Abstract
Discussion of the Pew report is framed around the evolutionary nature of Jewish civilization and the fears that Jews have historically had of disappearing, harking back to the destruction of the first Temple in biblical times. The insularity of Orthodox Judaism is described as a double edged sword—both contributing to its strength, but also leading to possible disaffiliation.
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Notes
- 1.
Those who are now referred to as “the Jews” trace their origins to these ancient Israelites.
- 2.
This timing is based on Jackson Spielvogel’s Western Civilization (Spielvogel 2000).
References
Davidman, L. 1991. Tradition in a rootless world: Women turn to Orthodox Judaism. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Davidman, L. 2015. Becoming un-Orthodox: Stories of ex-Haredi Jews. New York: Oxford University Press.
Pew Research Center. 2013. A portrait of Jewish Americans: Findings from a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Jews. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.
Pew Research Center. 2015. A portrait of American Orthodox Jews. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.
Rawidowicz, S. 1986. Israel, the ever-dying people and other essays. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.
Spielvogel, J.J. 2000. Western civilization. Belmont: Wadsworth.
Wuthnow, R. 2015. Inventing American religion: Polls, surveys, and the tenuous quest for a nation’s faith. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press.
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Davidman, L. (2017). Jews: The Ever Dying, Ever Renewing, People. In: Dashefsky, A., Sheskin, I. (eds) American Jewish Year Book 2016. American Jewish Year Book, vol 116. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46122-9_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46122-9_5
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