The "Israel Problem" (Jewish History Blog Assignment)

Over the course of this semester, our Jewish History class has debated about what it means to be Jewish and how American Jews differ from Israeli Jews. At the end of every debate, we never seem to be able to find a concrete answer to either of these questions. However, this article talks about similar issues and states some of the same things that students in our class have pointed out. For example, the article discusses the problem with being a Jew from an intermarried family; the child has a less likely chance of continuing the Jewish traditions and following Jewish values when he or she grows up and raises a family of their own. Similarly, second generation (and those that follow) American Jews have inevitably assimilated into American society simply because it's difficult to strictly follow Halachah (Jewish law) in a society that doesn't base their economy on such rules. In class, we have discussed this issue before and I always argue the same point: I will never strictly keep Shabbat because I have a job that requires me to work on the weekends and I must drive my car in order to get to my job. Out of all reasons to not keep Shabbat, I feel as though this is the most practical and relatable. American Jews are surely assimilated, and that is why we differ from Israeli Jews. If America all of a sudden passed a law that said stores are not allowed to be open from Friday night until Saturday night, that would most likely anger more people than it would satisfy given that Jews are a minority in the United States. However, most of Israel follows this custom and that is part of their cultural society. Now, with these differences between American and Israeli Jews, it is important for American Jews to do something that is identifiable as Jewish. Of course what must and mustn't be followed is a controversial topic, but I think it's wrong for someone from an intermarried family to walk around saying, "I'm Jewish" when they don't even know the first thing about the history of the Jewish people or the blessing over the Shabbat candles. Therefore, American Jews must strive to educate those who don't already know about our people's history if we want American Jewry to survive.

Article link:
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-israel-problem/