JEWISH FEDERATION
May 2022
American Jews and Jewish organizations need remixed Judaism By Roberta Rosenthal Kwall
M
any American nonOr thodox Je ws are not interested in Jewish practice and ritual. And many younger Jews have even less interest, even in moderate observance, than their parents. Left unchecked, this reality will sink the future of American Judaism. Absent a sustained, deep connection to various elements of Jewish tradition, there will be increasingly fewer Jews to support synagogues and other important philanthropic initiatives of the American Jewish community. We can turn this around with more focus on helping non-Orthodox Jews
organizations. Studies of the deepen their connection to Judaism American Jewish community are clear that we are moving by finding personal meaning in selected far too quickly into a world practices. Relistrongly divided between the deeply religious and the Jewgiously liberal Jews do not necessarily ish “nones.” This is not a world in which our current Jewish respond to the idea o f Di v i n e c o m organizational structure can Roberta mand, but they will survive, let alone thrive. Rosenthal Kwall Roberta Rosenthal Kwall is a observe rituals they find personally meaningful. I call this “remixed” law professor at DePaul University College Judaism and it is of vital importance if of Law. She is the author of “Remix Judaism: Judaism is to remain more than just a Preserving Tradition in a Diverse World” matter of ancestry for the majority of (Roman & Littlefield, 2020, updated American Jews. 2022), and “The Myth of the Cultural Jew: Culture and Law in Jewish Tradition” These conversations need to be spearheaded by both clergy and Jewish (Oxford U. Press, 2015).
Federation Star
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JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER NAPLES IS HOSTING ROBERTA LIVE ON ZOOM, WHERE SHE WILL DISCUSS HER BOOK. When: Wednesday, June 22 at noon (ET) Where: Zoom Register for this free program at www.jewishnaples.org. You don’t have to read the book to come to the program.
To purchase her book, “Remix Judaism: Preserving Tradition in a Diverse World,” go to https://amzn.to/2kY8gFo.
Jewish Young Professionals of Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Meet the new JYP coordinator! By Maya Williams, JYP Coordinator
H
i! I am Maya Williams, and I am so excited to be the new JYP coordinator here at Jewish Federation of Greater Naples. A graduate of the University of Illinois, I am a newbie to the Naples area and am excited to build a Jewish
community for young adults in their 20s-30s. Growing up, I was part of a great Jewish congregation, where I gained an appreciation, understanding and love for Jewish traditions and culture. In college, I found many of my friends and a strong community at
Illini Hillel, where I helped to plan and lead events. I look forward to hosting Shabbat dinners, happy hours, challah bakes — you name it! I would love to hear from you. Email rbialek@jewishnaples.org to reach me.
Maya Williams
We are a community CAMPAIGN 2022 CLOSES JUNE 30 BE A PART OF OUR FAMILY OF DONORS
donate online at https://jewishnaples.org, call (239) 263-4205 or mail your check to Jewish Federation at 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 2201, Naples, FL 34109
Jewish Federation
AND CHANGE THE WORLD
OF GREATER NAPLES
