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To See Ourselves as
Others See Us
April 2008
From the Desk of Rabbi Cohon
Do you know which religious denomination in the United
States of America has the highest positive ratings among Americans?
You may be surprised.
Recent surveys of American national attitudes towards the participants in
various religious groups show remarkable things. The religious group
-- a cult, really -- that gets the lowest approval rating, and into which
the fewest people want to have their children marry, is Scientology, which
less than 10% of Americans approve of -- thanks, Tom Cruise...
Next lowest in the approval ratings is Islam, not
surprisingly, although unfairly, with a 19% approval rating. Slightly ahead
in the approval rating—but still with higher disapproval than approval
ratings—come the Mormons at 20% or so. Evangelical Christians rank higher
in approval than the Mormons at 35% or so. Most main-line Protestant
denominations cluster from 35-45%, and Catholics have the approval of the
majority of Americans at 50%. A couple of inoffensive Protestant
denominations, like Methodists, are slightly higher still, in the 55%
approval neighborhood.
Now which religious group do you think has the highest
approval ratings in America these days?
The Jews. Us. In one survey 64% of Americans have
positive feelings about Jews.
I suspect that’s a higher rating than we would ever
give ourselves.
This marks an astonishing transformation. Seventy years
ago public anti-Semitism was ubiquitous in America, led by Father Coughln,
funded by Henry Ford, and championed by Charles Lindbergh, among many
others. Forty-five years ago most country clubs didn’t allow Jews—including
the Tucson Country Club—and many neighborhoods, including El Encanto, didn’t
either. There were quotas on Jews at every top university in the country,
not to mention every medical and law school of any quality. For that matter,
you couldn’t book a room at the Arizona Inn or Lodge on the Desert as a
Jew.
And today? We are now, unofficially, the best-regarded
religious group in America. Jews outscore Methodists, for goodness’
sake. Do we need more evidence of our acceptance? We Jews are, in comparison
with nearly any other group, better educated, socio-economically successful
(in spite of the current economic doldrums of our country), and prominent in
every walk of life, from business to politics to entertainment to medicine
to academia.
In Jewish history there have been a few golden ages—the
Babylon of the Talmud and Medieval Spain come to mind—in the long
narrative of oppression and persecution. But it has probably never been
better for Jews anywhere in the world, ever, than it is for us here in
America today.
Now come the hard parts: first, accepting that truth;
and, second, avoiding the American danger of being, well, loved to death.
Many Jews—not you, of course, but many Jews—retain a
negative view of Jewishness and of Jewish observance. While other groups now
sing our praises and accept the integrity of our religion, our own folks
seem less inclined to embrace their own Jewish identities. The notion of
attending services regularly or studying Torah regularly is alien to the
majority of contemporary Jews—even those who belong to synagogues.
The irony is obvious. Among others we are accepted,
possibly cool—even, in strange ways like the Kabbalah movement, and faux-bar
mitzvah parties for non-Jewish kids, trendy. But to ourselves? We are not so
quick to cast aside our negative self-image. Immersed in a consumerist and
transient culture, Judaism’s eternal values seem less important and
interesting than the latest workout fad or attending a mediocre sporting
event or concert, or participating in yet another political election
campaign.
This is not just unfortunate, but wrong. Our tradition is
a spectacular resource of meaning and beauty, a remarkable wealth of
spiritual depth and inspiration, a powerful treasury of ethics and morality.
All it takes to access this is coming to Temple, attending a service,
praying, joining Torah Study, bringing your child to Tot Kabbalat Shabbat,
creating a meaningful contemporary Seder, reading and discussing a good
Jewish book, even listening to a Jewish radio show podcast…
Won’t you take advantage of the opportunity to live
your positive Judaism in a meaningful way? In this month of Passover, the
festival of freedom and self-determination, I urge you to make the choice to
live your Jewish identity proudly, actively, and meaningfully.
L’shalom v’rei’ut, in peace and friendship,
Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon
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