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Photo: Henry Jabobs
Rabbi Levi Brackman
Photo: Henry Jabobs

Re-branding Orthodoxy

Orthodox Judaism in US seems to have real image problem. Maybe it's time to do away with term 'orthodox,' with all its negative connotations

Unlike the UK and Israel, the United States has no central Chief Rabbinate and the default Jewish affiliation is not orthodox. In fact, Orthodox Judaism in the United States seems to have a real image problem.

 

I was shocked when people would call our office and ask to be taken off the mailing list because they did not want to have anything to do with a Judaism which is narrow minded, blinkered and unenlightened.

 

Indeed, when I first arrived here a well-meaning friend warned me not to tell people that I believed that the stories in the Torah actually happened, lest people would see me as being naive and unintelligent.

 

So, why is the Orthodox Judaism seriously misunderstood amongst so many Jews in the United States?

 

Clearly, misinformation, deep prejudice, bad press, lack of knowledge and some legitimate criticism all contrive together to give orthodoxy a negative image amongst many North American Jews. The predicament, however, goes beyond the problem of a rift amongst Jews; it is an existential threat.

 

The Antony Gordon and Richard Horowitz Demographic Study shows that out of 100 reform Jews today only 13 will remain Jewish after four generations. Contrast this with the finding from the same study, that 100 orthodox Jews today will produce 2588 Jews in four generations - a colossal difference.

 

The study declares that “the strongest counter-assimilation effect is exerted by orthodox Day Schools; the less time-intensive forms of Jewish education have almost no effect on (slowing down the rate of) intermarriage.”

 

However, as long as orthodoxy has an image problem many non-orthodox Jews will be unwilling to identify with it, even less send their children to an orthodox school, thus, making the fight against assimilation all the more challenging.

 

Fiddler-On-The-Roof style Jews

 

The dilemma for all those concerned with the high rate of assimilation is how can we positively transform the seemingly tarnished image of orthodoxy? And for those who believe, as I do, that in addition to their counter-assimilation effect, the traditional wisdom of Torah and practice of Mitzvoth are enormously relevant to the lives of the modern Jew, this is a dilemma that we must solve.

 

Whereas in the past the low level of interaction between orthodox Jews living in an enclave and more liberal Jews living in suburbia may have exacerbated this problem, today, with the proliferation of orthodox outreach to non-orthodox communities, there is a greater potential for better understanding.

 

But there seems to be another obstacle to this - the term “orthodox” itself. For many American Jews “orthodox” conjures up stereotypical images of Fiddler-On-The-Roof style Jews who are viewed as ignorant, unworldly and backward looking.

 

Not 'orthodox' - 'traditional'

 

Maybe it is time to do away with the term “orthodox,” with all its negative connotations, and replace it with a term that is not so emotive. I would suggest the use of the term “traditional” instead of orthodox.

 

Although it has much to offer in the way of philosophy and theology, traditionally, Judaism has always been defined by its practice. Since Sinai, Judaism has been a religion of Mitzvoth (religious ritual), so traditional Jews are observant Jews. Indeed, it is the practice of Judaism that connects modern day traditional Jews to their grandparents going back multiple generations.

 

So although the terms orthodox and traditional both refer to a full level of observance, traditional somehow sounds less threatening and is not bound to the negative connotations that seem to come with the term orthodox. I admit that a re-brand of orthodoxy may not offer the solution to the Jewish assimilation crisis: however, it may be one piece of the puzzle.

 

Rabbi Levi Brackman is executive director of Judaism in the Foothills  and the author of numerous articles on a whole range of topics and issues, many of which can be found on his website .

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.09.06, 14:56
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