At the Gateway of Openness and Renewal: The Future of American Jewish Life

July 08, 2015 by Doug Heifetz

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Perhaps they share none of these beliefs. In any case, we must ask and learn what inspires them and gives meaning and comfort to their lives. The chances are that our tradition offers teachings, reflections, and rituals that support them in their sense of conviction and help them to feel rooted and less alone. Over the course of 3500 years, we have assembled an incredible and varied corpus of wisdom, questioning, and insight to offer. Because 94 percent of Jews are proud of their Jewish identity, now more than ever most most Jews will welcome these teachings, if only we dare to explore their concerns.

Now more than ever, we need to engage in open-ended conversations about meaning and belief for today's Jews. This meaning need not express itself in terms of God or traditional piety. Rather, we need to let the vast resources of our tradition speak better for everyone's sake. We need to offer open-ended wisdom and community to a more theologically and demographically diverse group of Jewish Americans and their friends and family members.

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7/8/2015 4:00:00 AM

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