The New York Times today (1 Oct 2013) posted the results of the first major survey of American Jews in over a decade conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. The data are not that surprising. But the conclusions confound me.

Data show that intermarriage continues to rise and that fewer Jews raise their children with a Jewish identity.  “Of the “Jews of no religion” who have children at home, two-thirds are not raising their children Jewish in any way. This is in contrast to the “Jews with religion” of whom 93 percent said they are raising their children to have a Jewish identity.” The conclusion is that “this secular trend has serious consequences for what Jewish leaders call Jewish continuity.” Which leaders? What do they mean “not Jewish in any way”? Is Jewish identity and continuity really threatened, or only these leaders’ idea of it? What if identity consisted of another idea?

Jack Wertheimer, a professor of American Jewish history at the Jewish Theological Seminary, says the results show “a very grim portrait of the health of the American Jewish population in terms of their Jewish identification.”  Ms. Eisner, editor in chief of The Jewish Daily Forward, found the results “devastating” and thought that American Jews would have cared more about religion. Alan Cooperman, deputy director of the Pew religion project, said, “It’s very stark” and commented, “Older Jews are Jews by religion. Younger Jews are Jews of no religion.”

Might these leaders have a narrow view of religion and how identity changes? Most of us do not notice the day to day changes in our children but are suddenly surprised when comparing photos years apart. Judaism is not threatened by intermarriage; it is evolving and we are seeing here a picture of Judaism compared to an earlier one. Right now the picture seems unrecognizable, especially to leaders with specific ideas. But as our eyes adjust, Judaism’s new essence will come into view. I am not looking through rose-colored glasses or a pollyanna attitude. Nor do I defend secularism or naive idealism. As a Jewish-Interfaith minister and spouse who runs her own Hebrew school,  I recognize Judaism in this picture, beauty marks and all, ironically more mature with intermarriage in the background.

In regards to Israel, a country meant to represent Jews religiously, the survey showed that “only 17% think that the continued building of settlements in the West Bank is helpful to Israel’s security.” This, given that “69% feel an emotional attachment” to the state. That only 17% support Israel’s policies indicates how the relationship between identity and religion is changing. Identity may no longer be as much about religion as it is spirituality (which can be informed by religion). For how can one act from integrity when identifying with a religious state whose actions and rationale cause others to suffer daily humiliation? “No one who has personal experience with checkpoints could believe that they exist for the security of Israel,” writes Anna Baltzer. Yet this integrity which calls one to question Israel is the very stuff of Judaism. The Jewish practice of Mussar entails becoming a person of integrity and may or may not lead to religious identity, but it is rooted in Jewish studies. The process of Mussar requires a reexamination of all relationships, including to Israel. Perhaps Jews are simply changing garb from religious to spiritual, from Identity to Integrity.

The survey also shows changes in the way Jews are thinking about other religions. “In a surprising finding, 34 percent said you could still be Jewish if you believe that Jesus was the Messiah.” (Messianic Jews must be ecstatic.) For some interfaith families, this is not at all surprising. Intermarriage allows, indeed begs, for grappling and living with inter-religious paradoxes only to come out with newfound understanding about other religions and about one’s own religion and spiritual growth. This does not imply that Jews don’t care about religion; in fact, it shows that they are thinking about it more than ever and expressing their opinions.  A Jewish thing to do, I might add. Perhaps this new Jewish identity does not revolve around what was once a no-brainer. After all, is Jewish identity really determined by declaring whether Jesus was or was not the Messiah? Does that make or break being Jewish? What about keeping kosher? If so, then the Orthodox and Traditionalists truly are the only Jews.

Intermarriage has affected dialogue between religions and provided opportunities to work through theologically contradictory beliefs. The result is not “young people with no religion” but young people with…something else. It may not look like the rituals performed in the Temple, it may not involve going to the synagogue to pray, but that doesn’t mean something isn’t happening. Regular, indeed religiously so, inter-religious conversations at the dinner table, interfaith dialogue at the round table, multi-faith prayer services, and interfaith service projects may be outlining a new form of Jewish practice.

The survey also found that “despite the declines in religious identity and participation, American Jews say they are proud to be Jewish and have a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people.” Identity is replaced by Integrity while Continuity is replaced by a sense of Connection.  But you would not know this from the leaders quoted in the article who preach gloom and doom. The truth is that intermarriage has kindled Jewish spiritual growth and development, not extinguished it. Who wouldn’t feel a healthy dose of pride (not arrogance) to connect with innovations on traditions that result in emphasizing integrity (not purity)? Why would we want Judaism’s metamorphosis into maturity to stop at adolescence?

I now dread the oncoming rush from Jewish organizers who will wave yet again the banners of identity and continuity as soon as these results and their conclusions go viral. The article already does so:  “This should serve as a wake-up call for all of us as Jews” says Eisner. Instead of cajoling Jews to fit into a static, dare I say graven, image of Judaism, why not let the new image develop and discover the essence of Judaism already there. In this case, where Jews go, so goes Judaism. Not the other way around.

I invite you to explore Resources on this site for a peek into the future of religious identity.