Haaretz
Kislev 5, 5765
The question arose this year, as it
does every year: what should be the focus of the discussions held at the
General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America, which took place
this week in Cleveland? And as they do every year, the cynics noted that
yet again the main agenda items are assimilation, which continues apace,
and the difficulty encountered by the fundraising apparatus to respond to
the communities' needs.
Some observers also cite the low number of
participants this year - about 2,500 Jews - at what is the largest and
most important gathering of organized American Jewry, a symbol of the
power of the largest Jewish community outside of Israel. And once again,
experts in the U.S. and Israel lament the overly decentralized structure
of the Jewish community in America, which lacks a central authority that
might radiate leadership and outline clearly defined
challenges.
Nevertheless, the secret of the strength of the
American Jewish community lies in its very decentralization and the lack
of centralized planning. There are more than 2,000 Jewish organizations
and some 700 Jewish federations in America, as well as thousands of
synagogues. The Jewish community displays its vitality through an immense
array of institutions and organizations, which necessarily creates
redundancies. But the decentralization accurately reflects the American
political culture and the belief - also reflected in the economic system -
that supply and demand will take care of these matters.
The issue
of support for Israel may constitute a major factor among participants in
the General Assembly, but it is less significant when it comes to
discussions and decisions. On the other hand, the GA is important when it
comes to formulating decisions on the amount of assistance rendered to
Jewish communities around the world, including Israel. In this area, the
participants will have to consider the possible implications of cutbacks
in the federal education, health and welfare budget allocations as a
result of the increased budgetary deficit.
But in the big picture,
changes taking place in Jewish society are largely similar to the changes
taking place on the general American scene. The approximately 25-percent
increase in the number of Jewish voters for Bush and Republican
congressional candidates is not only a factor of Bush's attitude toward
Israel; it signals a much more substantive process among American Jews -
the reinforcement of conservative and traditional attitudes.
Every
few years, it seems, the American Jewish community witnesses a significant
demographic revolution in which the percentage of Orthodox Jews grows,
both in absolute numbers and in terms of more active participation in
Jewish and general political life. The Orthodox overwhelmingly voted for
Bush and the Republicans not only because of their positions on the
Israeli-Arab conflict but also, they claim, due to their sense of
identification with the Republican's social and religious
values.
The Orthodox outlook, which is also seeping into the more
liberal Jewish constituencies, constitutes a substantial shift from the
traditional Jewish position, which backed the liberal line of clear
separation of religion and state, and was inclined toward the left on
issues of individual rights such as abortion and homosexuality.
Increasingly, more Jews feel a commonality of interests with evangelical
Christians.
Organized Orthodox Judaism is now closer than ever to
the power centers of American politics. The Orthodox represent only 10
percent of the Jewish population, but they are at the hub of activity in
Jewish organizations and federations, and their share of leadership
positions is growing.
More than 70 percent of Orthodox Jews voted
for Bush (as opposed to 70 percent of all Jews, who voted for Kerry). And
as David Zwiebel, one of the heads of Agudath Israel of America, explains,
from now on the Orthodox will be recognized, by both the administration
and the general Jewish population, by their new standing as a leading
political force in the Jewish community.
Bush's victory, and the
increased influence of believing Christians that helped to fuel that
victory, will have an effect on internal processes at work in the Jewish
community.