Awakenings American Jewish transformations in identity, leadership, and belonging

The future of American Judaism looks bright, contend rabbis Stanton and Spratt in their strong debut. The authors argue that the "seeds of a new Jewish awakening" lie with "those cast to the margins of the American Diaspora" because of their gender, sexual orientation, or race. Stanton and Spratt highlight historical reinventions of Judaism that created new options for religious affiliation while facilitating the continuity of tradition, such as when Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan officiated the first modern bat mitzvah and helped found one of the first Jewish community centers in the early 20th century. Emphasizing the importance of accepting marginalized Jewish people as part of this renewal, the authors tell the stories of such contemporary figures as rabbi Mike Moskowitz, whose stand against Jewish day schools' expulsion of trans students cost him his job at a synagogue, and Eleyna Fugman, who created a Jewish leadership program to boost the voices of queer Jewish people and Jewish people of color. Stanton and Spratt only summarily address the obstacles that their inclusive definitions of Judaism face, such as the impact of the Israeli rabbinate's position on the matter, but nonetheless, this nuanced portrait of the state of American Judaism proffers a cogent vision of how to revitalize the faith. This is a persuasive case to maintain a positive outlook on the future of Judaism. (Aug.)

Great disconnect between people and institutions suggests that we might not be standing at the cusp of a great assimilatory death spiral, but, rather, a Jewish awakening , wrought by a sense of individual empowerment that Jews--and the countless people connected to Jews or exploring Judaism--now feel . . . It has been more than a hundred years since we last witnessed such a vast reimagining of Jewish life , when wave upon wave of immigrants from Eastern Europe arrived in our country. American Jews have clearly realized the early goals of the prior awakening. Within the present resides the promise of another Jewish revival. Jews--and potential Jews and people who are Jewishly connected and those who are Jewishly curious--are hungry for new expressions of spirituality, values, and community. Grassroots leadership is springing up around us as external manifestations of internal transformations. This books charts some of the dynamics at play from a place of hope about the future, which acknowledging the sense of disequilibrium and loss that rapid change engenders . It seeks to create a new narrative that is both forthright and compassionate to all who are connected to the American Diaspora, including millions of people who do not identify as Jews and the coming generations who understand Jewish identity in different terms than did their immigrant forebears. It challenges the dual assumptions of a Jewish continuity crisis and institutional obsolescence, noting the extent to which legacy institutions can incubate the future, while start-ups and mission-focused initiatives can collaborate to shape movements or grow into major institutions. It also charts a new path for rabbis, cantors, and other Jewish clergy as spiritual entrepreneurs, connectors, and idea generators. Our hope is not  not map in detail what is yet to come, so much as to identify the dynamics and forces at work that may shape the future of the American Diaspora and could lead to profound spiritual gains for our community. Excerpted from Awakenings: American Jewish Transformations in Identity, Leadership, and Belonging by Rabbi Joshua Stanton, Rabbi Benjamin Spratt All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.