Ynet Jews in the United
States are overwhelmingly proud to be Jewish, yet nearly one in five of
them describe themselves as having no religion, according to a Pew
Research Center survey published Tuesday.
The gap is generational, with 32% of Jewish Millenials identifying as Jewish on the basis of ancestry, ethnicity or culture – compared with 93% of Jews born in 1914-27 who identified on the basis of their faith. [...]
"Americans as a whole – not just Jews – increasingly eschew any religious affiliation," with 22% of all Americans identifying with no particular faith, it said.
Nevertheless, 94% of respondents said they were proud to be Jewish, while seven out of 10 felt either very attached or somewhat attached to Israel, a proportion essentially unchanged since the turn of the 21st century, Pew said. [...]
Reform and Conservative Jews (many of whom aren't even halachic Jews) have a 71% intermarriage rate, per the study, and thus are a fast disappearing demographic.
ReplyDeleteMost Jews in North America see being Jewish as an ethnic identity with a side order of religion. That's why non-religious Jews can be inter-married yet feel proud of their Judaism and still remain attached to Israel. After all, Italians don't feel bad when they "marry out" and wax nostalgically about life back in Italy so why should they?
ReplyDeleteA good chunk of Reform and Conservative religion members are halachicly gentiles.
ReplyDeleteSome examples are those they convert, their converts offspring, their children of mixed marriages with a gentile mother.
In any event there is little difference between being a Reform or Conservative religion adherent or being secular and unattached to any religion. In fact, it is preferable to being attached to no religion than being a member of a Reform or Conservative congregation, as the Reform and Conservative religions are heretical to Judaism. Even entering their houses of worship if forbidden under Jewish Law.