{"id":43106,"date":"2012-04-16T16:45:06","date_gmt":"2012-04-17T00:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=43106"},"modified":"2012-04-16T16:47:34","modified_gmt":"2012-04-17T00:47:34","slug":"why-arent-most-jews-orthodox-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=43106","title":{"rendered":"Why Aren’t Most Jews Orthodox II?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I ask an Orthodox rabbi: “Why do you think most Jews are not
\nOrthodox? Is the principal obstacle difficulty or expense or
\nintellectual or moral? And what did you think of the Newsweek top 50 rabbis list<\/a>?”<\/p>\n

Rabbi Ari Kahn<\/a>, author of three books on Torah<\/a> including Echoes of Eden<\/em><\/a>, replies: Most Jews are not Orthodox because their parents are not orthodox. Which pushes the question back at least one possibly 3 or 4 generations.
\nJudaism has had a hard time confronting modernity. If we limit the discussion to the American Ashkenazik experience \u2013 the question could have been posed a hundred years ago, and the answer would be \u2013 the community reflects the individuals who chose to live in America. Prior to World War One, most Jews who arrived on your shores did so not because they were seeking religious freedom, they were seeking better lives. In other words the foundation of the American Jewish community was not a God seeking religious community, if anything, quite the opposite.
\nThose who came between the wars \u2013 or those who survived WW2 and then came \u2013 had a great deal of difficulty communicating old world sensibilities with a new generation, a generation who saw a new world and new opportunity.
\nOrthodoxy was not equipped to compete with the allure of the new modern world. In time a new generation of religious institutions and leaders developed who created a new type of orthodoxy, one which may very well survive and thrive. It has taught adherents that they can have the “American dream” and religion. Unfortunately most adherents do not see Modern Orthodoxy or Centrist Orthodoxy as excellence in two spheres, rather they see it as a compromise. While the leaders may preach and sloganize, the average adherent lacks passion. The unaffiliated Jew or for that matter the Reform or Conservative follower do not see this modern Jew as “authentic”, perhaps the random Chabad shaliach or other chasid, but not the modern orthodox.
\nSo as the Jew on the outside peers in, he\/she see a compromise that lacks authenticity (and often lacks passion) and they see authenticity which is nostalgic but not really a viable option for most.
\nRegarding the list of 50 Rabbis \u2013 being that I live overseas \u2013 I was not expecting to be on the list J – but seriously, it is uneven, and reflects more PR than substance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I ask an Orthodox rabbi: “Why do you think most Jews are not Orthodox? Is the principal obstacle difficulty or expense or intellectual or moral? And what did you think of the Newsweek top 50 rabbis list?” Rabbi Ari Kahn, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,14009],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-orthodoxy","category-r-ari-kahn"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t