Where We Have Been, Where We May Be Moving: The Impact of the 21st Century on American Jewry

In this moment we are facing a set of complex realities that will fundamentally recalibrate our society as well as redefine Jewish communal life. As Jews, our historic journey has been defined by change; over time, our destiny as a people has been transformed.

Great civilizations are marked by eight characteristics: complex religious systems, language, literature, governance systems, social service, public works, culture and technology. In each of these, Jews have made profound contributions to Western thought and knowledge, commerce and charity, science and industry, politics and culture. The extraordinary accumulation and distribution of wealth for both religious and secular causes have also uniquely defined this Jewish era.

In analyzing the dominant characteristics of what I call the “Jewish Century” (1918-2018), one might pay specific attention to the element of pride that reflects how Jews have come to see themselves and their achievements in the second half of this hundred-year cycle.

Jewish history provides some framework for helping us to understand our status and stake:

First, throughout history Jews have experienced periods or cycles of political uncertainty. Are we likely to see over these next three decades any degree of upheaval that could impact the welfare and security of Jews?

Second, at different times Jewish personalities have inspired and given leadership to the Jewish people. Will such leadership emerge in the central decades of this century?

Third, Jews have created and maintained internal networks of communication and systems of social invention. How strong will be the “ethnic” bonds among Jews in this century to engage them to be connected to the lives of their co-religionists around the world? In turn, what institutions will define and give meaning to Jewish life in the 21st century?

Fourth, Jews have monitored their past in order to recognize special moments, sanctify losses, to pay tribute to heroes and teachers, but above all to acknowledge that our tradition has sustained the Jewish people. In our time, we memorialize the Shoah, celebrate the founding the State of Israel, and acknowledge such moments as the Sixth Day and Yom Kippur Wars. How will the next generations honor or recall this period of our history?

The quality and depth of Jewish life that has flourished during this cycle serves to further define who and what we have become:

—The emergence of Jewish studies as a distinctive academic discipline.

—The flourishing and promotion of Jewish literature, music and the arts.

—The evolution of Jewish liturgy, spirituality and worship.

—The expansion of both formal and informal Jewish educational programming.

—The growth of Jewish communal life and philanthropic practice.

Possibly because they were denied political access during earlier historical periods, in this age Jews have played a profound role in shaping both global and national politics. Their significant presence in such transformative events as the Russian Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, America’s New Deal and this nation’s Post-War Recovery as well as its Civil Rights Movement is testimony to their evolving and changing status.

In my view, a timeframe of extraordinary creativity and diversity of Jewish expression and activity has served us well. Specifically, out of the trauma and tragedy of the earlier decades of the 20th century, Jews redefined their image and reconstructed their roles in the post-Second World War period. This symbolized a point in time when Jews would be identified as risk takers and core actors in the public arena, just as they would be seen as builders and leaders of institutions representing all segments of society. If Jews were previously identified as marginal to the public square, then in this new construct they have emerged to become the “producers” of great ideas impacting and shaping public discourse, civic action and institutional practice. The phenomenon of a minority people arising out of the ashes of Auschwitz not only to reframe their world but also to also profoundly impact the broader culture, may best summarize this century of Jewish influence.

Indeed, during this creative Jewish time frame, Jews seeded two principle contributions, each reflective of different aspects of their historic pathways. The voice of the prophetic tradition, with its call for a socially just world, has been their universal message, while their struggle to achieve Zion, their historic dream of a national Jewish homeland, has served as their particularistic contribution. These two ideas have remained in creative tension with one another, their universalistic mandate in contention with their politics of self-interest.

Is this extraordinary century of the Jewish people coming to an end?

Over time, civilizations are measured by the skill-sets and insights of its leaders, by their capacity to reinvent and grow the intellectual resources of language, culture and religion, and by their innate ability to adapt to changing conditions, taking on threats both external and internal. Has the modern Jewish world been able to achieve the outcomes necessary to sustain and grow its brand? Among the questions before us: Are we becoming a civilization bereft of inspiring, creative and thoughtful leaders and have we become a people who have so blended into Western culture, that we will no longer be able to articulate and advance a distinctive Jewish message? Is contemporary Jewish leadership subject to the same abuses of power and of entitlement that today afflict many of the core institutions within the public square? In this time frame are our leaders able to reflect on the distinctive “Jewish messages” derived from our tradition and melded into our historical journey?

At this point in time, other cultures and civilizations are asserting their presence on the global map. The current reality may be best measured by the loss of peoplehood that has affirmed the Jewish story over these decades. Division and contentiousness have replaced the vision of unity, as this extraordinary moment in Jewish history appears to be setting. Loss and discord define the current mindset of our people. Shared destiny has given way to a splintered and disjointed scenario. Coherence appears to have come undone.

Division and contentiousness have replaced the vision of unity, as this extraordinary moment in Jewish history appears to be setting.

As antisemitism rears its presence yet again, and as Israel is challenged by its enemies and critiqued by its friends, will this next era of the Jewish saga be marked by a period of rejection and the politics of hate, as a war on the Jewish century is unleashed? Just as anti-Jewish behavior defined the formation and evolution of the 20th century, the test here will be how those who reject us will seek to minimize our presence and marginalize our input by seeking to rewrite or cancel this one-hundred-year chapter.

Yet, on the horizon one also finds the sparks of a new era of Jewish inquiry and the potential for a new century of cultural, civic and religious creativity. Might we be witnessing another Jewish renaissance, this time not necessarily framed by great external events that defined the early-20th century but now by new generations filled with an internal vision for how the world and Judaism might look? As some of the legacy models of the communal order recede, and as boutique instruments of Jewish expression are piercing the landscape, what might this next iteration signal? Will this new Jewish age be framed by the emergence of multiple choices of religious and communal practice, as these new actors recalibrate the Jewish experience for a different generation?

Jews have always lived with an abundance of questions. As a result, their unique place in human history continues to be challenged by complexity and uncertainty. At one moment, we are suddenly living through four simultaneous challenges to our lives, institutions, and the communal order: economic uncertainties; cultural wars around identity, gender and race; the impact of health and pandemic challenges; and political divisions and social upheavals.

Each of these external forces contributes to a structural realignment within the Jewish eco-system. These mega-issues are coming face to face with the internal scenarios we identified in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. At that time, the impact of generational and demographical changes, operational/technological challenges, and the new economic realities began to shape changes within the Jewish communal system. The results of that experience remain with us. We are dealing with declining memberships, expanding roles of foundations, the downsizing and consolidating of institutional systems and the growing recognition of distinctive generational affiliation patterns.

The Jewish community, already contending with internal challenges and threats, must also manage the many external factors now in play. An array of contemporary themes such as generational change, public policy considerations around culture, technological challenges, and economic trends will define the future. Among the policy challenges are the major questions before us that involve race and racism, sexual orientation, diversity and inclusion.

Based on my work, I see the “new normal” of the 21st century involving a number of significant developments. The indicators, identified here, are critical to any consideration of the Jewish future. In the second part of this series, we will examine a number of internal factors that are likely to shape the Jewish communal experience moving forward.

Steven Windmueller, Ph.D. is Emeritus Professor of Jewish Communal Studies and Interim Director of the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management, Jack H. Skirball Campus, HUC-JIR, Los Angeles.