8 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JULY 19, 2012
OPINION
The demography of fear Guest Columnist RABBI DONNIEL HARTMAN JERUSALEM — The Jewish people have perfected a new weapon in our crisis arsenal, a weapon guaranteed to marshal the prerequisite quota of fear and concern needed to fuel Jewish communal life — demography. As a people, we have replaced vision with crisis as the central force and motivation for identity, philanthropy and unity. We have found amongst the plethora of demographic studies an inexhaustible gold mine. We now have an unending source to feed our fear. As the so-called “ever-dying people,” we can bask in statistics, which either point to accelerated assimilation, lack of affiliation, intermarriage, alienation, decreased commitment and distancing from Israel, or the ever-increasing size of the ultra-Orthodox community, be it in Israel or New York City with the crisis to the Jewish future that such a growth may portend. If the numbers aren’t sufficiently alarming, then we can combine two groups, for example, such as Arabs and Haredim, in order to achieve the desired gloomy prediction of a non-Zionist majority in Israel in the very near future.
While some demographers benefit handsomely from the demography of fear, I do not mean to attack the messenger. Demography can play an invaluable role in empowering, shaping and guiding the vision of our people. The problem lies neither in the demographers nor in demography per se, but in its crisis celebration, which is manipulating Jewish social life. At its core, the purpose of demography is to alert us to shifts in the status quo and to new currents within our individual and collective identities, so that we can adapt and respond effectively and intelligently. The demography of fear, however, works in the opposite direction. It paralyzes and creates a sense of helplessness, as the Jewish community or Israel are portrayed as forever spiraling out of control into a self-destructive future of differing forms. As the ever-abused child of history, it seems that without an ongoing dose of fear we cannot arouse from our slumber, see ourselves or connect to our reality. We are not an ever-dying community. We are, however, an ever-changing one. The one consistent feature of Jewish life is that Judaism is a source of disagreement, rather than cohesion — that whatever boundaries we pick in order to define our core identity will invariably be crossed before they even take hold. The primary defining feature of 21st-century Jewish life is that the differences are more extreme, and the crossing of boundaries more accelerated. Jewish identity does not begin with a system of values or practices but with a
We
Jews, Christians, Muslims, and unaffiliated individuals who followed the public discussion about the boycott and targeted divestment resolutions at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA would like to express our shock at the language and tone taken by The Jewish Chronicle of Pittsburgh in its July 12, 2012, editorial titled “Watershed moment.” Among us are both proponents and opponents of the boycott and divestment resolutions, including some who spoke publicly and forcefully for and against those resolutions. However, we are united in our feeling that by stating that "there is a cancer in the PC (USA)" and by Jeffery Abood Robert Abraham Robert Ackerman Barry Ames Sara Angist Stan Angist Janet Aronson Norma Artman Sam Bahour Sujaya Balachandran Caroline Ban M. Theresa Basile Roz Becker Edith Bell Nancy Bernstein Aya Betensky Kathy Blee Ken Boas Joan Bradley Rev Myles Bradley Erin Breault Jeffrey Conn David Cooper Joan Cooper Katherine Cunningham Kate Daher
Kipp Dawson Marshall Dayan Rabbi Art Donsky Seymour Drescher Phyllis Dreyfuss Krauz Eileen Julian Eligator Ray Engel Mark Fichman Anita Fine Daniel Fine Beth Fischer Barry Fisher Mary Fitzsimmons Richard Fox Ivan Frank Malke Frank Carol Gable Pamela Goldman Janice Gordon Harry Hagerty Ginny Hildebrand Harry Stewart Hochheiser Rachel Hovne Amal Jubran Iris Kaminski
commitment to a particular people and collective identity. As a result, a new convert must first declare, “Your people is my people,” before they declare, “Your God is my God.” In every generation, identity with the Jewish people carried with it differing baggage. For much of our history this baggage entailed persecution, discrimination, and alienation from the surrounding political and religious communities. To be or become a Jew required one to internalize the reality of Jewish collective identity, to carry its burdens and challenges on one’s shoulders as one participated in the journey of Jewish life, and contributed to its growth and value. While some of the old challenges still remain, we face new ones, challenges of identity, continuity, and moral and spiritual excellence. But our response must remain the same. Who the Jewish people are is not a neutral question of statistics but a blueprint for the parameters of my loyalty. To love the Jewish people means not merely to save them from impending death but to make room for them around the table in their ever-changing personas. As a member of a people, I must accept that who the Jews are also shapes what Judaism is, even if that Judaism may differ from my own. Who the Jewish people are is not a crisis or a tragedy or a “cancer” growing in our midst. It is simply who we are, the identity of my community without whom I am not “I,” without whom there is no meaning to Judaism. In theory, I might fantasize about belonging to a different team or a different
team makeup. That fantasy, however, can only impact my work, not my loyalty. Who we are is not necessarily whom we ought to or can be. And in the open marketplace of ideas, we can all strive to shape who we will be. The great benefit of demography is that it allows different visions and ideas to tailor their educational strategies to maximize their potential effectiveness in shaping our future. We don’t need a demography of fear; we need a demography of aspirations and responsibility. For example, if one is concerned about a Jewish community, whether in North America or Israel, with an evershrinking number of liberal voices and in which Jewish seriousness is carried by an ever-growing, financially disadvantaged, and insular Haredi population, instead of fear and despair one must get to work. Pessimism is a luxury that we cannot afford. We need to marshal our talent to create a different reality, to remove self-destructive policies, and through the power of ideas offer an alternative and compelling vision, all the while never succumbing to demonization, delegitimization, and bifurcation. In demography we find an ally who places a mirror before us, teaching us what is. As Jews, our task is neither to mourn the present nor hold on to it; our task is to hold on to our loyalty to our people and to a vision of its future, to dispel despair and get busy. (Rabbi Donniel Hartman is president of Shalom Hartman Institute and director of the Engaging Israel Project.)
misrepresenting those in the General Assembly as exhibiting a “growing anti-Semitic sentiment” the editors have crossed the dangerous line that separates debate from incitement. We are deeply concerned that the language used by the authors will have a harmful effect on the relations and trust between various religious communities in Pittsburgh and beyond. We call on all Jewish Community leaders in Pittsburgh to make this indeed a “Watershed moment” by publicly denouncing the July 12th editorial and re-asserting their commitment to a civil and mutually respectful debate between all communities in Pittsburgh.
Naftali Kaminski Naomi Kaminski Tamar Kaminski Daniel Kass Daniel Klein Mary Korytkowski Robert Kraftowitz Mary Ann Krupper Nancy Levin-Arnold Jules Lobel Ali Masahledan Bob Mason Tirzah Mason Ella Mason Rebecca Mayer Karl Meyers Carl Morgenstern Scott Morgenstern Sam Morris Edie Naveh Jacob Naveh Jan Neffke Jon Nelson Sally Newman Ted Newman Eileen Olmsted
John Olmsted Carol O'Neil Alexander Orbach Wendy Osher Pastor Sara Webb Philips Adi Rapport Lynne Reder Ken Regal Sarah Regenspan Daniel Resnick Leila Richards Roni Rosenfeld Bob Ross Hal Rubinstein Carolyn Spicer Russ James Russ Rocky Schoen Pat Schuetz Vivienne Selia Fred Shaheen Halah Shaheen Hlah Shaheen Joe Shaheen Samira Shaheen Peter Shell Lincoln Shlensky
Merle Showers Nickolas Solicnic Barbara Stephens Joel Tarr Steven Tuell Dudy Tzfati Paul Wahrhaftig Melinda Ward David Warga Rhonda Wasserman Arlene Weiner Robert Weiner Ken White Tina Whitehead Andrea Whitmore Eve Wider Carol Wood Eileen Yacknin Maria Youssef Michael Zigmond Naomi Zigmond Fred Zuhlke Ronnie Cook Zuhlke