The Orthodox community must begin – now – to plan for a future Jewish America in which the infrastructure of American Jewry will increasingly rest on our shoulders.
By ALLEN FAGINThe Orthodox Union (OU) was founded in New York in 1898(photo credit: OU ISRAEL)The modern-Orthodox community is vibrant, diverse and consistently growing in the United States and around the world. But as we head into 2019, we must realize that we are not without challenges, some of which are unique to Orthodox Jewry and some that we must face together with the entire klal. The past decades have witnessed the dramatic growth of Orthodox Jewry with demographers projecting that within the next 50 years, the majority of American Jews will be Orthodox.The Orthodox community must begin – now – to plan for a future Jewish America in which the infrastructure of American Jewry will increasingly rest on our shoulders. Our community has an opportunity, and an obligation, to open doors to unaffiliated Jews, and we are well-situated to do so; we are passionate about Judaism, and we are Jewishly literate. We must double down on our efforts to share uplifting, inspired and informed Yiddishkeit with hundreds of thousands of our Jewish brethren, many of whom are hungry for the warmth, authenticity and connection to their roots that has been lost to so many through generations of assimilation. We can do so by creating non-judgmental environments, which foster such connections and provide informal education opportunities that will enlighten and encourage affiliation. Through our various youth and adult programming, our organization has had significant success in reaching non-Orthodox Jewish populations, bringing tens of thousands of Jews closer to tradition and Torah often for the first time, and has fostered new and expanding horizons for Jewish identification. This responsibility lies with all of those who seek to address an increasingly alienated Jewish community and revitalize the totality of our community.At the same time, our community (like every faith community in America) grapples with maintaining and enhancing our own spiritual growth and development. Often, we find ourselves swimming upstream against the demands and values of an increasingly secular culture. How do we raise our children to lead Torah-focused lives amid this backdrop; how do we maintain spiritual focus and seek to deepen our relationship with the Almighty? How do we avoid “going through the motions” of religious observance without constantly intensifying our commitment to holy work? On the most practical of levels, how do we find time for our families when burdened by overloaded work schedules and activities? How do we navigate in a social media world that is so antithetical to our tradition? While there are no easy solutions, our shuls, our rabbis, and communal institutions can create programs that connect families in real time. We can offer the widest array of opportunities and resources that allow us to learn Torah in ways that fit myriad schedules and interests through accessible learning programs – both online and in person. We can focus greater attention on the shul experience and create environments that foster spiritual growth. And we must branch out. There are hundreds of smaller Orthodox communities throughout the US and Israel where the cost of living isn’t quite so hard to manage, and the lifestyle is a bit slower and more conducive to family life. Our Orthodox institutions must recognize this challenge and continue to explore alternatives and options that allow us to refocus on what truly matters.Last, but certainly not least, financial sustainability is a major concern for the American Jewish community, particularly with soaring tuition costs for an American yeshivah or day-school education ranging from $15,000 to $40,000 per year. We must find communal answers to ensure that our Torah values, and the education system that inculcates them, aren’t undermined by financial strain. Our organization is working assiduously to tackle affordability issues and in the last five years we have successfully secured over a billion dollars in state and local government funding for health, security, STEM and other mandated programs in our nonpublic schools, helping to offset the steep cost of Jewish education. We’ve come a long way, but there’s much more to be done in this arena.I’m excited by the prospects of what lies ahead this year. I hope that, moving forward, we can begin to help the enormous divisiveness that has permeated our community, and undermines its vitality. We must seek to develop a greater sense of Achdut Yisrael (the unity of the Jewish people), not just in times of tragedy or threat, but consistently. We can all do better at recognizing that we are always one people – despite our geographic dispersion and the disparate views that polarize us from within. We must strive to speak to fellow Jews with respect and understanding, even when our views on fundamental issues diverge. By internalizing the imperative that we’re all G-d’s children, together we can ensure that the differences and difficulties facing our community can be overcome.Allen Fagin is the CEO of the Orthodox Union, the umbrella organization for American Orthodox Jewry with over 400 congregations in its synagogue network. It is at the forefront of advocacy work on both state and federal levels, outreach to Jewish teens and young professionals. For more information, visit https://www.ou.org/
