Jew Vs Jew : The Struggle For The Soul Of American Jewry

Rating:
Summary: Splendid!
Review: Freedman explores the foremost in what is affecting Jews today. His stories, his words, and his writing are all excellent. I recommend this to anyone curious about the current state of Jews in relation to one another. Brilliant book!

Rating:
Summary: Jew vs. Jew - An important, if limited, study
Review: Freedman presents a very interesting, worthwhile study of modern American Jewish development. His style is clear and the book is beautifully structured. Attempts are made to analyse the prevailing and underlying issues surrounding topical issues in the Jewish USA, many of which have interesting parallels in the UK community. I found this book easy to read, and very enjoyable for its humour, clarity and unbiased scholarship.

Some reviews have called this book a "definitive study", which cannot be the case, since huge areas of Jewish life are left alone by this one volume; however, there is surely room for expansion, and a sequel of sorts would certainly be received graciously by me! There are areas where greater depth may have been appropriate, but for the most part, a sensible level of thought has been articulated.

Perhaps most importantly, this book will serve as an insight to both Jews and non-Jews into the challenges and conflicts which have faced and doubtless will face the Jewish community, both in the USA and in the rest of the world, in the last few years and in the next few. Particularly interesting are Freedman's "predictions", specifically his prediction of the demise of "modern orthodoxy" into Conservatism.

In short, read the book, and see if you agree.

Rating:
Summary: Perceptive look at American Jews at the right moment
Review: I read this book in 2001 on the recommendation of a friend and just reread it. For this generation of American Jews, post-Boomer, post-post WWII, it's the closest thing to a definitive study that we'll probably have. The last chapter is the heart of Freedman's argument, but it won't make sense unless you read the previous chapters. Some reviewers criticize Freedman's journalistic format, but within the limitations of the genre, he's done an excellent job. He has the big picture right: American Jews are splitting up into factions or sects, and the broad "center" of American Jewish life, defined by secular "Jewishness" and the marginalization of religion, is in decline. I see that here in Boston, where the secular Jewish agencies now define themselves in overtly religious ways unthinkable 30 years ago. This definition attracts and keeps the "affiliated," but inevitably puzzles and alienates the "periphery" or "just Jews," as Freedman calls them.

One of the things that strikes me more now is his secondary point about the impact these changes are having on American life. Secular "Jewishness" led American Jews into passionate involvement in politics and culture during the last century and hugely disproportionate influence on the rise of a modern, pluralist America and its public institutions like the welfare state, civil rights, and public schools. In the last 30 years, these institutions have been on the ropes, and it's safe to say that New Deal liberalism is dying. As American Jews split into the affiliated and the periphery and the affiliated withdraw somewhat from American public life, does it not imply that much of the energy and passion that went into American liberalism is no longer there? I don't know what's cause and effect, so I'm speculating. Secular Jewish life in the 1990s, before the new eruption of war in Israel, was shaped by a nostalgia for the heyday of liberalism and an obsession with the Holocaust and antisemitism. Both grow out of a fear of assimilation. Non-American reviewers might not see what I mean here, have but the American ones, Jews and non-Jews, will understand. Since September 2000, of course, much has changed.

The ultimate point here is that diaspora Jewish life since the late 19th century has been defined by a search for some cultural or political substitute for religious identity. That search has failed, although the search for acceptance and assimilation in America has succeeded beyond what anyone could have imagined a century ago. Boise and Jacksonville eat bagels and watch Seinfeld. You can't lead a "culturally" Jewish life with that degree of cultural interpenetration. Religion and/or moving to Israel are the only viable alternatives.

Rating:
Summary: "Aren't We Interesting" is the Subtext..
Review: In "Jew vs, Jew," Samuel Freedman has something to say, and overall says it well, but still I recommend that you take this book with a large grain (maybe even a pillar!) of salt. For instance, Freedman argues that the "Orthodox model" has "triumphed," but at the same time there is evidence (which he doesn't cite) that enrollment of non-orthodox Jewish children at Jewish Day Schools is booming. Also, as Freedman himself acknowledges (in the last line of the book -- "the only ones fighting are the only ones left who care"), the vast majority of Jewish-Americans (especially the "just Jews" group, as Freedman calls them) are NOT involved in this "struggle for the soul of American Jewry." What about all those people? And what are the implications of the fact that most of these people are proceeding with their lives regardless of what the Orthodox "establishment" thinks about them? Is Freedman writing off half (or more) of the American Jewish population, or is he just not interested? Examples like this make me feel that although "Jew vs. Jew" is well-written (in a journalistic style), it somehow is missing the forest for the trees, and also that it lacks rigor - i.e., hard evidence and an analytical framework to put all the anecdotes (interesting though they may be) in some sort of intellectual context.

Three other criticisms of "Jew vs. Jew." First, Freedman claims (ambitiously) to be painting a picture of "the soul of American Jewry" today. But does Freedman really believe that there IS one "soul" and one "American Jewry" - or should be -- in such a large, diverse population? Second, Freedman argues that, in America, Jews are being "loved to death," and that this is a bad thing. But wait a second...isn't it GOOD that anti-Semitism has declined to the lunatic fringe? And, is it really soooo bad that, given the freedom to do so, different Jews will chart their own course towards God and religious expression? What's wrong with having a whole range of Jews - from politically and socially liberal, secular humanists to politically and socially conservative, ultra-Orthodox - out there, anyway? Christianity has that, and it seems to be doing just fine! And Freedman never explains why, just because Jews are a minority in America, they are doomed to fail. What about the explosive growth of other religious minorities in America (Mormons, Muslims, etc.)? Finally, Freedman seems to ignore the fact that much of the conflict he cites regarding Jews in America is really about power and money. How about some honest discussion about fears and prejudices among non-Orthodox, suburban Jews, who fear that an influx of Orthodox Jews will overwhelm their town, hurt their schools, and perhaps drive down their property values?

It's not that I think Freedman is totally off base in what he has to say - indeed, the liberal, secular, Zionist Camp Kinderwelt IS dead, and the ultra-Orthodox Kiryas Joel IS thriving. Also, there's no doubt that intermarriage rates are very high, probably over 50%, and that many (most?) of the offspring from these marriages are not being raised Jewish in any meaningful sense. It's also definitely true that there ARE passionate disagreements between Jews - just as with all other groups of people (Christians, for instance). But Freedman never really explains how arguments within the Jewish community are NECESSARILY a bad thing. Would Freedman really prefer a monolithic community or one in which arguments are suppressed?

Anyway, in my opinion Freedman's book really should be subtitled: "These are the kind of problems you WANT to have!" For one of the first times in history, Jews have nearly complete freedom, and lack of anti-Semitic persecution, in a majority non-Jewish country, and to all that I say: mazel tov! The question now is whether Judaism - in all its manifestations - can adapt and compete in the free marketplace of ideas that is America. True, Camp Kinderwelt itself may be dead, and its liberal, Zionist, secular orientation on the wane at the moment, but something tells me that it's not the end of the story quite yet. The Jews - however they are defined -- have been written off many times, but somehow are still around. Camp Kinderwelt is dead...long live Camp Kinderwelt!

Rating:
Summary: Well written, informative book with great epilogue
Review: In this very well written book, Freedman presents conflicts in modern American Jewry - Orthodoxy vs. Reform, Intermarriage, Orthodoxy vs. Orthodoxy, Who is a Jew, Feminism - by detailing a specific incident without editorial comment. For example, in the chapter discussing "Who Defines Orthodoxy?" he presents the history and players in the case of the five Orthodox Jews who sued Yale over forcing them to live in a mixed dormitory.

Freedman's understanding of Judaism and modern society is impressive, especially since we grew up in the same town (his brother was my classmate) and I know that he personally did not have much of a Jewish upbringing. In the epilogue, however, he does something that few writers today will do - he makes predictions - for the future of the Jewish community in America.

First, he says, the Orthodox model of religion has won. Not Orthodoxy the denomination, but rather the structure of a community of believers oriented around a religion. Secular Judaism is disappearing because it relied on an outside pressure (anti-Semitism, small numbers, Israel, Holocaust, etc) that is either gone or going away. (This, by the way, explains the enormous popularity of Holocaust-related institutions -films, organizations, memorials, books, university studies. Did you know that the Simon Weisenthal Center has the largest membership of any group in America today?) Orthodoxy, on the other hand, is surging precisely because the restrictions bounding it in today's society have been removed.

So what will be the future denominations in Judaism? (what follows is my understanding of Freedman's book and not necessarily his presentation) Freedman postulates four new groups: 1) Haredi - this will constitute all of Orthodoxy. Various factions (Hasidic, Lithuanian, Mitnagdish) have more or less merged as internal divisions weakened compared to divisions against the non-Orthodox. Modern and left-wing Orthodox will disappear. 2) Conservadox Conservative movement will join as refugees from their prospective denominations. (I think the UTJ is the birth pangs of this new movement), Freedman predicts the feminist revolution that has spread to the women in these two groups will not be stoppable. 3) Reformative - The issues of homosexuality, like the issue of feminism 25 years ago, will rupture the Conservative movement (as well as an increasing ignorant Conservative membership) and most of it will join with the Reform movement. This movement will be ritually more conservative but socially as progressive. 4) Just Jews - Half of all American Jews are unaffiliated. Many Jews will be driven off by the growing ritual conservatism of the Reform movement and simply go away. The ethnic ties that kept the last generation of secular Jews intact (Yiddish, Jewish summer camp, corned beef on rye) will no longer work.

Thinking through these ideas, I realized that what really separates these four new denominations is the per cent mixture of Judaism with the outside world. By outside world, I mean the prevailing culture - socially, politically, culturally, sometimes economic. This led me to make up the following chart defining these four groups:

Haredi 100% Judaism 0% Outside Jews

Conservadox 75% Judaism 25% Outside Jewish Americans

Reformative 25% Judaism 75% Outside American Jews

Just Jews 0% Judaism 100% Outside Americans

One last thought (also my own): I have always wondered what kept the Jews alive throughout the ages. Looking at history and comparing it to this chart, I think the answer is the second row, where the group is mostly Jewish but has some percentage from the outside world. After all, it was largely Babylonian Jewry that kept the Jews alive and the Babylonian Jews were an active part of Babylonian culture, although they largely kept to themselves. In the medieval period, Ashkenazic (European) Jews were the most successful at survival and they too were participants in European culture.

Rating:
Summary: Bad Writing, Above Average Reporting
Review: Please delete the existing review. I did not write it. There has been some mix-up. The original reviewer says that he was from connecticut. I am uncertain how this mix-up could have occurred.

Rating:
Summary: A Hack novel, 70% filler. nothing more
Review: This book is about tells you about one type of Jew-EUROPEAN! All Jews mentioned here are of GERMAN/RUSSIAN/ROMANIAN/LITHUANIAN/POLISH origin. What about all the other big Jewish group in the US, the SEPHARDIC community (Yemen, Uzbekestan, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Ethiopia). Not all Jews eat corned beef and wear beards. Some look just like the Arabs.
The truth is, religion in America is changing. The Catholic church is no longer immune to allegations of child abuse, women are being ordained as priests in England, and in Synagogues women are demanding a bigger role than before. This book is good only for insomniacs and people on long distance Greyhound trips.

Rating:
Summary: I can't wait until we discuss this at our Book Club!
Review: This book is basically a collection of magazine articles without much in common except that they involve some kind of intra-Jewish disagreement. Like a magazine article, it is thankfully a quick read; I finished reading it in five or six hours (about as much as it deserves).

On balance, I didn't react as violently (either pro or con) as some other reviewers did. Generally, the stories were mildly interesting. I think Friedman tries to be fair-minded, though there are a couple of biases that I think don't make sense outside the nation's most Jewish cities. Perhaps because he lives in NYC (the nation's most Jewish city), he overestimates the severity of Orthodox/non-Orthodox infighting; for example, he focuses on a bitter Orthodox vs. non-Orthodox zoning dispute in a Cleveland suburb which I subject is almost unprecedented outside the biggest cities, for the simple reason that very few places outside NYC are 80% Jewish (as the suburb in question was). Also, he has weirdly pessimistic about modern Orthodoxy, virtually predicting its extinction (perhaps because of NYC's huge Hasidic population). In Atlanta, where I live, modern Orthodoxy seems to be on the proverbial move, other forms of Orthodoxy are barely noticeable to anyone outside the Orthodox community (except for Chabad, which seems to get on OK with everyone) and the various types of Jews go about their business and don't bother each other.

Rating:
Summary: What is a Jew? Is a question that needs more books like this
Review: What is a Jew? Is a question that needs more books like this to help us answer. Unlike lots of people it seems, I have neve been able to finish a book I didn't like. Jew vs. Jew is a good book that tells a story of a fragmenting faith over the last 100 years through the eyes of real people. It's fascinating. Imagine a world where the Catholic church refused to even acknowledge that any other form of christianity was viable, in fact not christian in any way. This is what some elements of Orthodoxy argue about Reform and Conservative Jews that they are not Jews. No matter which side of the fence you are on this is a fascinating story and this book tells it well.