If you take religion out of the Jewish People, they will not be Jewish after a couple of generations. Just look at what is going on in the Galut. Only the Orthodox will still be Jews in the future, the others (85-90%) will intermarry and assimilate in the countries they live in and their descendants will no longer be Jews. In Israel, the secular will be so saturated in international culture, that they will know nothing about their own religion. Leonard Cohen knows about Judaism because he was raised by his grandfather who was a rabbi and who taught him a lot. The secular kid in Israel knows almost nothing about Judaism. For this reason, many do not understand the importance of Eretz Yisrael to Am Yisrael. Many leave the country altogether and eventually leave Judaism.

Yes, the Israeli younger generation of today generally lacks a responsiveness to the Tanach that earlier generations of secular Israelis tended to have more. But let's not exaggerate the significance; Jewish identity is strong among just about all Israelis I've known, albeit on a more national basis among the secular.

There is just one point I don't share with the author. There cannot be Judaism away from Gd. Nobody can believe that being Jewish is like being a fan of Maccabi TelAviv. Judaism is known as the people of Gd, if we don't recognize him, who are we?

Orthodox, no thanks to the inter-marriage of other Jews whose "rabbis" make up rules as they go along.

Your article does not intent to find or even suggest the need to define the Jewish identity, and only contributes to feed the opposite. And, alas, it surprises me even more that if you proclaim to be a religious Jewess, and knowing very well the traditional (and only) identity that Jews have, do not have the courage to proclaim it as it is. Instead, you chose to join the alienating predicament of the fractured identity that we have had for more than 100 years now. We all know that we are the People of the Book (Torah), and our only identity is to be that. You know very well that we can't be with both Israel and goyim at the same time.

1. Even secular Jews are very religious (at least in my eyes, I am not 1% religious) and keep to everything religious. I was talking to a taxi-driver in TA, who told me that he is secular and has nothing to do with religion. I asked him how he lives and he replied: When I get up early in the morning I say "Shma Yisrael, Yahwe echat.....", I keep to every religious holiday and particpate actively. I asked myself, how a religious Jew is like? 2. Jews in Israel care pretty much about being Jewish. Nearly everyone asked me if I am Jewish. Even they claimed they have nothing to do with religion or Jewish traditions. If they were not interested in Judaism, they would not have asked. 3. Judaism is perhaps something a Non-Jew cannot get behind and as it looks like also Jews not. :)

We can be Jews without a god , we can see the Torah as OUR History , the History of the Jewish people . But yes , we have to KNOW our History , be it here or in galut . We have to teach our children our past . We have to teach them that the Western Wall are not some old stones , but a part of our People . Being Jewish is not only being religious , it's belonging to a People too , it's sharing our sufferings , our Joy , it's have those Jewish feelings , it's being proud to belong to a people who contributed MORE than any other to Humanity .

Because our enemies don't distinguish between religious and secular Jews they just kill us because we are Jews and that's that!

Well thats rich from a jew who choses to live in LA and deserts jerusalem, any more advise on how to run our lives from the comfort of your LA home? If we all thought like you and deserted Israel there would be no Israel, shame on you

I find many Israeli and diaspora Jews to be so obsessed with Jewish identity that it becomes an annoyance. I agree that there can be a Jewish identity without the veil of religion. It is high time anyway that Israel started to regard itself as an established nation state the like of which exists all over the world, rather than to obsess over its own uniqueness. I would prefer to talk of an Israeli identity than a Jewish identity.

We are loosing more Jewish neshamas through intermarriage & assimilation than were lost in the Shoa. We must bring Judaism back into the classroom & teach our children who they are & where they came from. In other words the answer is a PROPER JEWISH EDUCATION. You can not have Judaism without G-D.

Identity is everything. If God helps you feel Jewish, then by all means go for it. If you can be Jewish without God, forget it. It only matters what other Jews think, that is the meaning of a meaningful Jewish life.

Wait, who said that "Judaism is known as the people of Gd [sic]"? Also, Why are you writing "Gd"--is that the holy name of hashem? "God" is absolutely not the name. I just wanted to show how out of context Jewish observance has been taken and how Jews have changed over the centuries. Once we put the nationalism back into Jewish identity would it be recognizable to the people of the tanakh. I'm sure King David would be a Beitar Yerushalayim fan.

She is so far off the mark, that it is impossible to find a specific point to offer rebuttal. Leave it that she fails to understand the simple idea that Jews exist only to promote monotheism and G-d's Law in human society. Without that, we are nothing. She does not have it, so she is nothing, and her thoughts are those of an old fool.

related to one another since they r one big family from the 12 tribes of Israel, so it doesn't matter if someone follow Bible or not, but there r chritians who parctice jewish rituals even when some jews don't practice them so they know more about being jew than the jews themselves, in that case they can be call jews but they r not genetic related, I don't get it.

I agree, oh I think tempretures in hell r declining(not frozen). anyway. what's so bad about chritian marry a jew, he needs to get over it I mean both practice the same holidays anyway and pray from the same book.

Bunnie, your remark about Jewish purity did seem a bit ridiculous coming from someone content to live among "the goyim" in LA.

…Jewish / Israeli / Hebrew people, depending on the historic period of which we talk. Jewish civilization is made basically of three components: 1) The affinity to the members of the collective to each other and to the collective, to the People of Israel ('Am Israel. 2) The affinity of the Jewish people to the historic national homeland of Eretz Israel (Land of Israel). 3) The teachings and learning of the Jewish people, or Torat Israel (Teaching of Israel). An important part of Jewish civilization has been, historically, sets of beliefs and rituals (religion) that have evolved over the centuries. Other parts of importance have been our people's language, Hebrew; our people's learned texts and first and foremost among them are the Hebrew Bible, the Mishnah, the Gemarah, midrashim, historic writings, poetry, literature, music and other artistic expressions. As a civilization, Judaism can and does accommodate people of various levels of attachment to different components of our culture and way of life (Halakhah). To continue to sustain Judaism as a civilization we must be respectful towards each other while keeping the three most important components of our civilization: The People of Israel ('Am Israel), the Land of Israel (Eretz Israel), and the Teachings of Israel (Torat Israel).

Maybe the secular and the religious don't see the beauty of the religion (yes, the religious can miss it too, so involved in following each and every rule to perfection). But I think you have cleverly underscored something very important regarding the survival of Judaism and actually why we are here in Eretz Yisroel; we can't let God become a dirty word.

It ain't just Charles. False but history?!? What kind of ass-inine postulate it is to claim that Torah is history but it's false because there's no "god"!!! ROFL

with israelites, they consider cousins by blood relations to the Israelits, according to the bible they were very good friends and relatives so get real you have no idea how many pagan rituals you r practising.

jackob aka Israel(not just his brother but a twin), yep twins meaning blood relatives, so try again.

NOT SURE WHY ALL THE HAND WRINGING WERE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE A PEOPLE FROM A COUNTRY WHO HAVE A GOD - VERY SIMPLE

Without any Jewish blood in his corpse , Without any Jewish ancestor , no Brith Milah at 8 days , no Chuppah Kedushah when he got married [ but a priest ! ] only a self proclaimed convert without any serious proof . And this goyish guy dares to say i'm a Goy ? He has a certain knowledge of Judaism ? so what ? , there are other Christians who have it , and maybe more

born of same mother, expelled for rejecting the b'rit. Try putting ur brain in gear before writing... for a change.

This was a very thoughtful article. It was without the kind of contempt and dismissal which religious Jews often write about those Israelis who have no intention of becoming religious. It realizes that the role of these other kind of Jews is crucial to the society. I would suggest that the formation of a Jewish cultural and communal identity which is not built primarily on religious consciousness should be built on identification with and understanding of Jewish history. The community of the generations of Jews who have preserved Jewish identity is the basis for understanding the need for Jewish continuity in the future.

i thought pakeeds, like vulcans, are humorless? did you really "rofl" or are you lying? and i wonder, is your lawsuit for slander you often threaten those who disagree with you on these talkbacks not covering your slander of charles, or are you just being a hypocrite again? you wonder why people give you a hard time? maybe go back and look at your contradictory words words, mr "tzadik" (maybe if you want to be called a "tzadik" you should start acting better than a spoiled child).

to take it, it was Esau choice and along the way relatives especialy the midians were in such warm and good relations, you want to tell me you ban someone just cause that someone isn't from your mother side. you way of thinking is twisted. family is still a family, Israelite always saw midians as keen and good compeny.

I agree with # 11 that a strong Israeli identity should emerge rather than a Jewish identity. An Israeli can be religious or secular, a choice that always must be a given rather than imposed by Government and / or Rabbis. A Jewish identity is more than not associated with Judaism and strict adherance to religious rituals n' doctrines. Not all Israeli's or diapora Jews want to or would like to associate themselves with Judaism. I think that Rabbis have done more harm than good by accusing secular Jews as evil people who have abondaned Judaism. A Jewish identity should be more seen as a cultural affinity than a religious one, a bond that should be nurtured among all people who identify themselves as Jews.