparent. However, since WWII, and particularly in the United States, Judaism is being killed by kindness. Jews are widely accepted by non-Jews as both friends and as marital partners. Thus, if a person who identifies with Jews as a people, but feels religion is of little importance, marries a non-Jew, their children are less likely than their Jewish parent to feel ethnically Jewish and even less likely to feel they are Jewish by religion. If the non-Jewish spouse is more religious than the Jewish one, the former's religious identity is more likely to be passed on to the children.
Most Israelis are not religious, yet they can easily feel ethnically Jewish because they live in the Jewish state. However, even such Israelis seem to know that, without the religion, Judaism as a peoplehood cannot and will not continue to exist. This is made obvious by the special privileges given to the small ultra-orthodox percentage of the population, e.g. exemption from military service and generous welfare benefits. The non-religious Jews are willing to sacrifice financially and risk life-and-limb to allow the religious core to survive and thrive, because they know that, without the core, the apple will die.