Saving American Jewry

Over 70% of non Orthodox Jews marry out of the faith

I have noted in the not-too-distant past that the non-Orthodox Jewish world—at least those concerned with Jewish continuity—has come to recognize a critical truth: the key to survival is Jewish education.

For Orthodox Jews, this is hardly a revelation. We have long understood that without serious Jewish education, our future is in jeopardy. The huge and  growing number of non-Orthodox Jews abandoning Judaism only reinforces that reality.

That troubling trend has prompted heterodox leaders to search for solutions. But reversing a decades-long drift away from Judaism is no simple task. Many of the proposed remedies, while well-intentioned, feel more aspirational than actionable.

Acknowledging the importance of education - something clearly demonstrated by the success of Orthodox day schools - is one thing. Replicating that success across the broader American Jewish landscape is quite another. And despite sincere efforts, heterodoxy has largely fallen short.

The clearest example is the decline of the Solomon Schechter school system, once seen as the crown jewel of Conservative Jewish education. Today, it is a shadow of its former self. Even in New York City, home to the largest Jewish population in the country.

The reasons are not hard to identify. Day school tuition that emphasizes academic excellence is prohibitively expensive, especially when public education is free. And for many non-Orthodox families, academic excellence takes precedence over religious commitment.

But the challenge runs deeper than cost or curriculum... 

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