As a long-time and vocal opponent of perspiration (though a very experienced practitioner), I never imagined that the treadmill would come to play a key part in my daily routine. I always preferred the delight of a good meal and a great dessert, wondering why anyone in his right mind would forego such pleasures in exchange for a protein bar and push-ups.
But after years of uncontrolled consumption, when my weight threatened to overtake the Dow Jones Industrial Average, I finally came to the realization that I had little choice but to get into shape. Indulging can be fun, but when it starts to threaten your future, it is time to stop playing games and start getting serious.
American Jewry will soon face a similar challenge, when the results of the 2000 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) are made public later this year. It is little over a decade since the 1990 NJPS shocked the Jewish world with the revelation that intermarriage in America had soared to 52%. Whatever the 2000 study reveals, American Jewry is likely once again to be confronted with grim statistical evidence of its continued numerical diminution.
Even if, as some critics contend, the intermarriage rate proves to be lower than 52%, American Jewry?s declining birthrate and rapid assimilation are almost certain to have accelerated in the intervening years. Indeed, it seems fair to say that American Jewry has grown fat and out of shape and needs to undertake an intensive Jewish fitness program if it is to recover.
Of course, a lot has changed since the 1990 NJPS study was published. The outcry it aroused led to the creation of many innovative programs and firmly placed the issue of ?Jewish continuity? at the top of American Jewry?s agenda.
But with the next NJPS in hand, the Jewish community will have the information it needs to make more calculated choices about how to proceed. This might very well entail altering the diet of educational and social programming being offered in various communities, as well as revitalizing efforts to target those who are Jewishly undernourished.
There is, however, no escaping the fact that perhaps the best solution of all to American Jewry?s fitness crisis ? namely, to get on the Zionist treadmill that is Israel - is also among the most overlooked.
American Jewish groups devote few, if any, resources to actively fostering aliyah among their constituents. Worse still, those American Jews who do move to Israel are virtually ignored. With the needs of immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union garnering most of the attention, few resources are devoted to helping Western immigrants adjust to life in Israel. Groups such as Tehilla (the Union for Religious Aliyah) and AACI (the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel) receive negligible support, if any, from American Jewish organizations and donors.
Obviously, not every American Jew is ready to make aliyah, and it would require a miracle (or perhaps a disaster) to boost the paltry number of North Americans moving to Israel, which averages just 1,500-1,800 people annually. But the least that the American Jewish leadership can do is to increase allocations to groups that promote Western aliyah and absorption.
This is especially crucial because as many as half of all North American immigrants to Israel reportedly end up returning to their countries of origin. Certainly, the reasons are varied and may include factors as diverse as family ties or health crises. But there are also many cases of immigrants who return to America because they could not make ends meet in Israel and felt they had no one to turn to.
If U.S. synagogues and Jewish communities were to band together in support of their friends and neighbors who make aliyah, the situation might very well be different. Thus, American Jewry should consider the establishment of an American Aliyah Fund, which would assist Western immigrants and improve the absorption infrastructure in Israel to better meet their needs. Such a fund would also send a clear and unequivocal message that American Jewry views aliyah as an important component in the battle to preserve Jewish identity.
A few simple steps, such as the establishment of free-loan funds, the financing of support groups and job networks and increased aid to groups such as Tehilla and AACI could also make the adjustment period in Israel far more user-friendly. Consequently, more Western immigrants might stay in Israel, contributing their talents and abilities to improving the quality of life in the Jewish state and ensuring the Jewish future.
So as American Jewry pinches a communal inch on its collective stomach, wondering how to get into Jewish shape, the answer for some may be just a jog away. By boosting support for Western aliyah and absorption, American Jews can help turn some of that sagging Diaspora flesh into strong, robust Zionist muscle. And for those brave enough to put on their Zionist running shoes, the least American Jewry can do is help them to reach the finish line.
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The writer served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Prime Minister?s Office from 1996 to 1999.
But after years of uncontrolled consumption, when my weight threatened to overtake the Dow Jones Industrial Average, I finally came to the realization that I had little choice but to get into shape. Indulging can be fun, but when it starts to threaten your future, it is time to stop playing games and start getting serious.
American Jewry will soon face a similar challenge, when the results of the 2000 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) are made public later this year. It is little over a decade since the 1990 NJPS shocked the Jewish world with the revelation that intermarriage in America had soared to 52%. Whatever the 2000 study reveals, American Jewry is likely once again to be confronted with grim statistical evidence of its continued numerical diminution.
Even if, as some critics contend, the intermarriage rate proves to be lower than 52%, American Jewry?s declining birthrate and rapid assimilation are almost certain to have accelerated in the intervening years. Indeed, it seems fair to say that American Jewry has grown fat and out of shape and needs to undertake an intensive Jewish fitness program if it is to recover.
Of course, a lot has changed since the 1990 NJPS study was published. The outcry it aroused led to the creation of many innovative programs and firmly placed the issue of ?Jewish continuity? at the top of American Jewry?s agenda.
But with the next NJPS in hand, the Jewish community will have the information it needs to make more calculated choices about how to proceed. This might very well entail altering the diet of educational and social programming being offered in various communities, as well as revitalizing efforts to target those who are Jewishly undernourished.
There is, however, no escaping the fact that perhaps the best solution of all to American Jewry?s fitness crisis ? namely, to get on the Zionist treadmill that is Israel - is also among the most overlooked.
American Jewish groups devote few, if any, resources to actively fostering aliyah among their constituents. Worse still, those American Jews who do move to Israel are virtually ignored. With the needs of immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union garnering most of the attention, few resources are devoted to helping Western immigrants adjust to life in Israel. Groups such as Tehilla (the Union for Religious Aliyah) and AACI (the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel) receive negligible support, if any, from American Jewish organizations and donors.
Obviously, not every American Jew is ready to make aliyah, and it would require a miracle (or perhaps a disaster) to boost the paltry number of North Americans moving to Israel, which averages just 1,500-1,800 people annually. But the least that the American Jewish leadership can do is to increase allocations to groups that promote Western aliyah and absorption.
This is especially crucial because as many as half of all North American immigrants to Israel reportedly end up returning to their countries of origin. Certainly, the reasons are varied and may include factors as diverse as family ties or health crises. But there are also many cases of immigrants who return to America because they could not make ends meet in Israel and felt they had no one to turn to.
If U.S. synagogues and Jewish communities were to band together in support of their friends and neighbors who make aliyah, the situation might very well be different. Thus, American Jewry should consider the establishment of an American Aliyah Fund, which would assist Western immigrants and improve the absorption infrastructure in Israel to better meet their needs. Such a fund would also send a clear and unequivocal message that American Jewry views aliyah as an important component in the battle to preserve Jewish identity.
A few simple steps, such as the establishment of free-loan funds, the financing of support groups and job networks and increased aid to groups such as Tehilla and AACI could also make the adjustment period in Israel far more user-friendly. Consequently, more Western immigrants might stay in Israel, contributing their talents and abilities to improving the quality of life in the Jewish state and ensuring the Jewish future.
So as American Jewry pinches a communal inch on its collective stomach, wondering how to get into Jewish shape, the answer for some may be just a jog away. By boosting support for Western aliyah and absorption, American Jews can help turn some of that sagging Diaspora flesh into strong, robust Zionist muscle. And for those brave enough to put on their Zionist running shoes, the least American Jewry can do is help them to reach the finish line.
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The writer served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Prime Minister?s Office from 1996 to 1999.