At Israel’s 60th, an ‘evolving’ relationship with U.S. Jews
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- May
- 12
Is the American Jewish connection with Israel slowly weakening, particularly among the young?
This has been a common conclusion from academics and pollsters in recent years.
As Israel reaches its 60th birthday, The Washington Post looks at the “evolving” relationship between American Jews and Israel.
“My guess is we’re seeing a tightening of the core, the core being well-committed but the periphery less so,” said Rabbi Aaron Panken, dean of Hebrew Union College, the premiere seminary for Reform Judaism.
Anecdotally, the New York Jewish community remains as steadfast as ever when it comes to emphasizing the American Jewish link to Israel. Support for Israel may be less passionate among young adults, but nothing brings the overall Jewish community together (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, secular) than Israel, particularly when things are not going well.
The picture is from a big rally for Israel at Temple Israel Center of White Plains in 2006, during the war with Hezbollah. About 1,400 people came out with a few days notice.
This entry was posted
on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 9:22 am by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
