One of the lessons from the recent PBS series “God in America” is that we are a nation where our personal freedom has enabled us to create individualized versions of the particular religion with which we choose to affiliate.
This phenomenon is also true with Judaism. Today, Jews frequently describe their relationship with Judaism and their spiritual beliefs as an amalgam of numerous Jewish religious streams and indeed of other religions as well. Moreover, young Jews consciously avoid established labels when they describe their Jewish belief system. As Rabbi Irwin Kula says, we live in a society where all of the labels have been washed off and where we don’t know who we are.
These trends reflect the reality that the traditional lines of demarcation that defined what it meant to be a particular “kind” of Jew have, for most Jews, have been totally eliminated or at least blurred beyond recognition. The Judaism of today, like other religions in America, has clearly moved into a non-denominational environment. This is a realm in which traditional labels, descriptions and boundaries have been largely abandoned or have at least been ignored.
The trouble is that the established and previously widely accepted streams of Judaism don’t seem to fully appreciate the current undefined environment that has become their new reality. Or, if they do understand what’s happening, they don’t have any realistic or meaningful responses to the situation.
So, one important question is, in a time of blurred definitions, what does it mean to be “Jewish? ” How do we create a common language that can be applied to the ambiguous situation in which we currently find ourselves? When everyone is free to define and create their own personalized version of Jewish identity and practice, how do we create an environment where the common threads that run throughout all versions of Judaism can be highlighted and indeed celebrated.
I would contend that the best way to address our current situation is to adopt a comprehensive “get back to basics” approach where fundamental Jewish values are stressed and where people are encouraged to ask ‘why’ we pray the way we do and observe specific rituals the way we do. With this knowledge, power and entitlement, they will be better able to create the kind of Jewish belief system that is both meaningful for them and that nonetheless focuses on universal and fundamental age-old Jewish values. In this way, we can maintain our individuality and personal freedom while at the same time being mindful of the common bonds, beliefs and values that will continue to unite us as a people.
What do you think?