Jews in America: A Contemporary Reader. - book review

Sociology of Religion, Spring, 2002 by Harriet Hartman

Jews in America: A Contemporary Reader, ROBERTA ROSENBERG FARBER AND CHAIM I. WAXMAN (eds.). Hanover, NH: Brandeis University Press (University Press of New England), 1999,425 pp. $17.95 (cloth).

This collection brings together articles published elsewhere in the 1990s, along with some original contributions, to paint a picture of contemporary American Jewry which is neither simplified nor superficial. It confronts controversies and touchy issues without offending, using analytic and theoretical frameworks which provide new contexts for seeing familiar problems. The editors, and many of the contributors, make a concerted effort to place their analysis of American Jewry in the context of wider frameworks in modem society in general and American society in particular. In the concluding section, for instance, the editors place contemporary American Jewry in the framework of postmodern and postmaterialist American culture, showing how America's wider culture penetrates and transforms American Judaism, widening the gap between traditional and American-influenced Judaism.

The articles cover a wide range of topics, including the sociohistorical background and economic adjustment of Jews as they immigrated to the United States; demographic trends and projections; the changing American Jewish family; American Jewish "feminisms"; trends in intermarriage and the effect of intermarriage on Jewish identity; the organization of and organizational development of American Jewish religion; antiSemitism (or the current lack thereof) and its effects on American Jewry; the role of Israel in American Jewish life; the impact of American Jewish education on Jewish identity; and issues of denominationalism among American Jews, including trends particular to Orthodoxy, Conservatism or Reform Jewry. Original and innovative models for understanding American Jewish behavior are presented, such as Chiswick's presentation of the economy of American Jewish behavior as an investment in religious, as opposed to secular, activity. By connecting the two types of investment, she is able to explain the res urgence in energy and time (not only money) spent on Jewish activity as Americans become more affluent. Fishman's analysis of the "feminisms" of Judaism parallels contemporary discourse on "feminisms" in the broader society, showing the wide range of reaction to contemnporary egalitarianism experienced within Judaism. Elazar's analysis of the organization of American Jewish religion can be seen as a model for the analysis of the organization of religion in general.

While the editors have written introductory and concluding essays, and introductions to each section, they have only minimally shown the connections between the various articles. They could have pointed out several overarching themes which recur, such as the complexity of Jewish identity and the varying interplay of both ethnic and religious identity over time and in different subgroups of American Jews. As well, different contributors conceptualize identity differently, and the comparisons would be worthwhile. Chiswick's analysis, for instance, would have been enhanced by distinguishing between ethnic and religious Jewish activity or investment. Nor do the editors critique any of the articles, or discuss their methodological differences. While some of the articles are based on large survey data (such as the National Jewish Population Survey, the 1991 New York Jewish Population survey or NORC/GSS data), others are based on much smaller qualitative studies (such as Farber's 15 baalei teshuva from New York and Jerusalem). The article by Rebhun and colleagues utilizes sophisticated population projection models, while Soloveitchik's insightful essay on contemporary Orthodoxy is based primarily on his own observations and analysis. This richness of approaches makes for very interesting reading and is extremely thought-provoking. It also inspires future research agendas, which a number of contributors, such as Chanes on anti-Semitism, make explicit.

No single volume can cover all aspects of American Jewry, and this one is no exception. Among missing topics are, for instance, the impact of the various Jewish immigrants in the last few decades, such as the Russian and Israeli Jews; the role of converts to Judaism; the life of elderly American Jews (in a population which is rapidly aging, as is pointed out in the article by Rebhun and colleagues). But the volume is substantial as it is, and the topics it does cover are not treated superficially by any means.

While there most certainly are policy implications of the analyses presented, and many of the articles readable by the general (educated) public, the major audience for this reader will be academics seeking to understand the complexities of contemporary American Jewry and the many ways of reaching such an understanding. It is accessible to undergraduate and graduate students alike, and could definitely be used as a source-book for comparisons to other American religions or to Jewry in other countries. Elazar's article would be useful for comparing the organization of American Jewish religion to other American religions; Fishman's article on the American Jewish family could be a springboard of comparison to what is happening in families of other religions; Chanes' article on anti-Semitism and the social distance between Jews and other Americans could be compared to other minorities in the population. In addition to anyone interested in American Jewry, therefore, the reader is also highly recommended for any s cholars of contemporary religion, of American religion in particular, or of Jewish studies on a broader level.