Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Continuing the Tradition: Assimilation vs. Continuity Among American Jews

According to a 2013 Pew study, millennial Jews are moving away from the religious core of Judaism, evidenced by lower rates of adherence to traditional practices and by rising rates of intermarriage. Nonetheless, participants in the study overwhelmingly retained a sense of identity as Jews. What makes a Jew a Jew? How much of Jewish identity is a matter of history and culture? Or of biology? Or Politics?

The long-term consequences of this secularizing trend in the Jewish community involve the issue of “Jewish continuity.” Will future generations find any meaning in Jewish identity if a significant percentage of Jewish adults raise their children without any religious instruction? What kind of Jewish community might exist in fifty years if these trends continue?

Commentary From Our Blogging Community

Liminal Spaces, Witchcraft, and a Blended Jewish Life

All those Jews you think you've lost? We're here, even if...

Featured Panelists

Judaism's Future: The Blessing of Continuous Assimilation

When people are busy in the present doing what they love,...

The Military Diminishment of Judaism

In our time, Judaism, in all of its magnificent complexity...

The Shrinking Jewish Middle

Why should we care if thousands of children of Jewish...

Self-Selecting, Self-Defining Judaism

I hope that in fifty or one hundred years we are still...

The Last Jews Standing?

Every Jew is a precious asset, and the Orthodox mourn the...

Continuing the Jewish Tradition by Enhancing the Welcome

The future of Judaism in American depends on welcoming and...

Genuine Jewish Spirituality: Will We Jump Into the Water?

Despite their popularity, the problem with both the...

"Jews of No Religion": The End of American Jewish...

Progressive "Jews of no religion" can find rich community...

Jewish Spirituality Versus Jewish Ritual

Judaism is not a philosophy, but a spiritual science. The...

Judaism's Future: The Means to Planetary Salvation

Whether you find my Judaism of value or not, it is the...

Patheos Archives

TOPICS

Patheos regularly hosts a variety of symposiums and series on current events and trending topics. Open the list below for a full offering of our topical pages featuring curated columns, blogs, and articles by subject.

Select A Topic go

PUBLIC SQUARE

In the Public Square, we connect the timely and the timeless and host conversations about some of the most important questions in life. For a full list of topics featured in our Public Square open the list below.

Select A Public Square go

Our Most Popular

Crabs in a Bucket: Why Evangelicalism Won’t Let You Leave

Stuart Delony

288. Alpha Jesus, Forgiveness vs Atonement, & The Capacity to Become a...

The Spirit of Eternal Life in John

October Rebroadcast: A Conversation With Brian McLaren

The Bible and LGBTQ Inclusion: Honoring the Journey of Colby Martin

Discipleship, Part 2: Following Christ Together (with Ross Turner)

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos