Twenty-First Century Jews Need to “Think Small”

by Sam Richardson

 

The November issue of Commentary Magazine asked a cornucopia of Jewish leaders and thinkers “What will be the condition of the Jewish Community 50 years from now?” Out of the 70 respondents, all but a very few (most notably Jon D. Levenson, Jacob J. Schacter, Lynn Schusterman, and Motti Seligson), answered the question from a macro perspective. 

 

In other words, their responses dealt primarily with how American, Israeli and Global Jewry might look one-half century from now. While each respondent provided a snippet of wit, wisdom and even clarification of the problems facing Judaism today and how they might be solved over the course of five decades, I believe that these responses to be less than helpful in planning for the Jewish world of 2065. In truth, Judaism is not – cannot be – lived out at the level of America, Israel or the globe. Rather, Jewish faith and culture can only be lived out in real-time by real people as they relate to their families and local communities.

 

Thus, when considering the future of Judaism, we should think small. We should not be asking how American Jewry will be changed in the course of 50 years, but how the Jewish community of Grand Junction, Colorado, will fare: What must the parents, children and leaders do to increase their chances that a viable community will be there for the generation yet to be born?

 

Rather than ask about the state of Israel in 2065, let us consider the challenges facing Beit Shemesh, Ma'ale Adumim, Giv’at Ze’ev, or Karmiel and the families who comprise these communities. Rather than wring our hands over the prospects for world Jewry, our efforts would be more effectively spent considering how Jewish families in micro Jewish communities found in the Balkans, Italy, or New Zealand will be able to increase their chances of seating at least three or four generations at the Seder table in 5825.

 

The past 50 years of Jewish history have been largely about growth – quite often at the expense of those families for whom our bricks, budgets and professional personnel have intended to serve. From elementary education to birthright trips, from interfaith dialogue to domestic and international policy issues, we have been trained to think globally without consideration for how the individual units (communities, families and individuals) might bend unnaturally, break or run away (!) under the weight of the superstructure.  

 

Now is the time to think small. How might changes in economics, technology and government policy be leveraged to enhance the Jewish lives of the 14-year-olds, single moms and 100% lay-led congregations in our midst? How can over-scheduled families be encouraged to make intentional Judaism a priority? Such bite-sized visions of the future are more manageable in real-time than grand visions of what might be for world Jewry. Finally, a strategy of thinking small just might have a better chance of turning out more Jewish people in 2065 than in 2015.

 

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