Big Tent Judaism

If Judaism Fits, Wear it

Much has been said recently about the survey of religious affiliation released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The results point to a constant shifting in the religious make-up of America. Among the findings most widely reported, 44% of those surveyed said they are no longer tied to the faith of their childhood. It’s the folks within this group that JOI is trying to reach. Our mission is to help engage those Jews who have disengaged, and embrace those not raised Jewish who have chosen to embark on the Jewish journey, either as a Jew-by-choice, through interfaith marriage, or by reclaiming the Judaism of their family of descent.

With that in mind, Dana Jennings, an editor at the New York Times, wrote a piece about his own experience as a Jew-by-Choice. He grew up as a Protestant in New Hampshire, but left the faith at a young age. He married a Jewish woman in 1981, raised Jewish children, but didn’t “officially and irrevocably spurn” his Protestant roots until 2004. He explains:

Gradually, I sought, and found, solace, refuge and a way of being in the Judaism of my wife and my sons, found a depth that had been missing from the religion of my childhood.

What won me over to Judaism was the insistence that our sacred texts were still vivid, still alive, the idea that the Torah and the Talmud were meant to be wrestled with, the same way Jacob wrestled with the angel.

But his journey to Judaism wasn’t a “smooth drive down some celestial highway of transcendence,” as he puts it. Along with the internal spiritual struggle, there was the external struggle of acceptance by not only his family, but those in his newly adopted Jewish community. His family accepted his decision, but he noticed it was those closer to his current home who were skeptical, some even wondering if he was Jewish enough.

That raises some important questions for all those who are interested in Judaism. What does it mean to be “Jewish enough?” Jennings, even before he had chosen Judaism as his religion, was living a Jewish life. Does maintaining a Jewish home and raising a Jewish family make you “Jewish enough?” Is a non-practicing Jew more “Jewish” than someone who has embraced Judaism through marriage and family but not yet officially converted? Technically, yes. But the porous nature of religion in America makes dealing only with technicalities—rather than practicalities—a challenge for the organized Jewish community.

We can strengthen the Jewish community by letting all those who are interested in finding Jewish meaning and community know they are welcome. Along with our outreach to unengaged Jews, JOI has started many programs to help guide people as they further their understanding of Judaism – regardless of their status as either a Jew-by-choice or the spouse in an interfaith marriage who has agreed to raise a Jewish family. We have Mothers Circle, Empowering Ruth, and the Big Tent Judaism Coalition, to name a few. They are all free, and most have listserves for those who live in communities where our programs are not yet available.

Jennings has plunged headfirst into Judaism. It is his faith. He ends his article with a quote from the Biblical Ruth, the paradigmatic Jew-by-choice. “Simply put, something deep and beyond articulation moved in my soul. And echoing Ruth in the Bible, I found myself saying to my wife, my sons and my synagogue community, ‘Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.’ And that’s something no survey can measure.”