Day School Affordability

Rabbi Shmuly Yankolowitz writes in an article this week in The Jewish Journal about the affordability of day schools.

According to Yanklowitz, "Rising school costs along with a continuing recession have combined to create a crisis in the survival of Jewish day schools."  In his opinion, "The day school system is potentially the most powerful way of educating, empowering, and activating our Jewish youth base to grow as global Jewish leaders, and is therefore crucial to the future of the Jewish community."

Read the full text of the article here, then join us on December 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester as they co-sponsor a community forum on day school affordability in conjunction with the New York State Catholic Conference, UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Education Project, the Office of the Superintendant of Schools for the Archdiocese of New York, and the Westchester Jewish Council.

RSVP for the event by emailing Deb Merola.

A Shema to Share

Many thanks to Rabbi Mark Sameth from Pleasantville Community Synagogue for bringing this video to our attention.  Listen to Anna Brooks from Temple Israel of West Bloomfield, Michigan as she performs her new version of the Shema, then share it with a friend.

Win Two Tickets to A Night of Music and Joy!

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but today there is such a thing as two free tickets...

In case you haven't heard, on Saturday, November 17th we will be presenting A Night of Music and Joy in conjunction with Kol Hazzanim/the Cantors of Westchester at Temple Israel Center of White Plains.  (For complete event details, click here.)

Interested in winning two free tickets to this amazing event?  Leave a comment (below) on our blog letting us know your favorite Jewish song or piece of Jewish music, then sign up (to the right) to receive blog updates via email.

We're giving you a little more than 48 hours - until 5 p.m. on Friday, October 19th - then we'll randomly select a name from all of our blog subscribers and notify the winner!

Already a subscriber?  Terrific (and thank you)!  We'll automatically enter you in the drawing.

Already have your tickets?  Enter anyway and use the winning tickets to bring two friends!

Good luck.

B'nai Mitzvah Blues?

In a New York Times article, author Bruce Feiler reports on a new trend in B'nai Mitzvah preparation:  teaching children how to behave during the service and at the party.

What are we seeing here in Westchester?  Are centerpieces being routinely dismantled, as the article suggests?  Or are we fortunate enough to have the only well-behaved thirteen year olds in the nation?  And if we do have a similar issue here, do you think the problem needs to be addressed by the parents or by the schools?

Read the complete article here, then let us know what you think.  And while you're browsing, stop in for a visit with Alia Ramer at Our Tribe and Joy, whose original blog post kicked off the article.

Unaffiliated Jews Seek Jewish Expression

A press release issued yesterday by Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring presents some surprising results challenging general beliefs about unaffiliated Jews.

"This group, according to the survey, makes up 16% of Jews in the United States, or about 1 million of the 6 million Jews in the country. These individuals say that being Jewish is very important in their lives and that they actively seek Jewish expression and engagement outside of a synagogue."

Here in Westchester County, the 140+ members of the Westchester Jewish Council offer countless opportunities for Jewish engagement, many of which are listed on our Community Calendar and some of which are highlighted in our bi-weekly newsletter.

If you are looking for way to connect, consider registering for one of the classes being offered by WAJE (Westchester Jewish Adult Education).  From an introduction to Judaism's essentials, to an in-depth study of Torah, Talmud, Ecclesiastes or Job, their courses range from one shot deals to ten week classes.

If you are looking for an evening of music and camaraderie, join us on Saturday, November 17th for A Night of Music and Joy, presented jointly by Kol Hazzanim and the Westchester Jewish Council with grant support from UJA-Federation of New York/Westchester.  The talented Cantors of Westchester will share their rhythm and soul in a program that ranges from traditional to contemporary, Jewish to secular, and rock to rap.

For our member synagogues and organizations, we'd like to know:  what programs or events have you sponsored recently that attracted a large percentage of unaffiliated Jews?  Please leave a comment!

[ETA:  We're so trendy!  Tablet Magazine just published their own piece on this topic.  Read it here.]

The press release, in its entirety, can be read here.

One million unaffiliated Jews are Jewishly engaged

~Workmen’s Circle supported poll reveals intriguing data~

 

NEW YORK. For years there seemed to be two choices in Jewish life: a person was either an observant Jew or a cultural Jew, the type whose Jewish engagement begins and ends with watching Woody Allen movies and noshing on corned beef and rye sandwiches. But a national poll conducted by a team led by Professor Steven M. Cohen for the Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring, a national Jewish cultural, educational and activist organization, reveals that many Jews today fit into another category, that of the engaged and congregationally unaffiliated.

This group, according to the survey, makes up 16% of Jews in the United States, or about 1 million of the 6 million Jews in the country. These individuals say that being Jewish is very important in their lives and that they actively seek Jewish expression and engagement outside of a synagogue. 

These characteristics put them in marked contrast to other categories of non-Orthodox Jews in this extensive study — the engaged and congregationally affiliated, the congregationally affiliated but unengaged (those who join synagogues but rarely attend), and the unengaged and congregationally unaffiliated. 

While the engaged and congregationally unaffiliated are not synagogue members — they typically attend religious services only once or twice a year on average — they still show numerous signs of Jewish engagement. They also tend to be attached to Israel and demonstrate noticeably strong commitments to economic justice and social equality. 

They are also exceptional in their progressive political views. Of note, nearly twice as many of the engaged and congregationally unaffiliated Jews compared to others see economic justice issues as important "to a great extent," identify as pro-labor to a great extent, and see the current federal tax system as unfair. 

Furthermore, these individuals tend not to describe themselves as religious, secular, or anti-religious. Rather, they typically identify themselves as cultural Jews and see their Jewish identity as more fluid than others have in previous generations.  They frequently self-define as “spiritual.” 

Indeed, these Jews are part of a larger national trend, as portrayed in a recent study from the Pew Research Center. According to Pew, one in five Americans do not identify as part of any specific religious denomination. However, many in this group still see themselves as spiritual and say they pray and believe in God. 

“Numbering a million, these Jews represent an opportunity for engagement. Their interests and their distinctiveness make them candidates for a deeper involvement in Jewish life, while their social profile explains some of their tendencies to distance themselves from conventional religious life,” said Cohen. 

Who are the engaged and unaffiliated?

·        As many as 40% are under the age of 35. 

·        They are more concentrated in the western region of the United States, where a third of them live, as compared with just over a fifth of other American Jews. The west is known for low rates of Jewish communal affiliation, while the eastern United States is known for its relatively high rates.

·        Just under half (49%) of the engaged and unaffiliated are married, slightly less than in other Jewish groups. Some18% of them are intermarried and 22% are married to other Jews. They are less likely to have children than other groups.

·        Almost half earn under $50,000.

·        They most often (51%) identify as liberals — more often than any other group in the survey.

How do they engage Jewishly?

·        Most (55%) report that at least half their friends are Jewish. This is somewhat less than among the congregationally affiliated — whether active or not — but substantially more than among those who are unengaged and congregationally unaffiliated.

·        Nearly 3 in 5 fast on Yom Kippur, not that far behind the congregationally affiliated (3 in 4) and substantially ahead of the unengaged and congregationally unaffiliated (1 in 3).

·        Almost half (46%) “at least sometimes” have a special Friday night meal with family and friends.

·        40% say religion is “very important” in their lives.

·        More than any other non-Orthodox group in this study, 56% see themselves as very attached to Israel.

“As this poll demonstrates, there is a real need for a Jewish home for those who do not seek a congregational affiliation. As we in the Workmen's Circle continue updating our learning centers, summer camp and more, we are aiming to provide such a home for the one million Jews who consider themselves engaged but are not synagogue members,” said Madelon Braun, the president of the Workmen’s Circle.

“We are seeing a shift in how American Jews define being Jewish. In the past, those who saw themselves as cultural Jews had a very passive approach to Jewish life. But today they are engaged with Jewish values and look to be part of a Jewish community, although often outside of a congregation. We look forward to creating a community that welcomes this emerging group,” said Ann Toback, national director of the Workmen’s Circle. 

Background on the poll

The poll was commissioned by the Workmen’s Circle / Arbeter Ring. The first part of the poll was released on May 31, 2012.

Principal investigators were Professor Steven M. Cohen of the Berman Jewish-Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner (www.BJPA.org ), and Professor Samuel J. Abrams of Sarah Lawrence College and Stanford University.

The Washington office of IPSOS, under the direction of Dr. Alan Roschwalb, fielded the survey April 19 - May 3, 2012. Respondents included 1,000 American Jews, by Internet, who had previously agreed to participate in social research conducted by IPSOS. The results were weighted to reflect the American Jewish population with respect to age, gender, regional distribution, educational attainment, marital status, intermarriage status, and Jewish parentage (none, one, two parents). 

The survey questions can be found here: www.wcsurvey.org. 

About the Workmen’s Circle

The Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring was founded in 1900 by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who sought to promote values of social and economic justice through a Jewish lens.

Today, the Workmen’s Circle is creating a cultural and progressive Jewish learning movement through the development of a national network of Workmen’s Circle Learning Centers. The WC Learning Centers will be family-oriented complementary schools that will feature a curriculum that is rooted in celebrating Jewish cultural heritage alongside the expression of social ideals in activism.

These WC Learning Centers will serve to build communities of activists through their programs.

The Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that does not support or oppose candidates for political office.

Happy Columbus Day! (Maybe it is a Jewish celebration after all...)

As Columbus Day coincides this year with the end of Sukkot and with Shemini Atzeret, it seems fitting to revisit the question of Christopher Columbus and the possibility that he was Jewish.

Here's an article which you may have missed last May, on the 500th anniversary of Columbus' death, which reviews some of the evidence supporting this claim and an article from the Jewish Virtual Library which examines source documents in the Library of Congress for evidence of Jewish influence on Columbus' voyage.

In a related article published today, Brandeis doctoral student Yoni Appelbaum reflects on the changing nature of the Columbus Day commemoration.

Food for thought...

From SUNY Purchase to Bulletproof Stockings

From The Times of Israel comes news about The Bulletproof Stockings - labeled the first-ever Hasidic alt-rock girl band - and the article mentions a Westchester connection:  Dalia G. Shusterman, a member of the group, was a student at SUNY Purchase.

Read the article here and, if you wish, sample some of their music here.

Meeting Mutual Needs: When Afterschool Meets Hebrew School

In an article published yesterday in The Jewish Week, Julie Wiener covers a growing trend in which Jewish organizations are offering a combination of religious education and afterschool care.

Read the article here, then come back and tell us what you think.

Are Westchester organizations getting requests from families for this service?  Are you providing a similar service already?  And is this only an option in close-knit, urban communities, where children can more easily be transported from school to afterschool than in our car-centric suburban world?

A Stormy Sukkot

It's wet and windy here in Westchester... perhaps in solidarity with our Israeli brethren, who are less accustomed to this type of weather in October than we are.

This article, from Ha'aretz, discusses stormy weather and power outages in Israel, while this one, from The Jerusalem Post, mentions "Rabbi Benny Lau, head of the Ramban synagogue in south Jerusalem and a prominent figure in the national-religious community, [who] said in his sermon Monday morning that the rains on the first night of Succot conveyed definite divine displeasure."

Let's hope for better weather this Thursday, October 4th, when Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff Manor will host the WJCS Sukkot Celebration for Persons with Developmental Disabilities.