Description
Book SynopsisPart I: Identity, Community, and Continuity Among American Jews.- Chapter 1 The Transformation of Jewish Identity (the nature of Jewish identity over the sweep of world history).- Chapter 2 The American Jewish Experience in Historical and Contemporary Context (the nature of Jewish identity over the sweep of American history).- Chapter 3 A Geographic, Demographic, and Religious Profile of American Jews (some basic background on the geography, demography, and religiosity of American Jews).- Chapter 4 Jewish Identity in the American Context (an overview of the assimilation of American Jews. Sets forth the framework for the book in terms of a liberal premise and a social contract about what it means to be an American Jew, presents the basic options. Table 4-1 is the theoretical framework of our argument).- Part II: Jewish Options in the United States.- Chapter 5 Reform Judaism: From Left to Right? (traces the history of the institutions of the Reform movement and the opinions of its leaders, examines the opinions of the Reform Jewish laity from 2000 to the present).- Chapter 6 Orthodox Judaism: From Declining to Rising? (traces the history of the institutions of the Orthodox movement and the opinions of its leaders, examines the opinions of the Orthodox Jewish laity from 2000 to the present).- Chapter 7 Zionism: From Classical Zionism to Pro-Israelism? (traces the history of Zionism and how Zionism among American Jews differs from the historical philosophy. examines the opinions of the Zionist Jews from 2000 to the present. For the first time in any research, we are able to distinguish Zionist Jews who are secular from those who are non-secular--that is, identify with one of the denominations in addition to their Zionism.).- Chapter 8 Involvement in Secular Politics: From Left to Center to Right? (examines Jews who express their identity through political involvement in the Democratic Party (for the most part) and liberal causes (for the most part).- Chapter 9 Conservative Judaism: From Right to Left? (traces the history of the institutions of the Conservative movement and the opinions of its leaders, examines the opinions of the Conservative Jewish laity from 2000 to the present).- Chapter 10 The Just Jewish: Opting Out? (examines Jews who do not identify as Orthodox, Conservative and Reform (or other minority denominations, but who still identify as Jewish. For the first time in any research, we are able to distinguish Jews who call themselves "Just Jewish" because their identity as Jews is a peripheral part of their lives to those who call themselves Just Jewish because they simply do not like labels or belonging to specific groups).- Part III: Twenty-first Century Jewish Options and Challenges.- Chapter 11 American Jewry: Past, Present, and Future Challenges to the Continuity of Community and Identity (A summary of the book and some thoughts on the nature of Jewish identity and the future of the American Jewish community.
