How Spiritual are America's Jews?

The first-ever comparative national study of spirituality among American Jews and Christians demonstrates that young Jews are more spiritually inclined on every available measure than their elders. The historic large gap in spiritual orientation between Jews and others is narrowing, especially among younger adults, those 35 and under. The S3K Synagogue Studies Institute report, written by Professors Steven M. Cohen and Lawrence A. Hoffman, both of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, draws upon a web-based national survey of 1596 Jews and 1520 respondents drawn from the general population.

This growth of spiritual receptivity among young adult Jews can be attributed to 3 factors:

1. The growth in the number of Orthodox Jews, especially among people under 35.
2. The parallel, and even more substantial, growth of intermarried families and Jews by choice, both signifying the growth of Jews with Christian parents, husbands and wives. These family members appear to render their Jewish relatives more open to, and comfortable with, the ideas, expressions and language of spirituality.
3. Even non-Orthodox Jews with two Jewish parents (a shrinking population sector, albeit still a majority) are more receptive to spiritual language than older counterparts.

As ethnic ties among American Jews diminish -- with more non-Jewish parents, spouses, children, friends and neighbors -- American Judaism is becoming, in broad terms, less ethnic and more religiously and spiritually oriented.

These findings have serious implications for Jewish communal policy makers, rabbis, educators, and planners. More American Jews are expressing interest in the study and experience of spirituality. The two population segments showing especially elevated spiritual concerns are precisely the two major demographic growth sectors of the Jewish population: the Orthodox, and Jews with at least one non-Jewish nuclear family member.

As spiritually oriented American Jews grow in number, seminaries will have to educate students to show comfort with spiritual language, and help congregants with their spiritual search. Congregational rabbis, especially those serving large numbers of intermarried families or the Jewish children of the intermarried, will find greater demand and greater receptivity to spiritual language and concerns in the years to come.

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Discuss the S3K Report

Hurray for Jim Joseph!

The Lookstein Center is inviting nominations for the first cohort of Fellows for the Jim Joseph Foundation Fellowships-Leading Educators Online program.

This two year professional development experience will provide 14 select participants with leadership development, enriched Jewish learning, and in-depth training in how to build online communities of practice..

The anticipated outcomes of the program include (1) enhanced skills and capabilities of accomplished leaders in the field of Jewish education and (2) unprecedented new opportunities for communication and collaboration for hundreds of Jewish educators who will be invited to participate in new online communities of practice.

Participating Fellows will receive an annual stipend of $10,000 for each of the two years of the program, in addition to travel, room and board at the seminars and retreats. They will be currently employed in the U.S. in the field of informal and/or formal Jewish Education; have professional supervisory responsibilities; have demonstrated leadership in Jewish education and the vision the to stimulate, inspire and impact on others; have strong interpersonal skills that will enable him/her to collaborate (online) with others; be part of an organization that understands that importance in online networking and collaborative work; be comfortable working in a web 2.0 environment

Direct applications are not accepted; Fellows must be nominated. For more information and to nominate a candidate go to http://www.lookstein.org/jjff.htm (or write the program directors, Esther Feldman or Shalom Berger at jjff@lookstein.org.)

There is still some funding left for innovation in Jewish Education...

Bikkurim: An Incubator for New Jewish Ideas is accepting applications for 2009. Bikkurim seeks innovative, NYC-based, Jewish, non-profit projects that are in early stages of formation and organizational growth. We provide free office space, free and subsidized capacity-building consulting, small stipends, and a peer community with other Jewish start-up initiatives. Bikkurim is a joint project of UJC and the Kaminer Family.

Pre-applications can be downloaded from www.bikkurim.org and are due February 11, 2009. Full applications, by invitation only, will be due April 21, 2009. Finalists will be interviewed and selected in mid-June. Residency begins in July, 2009. For more information, contact Nina Bruder at nina@bikkurim.org or 212-284-6892.

Please help spread the word!

Are we teaching "Hebrew" or "Israeli?"

Haim Watzman, on the excellent lefty blog "South Jerusalem" writes about two book reviews in Ha'aretz:,

"According to Ordan, Zuckerman is correct to claim that the language we speak today in Israel is a language distinct from than that of the Hebrew-speakers of the biblical and classical periods. The Zionist revivers of the language, beginning at the end of the 19th century, sought to reinstate a pure Hebrew based on the language of the Bible (not the rabbis!). But, since they were native speakers of Yiddish and Slavic languages, what they actually ended up doing was grafting a Hebrew vocabulary onto the grammar and syntax of their mother tongues. Therefore, Ordan views with favor Zuckerman’s claim that the language spoken in Israel today should not be called 'Hebrew' but rather 'Israeli.'

"Of course the Hebrew we speak today is not the Hebrew of the prophets. Even the Bible’s Hebrew, written over many centuries, differs from one book, even one chapter, to another. The language of the rabbis of the Second Temple and Talmudic period was quite different in its vocabulary and structure, and had absorbed much vocabulary from Aramaic, Persian and Greek. And that should be no surprise: a living language constantly metamorphoses. It accepts vocabulary, syntax, structures, and connotations from other languages while it coins new words and usages of its own. Linguistic policing that denies or seeks to prevent such change robs the language of its flexibility and relevance.

"But that does not mean that there are and should not be any rules at all. I correct my children when they say hamesh shekel (feminine plural number with singular noun) instead of hamisha shkalim (masculine number, plural noun) because they should know the rules so that they can speak standard Hebrew when that is called for. But I don’t expect them to speak that way to their friends—they’d sound like nerds if they did."

Get Paid to be Jewish? Part 2

Do you remember way back when, when I blogged about Moishe House, with a quote from the JTA:

"Say you’re a few years out of college, living with friends and working in a low-paying job for some do-good organization. You don’t go to synagogue but you miss the camaraderie of your college Hillel, and you like to invite people over for Shabbat meals.

"Imagine if someone was willing to pay you to keep doing it?"

Well, Ben Murane has thrown down on birthright NEXT's similar initiative on Hazon's Jews-n-food blog "The Jew and the Carrot," under the heading "Do We Need to Pay Birthright Alumni to Have Shabbat Dinner?"

"Once again, the organized Jewish community has decided to answer the droopy quality of Jewish life offerings with a marketing campaign and financial largess. I think NEXT’s money is mispent."

Now, what makes this such a tremendously worthy read is that the very first response to Ben's post is from none other than Birthright Israel NEXT Executive Director (and fellow blogger) Daniel Brenner:

" . . . we are proud that through small grants that we have been able to encourage over 600 people across the country to host meals in their homes. For a majority, it has been the first time in their life that they hosted a Shabbat meal. So far, 74.6% of those meals have been homecooked by many hands. Most people had 14 guests! We sponsored many vegan shabbats, raw food shabbats, organic shabbats, you name it. And good food is often not cheap — and not everyone has the luxury of being near a farmer’s market. And not everyone has the time or skill to cook!

"Could we do it for $15 per person? maybe so. But we felt that $25 per person would make for a special meal.

"By the way, we are also providing financial assistance for Birthright Israel alumni to attend the upcoming Hazon Food Conference. We do so because we have found that in these economic times, people in their twenties do not have alot of spare change to go to Jewish confereces."

But wait! Who is the next comment from?

"Don’t worry, Rabbi Brenner. I’m hosting plenty of birthright NEXT shabbat dinners at the apartment I share with Mr. Murane . . .

". . . The money isn’t an incentive for me to host a dinner. It’s an *enabler*. Big difference."

Read the whole fun debate, and then get yourself some excellent baby swag, at The Jew and the Carrot.

Job Posting: Executive Director of the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center

Adam Berman writes:

...in the coming months, I will be leaving my position as Executive Director of Isabella Freedman. The past six years have been the most meaningful years of my life. Together with an exceptional board of directors and an amazing staff, we have recreated an institution that is bringing extraordinary gifts to the world. We have welcomed, nourished, taught, inspired and loved more than 30,000 visitors. We have provided -- and continue to provide -- Jewish programming that is cutting-edge and unique. By integrating environmental stewardship and spirituality with Judaism, we have connected thousands of young adults and children with Jewish tradition and community. And we are inspiring the New York metropolitan Jewish community to engage in environmental issues in ways that were not possible just a few years ago.

Being part of Isabella Freedman has enabled me to express who I am and my highest vision for the Jewish community in ways that I do not believe would have been possible at any other organization. My gratitude is infinite.

As a proud member of the board of IFJRC, I want to publicly offer my deepest gratitude for the phenomenal work Adam has done over the past six years. A full description of the position for Executive Director is posted on the Isabella Freedman website at: http://isabellafreedman.org/job-opportunities. Please share this link with anyone whom you think may be appropriate for the position, or anyone who may be interested.

The High Cost of Jewish Life is on Everyone's Mind this Yom Kippur

This just in, from my friend Adam Dershowitz:

Of course, once again, Chabad was there first (well, to be fair, Larry David and HBO probably deserve the credit, but Chabad is making good use of it):

Join Chabad for High Holidays! from JAB MEDIA on Vimeo.

This clever little video, adaptable for the Chabad house near you, is the brainchild of Jewish Abstract Media. Kudos. And G'mar Chatima Tova.

Get trained to save the world

Two of our favorite organizations, Abraham's Vision and Jewish FundS for Social Justice (JFSJ) have launched innovative training programs this past month.

Through their Center for Transformative Education, Abraham's Vision is

"training students to work as facilitators of groups in conflict, utilizing methods created and designed by a foremost expert in the field, Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom’s School for Peace. Co-taught by an Israeli and Palestinian co-facilitator/co-educator team . . . this course will be offered in partnership with Columbia University’s Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR) from January 2-10, 2009 and the University of San Francisco from Monday through Friday from January 12-23, 2009."

Visit their website for detailed course information and an online application for one of the 18 spots available in each of the two trainings.

While the Abraham's Vision training doesn't directly incorporate any specific opportunities to make use of your new facilitation skills, the main purpose of the JFSJ training is to recruit new staff for their travel and service learning programs

"which provide opportunities for teams of college students, young adults, teens and families to participate in on-the-ground service in partnership with communities throughout the United States; to learn about relevant historical, social, and political issues through the lens of Jewish ethics and values; and to reflect on their own engagement in the world. Each program lasts between four and seven days, and is staffed by two or more Program Leaders.

". . . The training seminar to be held in the Gulf Coast, from Wednesday January 28-Sunday February 2, 2009. The seminar will comprise a hands-on service project, engagement with local community organizations, political education, social change education, textual engagement and personal leadership development. Program Leaders will staff at least two trips during the program leading year."

Detailed information , including instructions for how to apply, is available on their website (along with a number of other available positions and internships).

Immediate Opening-- Full-Time Jewish Studies Teacher

For those who have not yet heard, the concept of "full-time teachers" has begun to expand beyond the walls of Central Synagogue in Manhattan. Here is a listing for such a position from Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn , New York.

Our growing and evolving Jewish education program needs a core teacher!

Congregation Beth Elohim, a dynamic Reform congregation in Park Slope, Brooklyn, seeks a full-time (Mon-Thurs and Shabbat morning) or 4-day a week (Mon, Tu, Thu, Shabbat morning) Jewish Studies teacher to join our supplementary and family Jewish Education program, called Yachad.

The core teacher is part of a creative team of Jewish educators who develop curriculum, teach elementary aged students Jewish studies, communicate with parents and families, and lead innovative Jewish holiday and Shabbat programs for our families, and have ample opportunities for professional development. To learn more about our program, go to http://yachad.congregationbethelohim.org.

Qualified applicants have an interest in being involved in a vibrant, progressive Jewish community and educational program, a BA and experience working with children and families in formal or informal (camp, youth group) Jewish settings.

Please submit cover letter and resume to cbeyachad@gmail.com.

Family Israel Trip Mix 2008

I was forwarding this list to a friend, and thought, well, why not share it with everyone? Here's the tracks from the mix CD that was made for one congregation's family Israel trip. Most of these can be found on YouTube (although no guarantees that what you're watching is the actual video created by the band and not a "tribute" by an enthusiastic fan, as in the link for Idan Raichel's song below). Enjoy!

1. Brachot Leshana Chadasha (Blessings for the New Year)

The Idan Raichel Project

2. Kol Galgal (Voice of the Wheel)

Shotey HaNevu’a (The Fools of Prophecy)

3. Salaam (Peace)

Sheva (Seven)

4. Hebrew Man

Ehud Banai

5. Midabrim Al Shalom (Speaking about Peace)

Muki

6. Yihi’ye Tov (It Will be Good)

David Broza

7. Ein Ani (No “I”)

Shotey HaNevu’a (The Fools of Prophecy)

8. Lo Frayerim (We’re not Suckers)

HaDag Nahash (The Fish Snake)

9. Shuvi El Beiti (Return to My Home)

The Idan Raichel Project

10. Ahavtia (I Loved Her)

Shlomo Artzi

11. Hi Kol Kach Yafah (She’s So Pretty)

Kaveret (Beehive) – a/ka “Poogy”

12. Fanan (Awesome, Dude)

HaDag Nahash (The Fish Snake)

13. HaYom (Today)

Ehud Banai

14. LeHavin Et HaMayim (To Understand the Water)

Ivri Lider

15. Sigapo

Beit HaBubot (House of Dolls)

16. Esther

Ehud Banai

17. Tzlil Mehuvan (A Tuned Sound)

Tzlil Mehuvan

18. Yaldutenu (Childhood)

Kaveret (Beehive) – a/ka “Poogy”

Who will teach Religious School?

Last Spring, I participated in a panel convened by JESNA to discuss its recently released study of Educators in Jewish Schools.

The report confirmed what we had all already suspected - that just as Religious Schools are finally being taken seriously by the Jewish world, and as we are starting to see increased investment in their success, we are facing a teacher shortage. This may not sound like new news: After all, since at least as far back as the 60s we have heard that there are not enough qualified teachers to go around. What has changed is that now its becoming harder to find people who even WANT to teach in a Religious School (or a Day School), qualified or otherwise. JESNA cited all the reasons you would expect - low salaries, a general lack of respect for the position, and so on. Another segment of the panel presentation is posted here, in which I express my concerns about competition between institutions for a shrinking number of qualified professionals and note the trend towards individuals working as "home tutors" rather than school teachers.

Here is my favorite section of the JESNA report:

Teen Labor. These are the 32% of Jews in Jewish work who first entered the sector through part time or summer jobs held during their high school and college years, and who have continued in Jewish sector work ever since. If we include those who left Jewish work for some period of time before returning, the majority (52%) of Jews working in our six Jewish communities started when they were in high school or college. Most of those who held jobs as teens were camp counselors (35% of all Jewish workers) and/or religious school teachers (27%) and/or youth group advisors (14%). Not many held internships (5%).

We regard this finding as especially significant. Camps, religious schools and youth groups are American Jewry’s primary gateway into Jewish sector work, providing Jewish communities with about half of their Jewish personnel. Although designed as educational venues to socialize children, these organizations have a substantial, perhaps unintended, consequence for American Jewish life through their role as employers of teenagers and young adults.

One idea that I'm increasingly hearing being floated is the creation of a Jewish "Teach For America," that would attract students just out of college to spend a year or two teaching in a Jewish school (Chabad, as usual, is ahead of the curve with their "roving rabbis" shlichut program, which places rabbinical students in various under served Jewish communities). While this idea is quite attractive, it would face a number of significant challenges (besides funding and organization) - most importantly, perhaps: Ensuring that the participants have not only a support network but also a peer network (teaching can be a lonely business, after all).