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Shalom Freedman is an American-born writer on Jewish subjects who has lived and worked in Israel for many years. His book, , was recently been published by Urim Books.
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By Shalom Freedman
October 10, 2002
The publication on October 8 of the World Jewish Population Study's report on the demographic situation of American Jewry will no doubt intensify the ringing of alarm bells for Jewish leaders worldwide. These alarm bells seriously began ringing with the 1990 study and its fifty-two percent intermarriage figure. The basic findings of the study confirm what mainline Jewish demographers have been saying for some time, not only about American Jewry but about Diaspora Jewry in general. The Jewish population everywhere is aging and not reproducing itself. The number of Jews is declining seriously in proportion to the general population
The real question for World Jewry, and especially for Israel, is the strength of the American Jewish community. Here the opposing view of demographer Gary Tobin, who puts the number of American Jews at 6.7 million with another nearly seven million having some Jewish connection or affiliation, bears being given consideration. The institutional and organizational strength of American Jewish may need to be propped up by those who identify themselves with Jewish causes, though they are not halachically or religiously Jewish.
However the Jewish community maneuvers to maintain its political weight and confront its demographic decline, the trend is frightening when compared to the rapid growth of what unfortunately has become its major rival. Whether we like it or not, most of the Islamic people throughout the world define themselves as enemies of the 'Zionist entity.' Growing Islamic populations in the Western world, and most especially in Western Europe, have revived and intensified not only anti-Israel feeling, but anti-Semitism in general.
The Islamic population almost everywhere in the world is younger than average, and growing rapidly. This is true not only in the United States, but also where it is most significant for Jewish life - in Israel itself. What can be expected in the near and medium-range future are more dynamic Islamic communities confronting aging and less vigorous Jewish communities.
The Islamic world, as a whole, suffers from an absence of democracy, poor educational systems, and backwardness with regards to women's rights. This is in sharp contrast to the Jewish world, which on the whole has been at the forefront in all that relates to issues of education, democracy and equal rights for women. The Jewish world has had the advantage of much greater development of its human resources. But this situation can change as the majority of Jews age, while increasing numbers of Muslims find their places working and participating in, and contributing to Western societies.
Israel has somewhat been able to balance the higher Islamic growth rate in the country with the influx of new immigrants making aliyah. But this solution is becoming more and more problematic as increasing numbers of new immigrants are found not to be Jewish at all. And it is also problematic because of the declining pool of potential immigrants among the Jews of the world.
One possible answer for Israel could be within the framework of a political settlement. Suggestions have been made to cede densely populated areas which are homes to Israeli Arabs, such as the Triangle area, to some kind of Arab or Palestinian entity. This kind of solution bears with it great dangers, is not realistically being considered, and does not basically solve the demographic problem. Throughout the land of Israel, the Islamic population is increasing more rapidly than the Jewish one.
Recently there has been more and more talk encouraging Jews to actively pursue proselytization, especially with regard to communities in various parts of the world whose members consider themselves Jews, but who need to undertake a learning and conversion process. The numbers of those actually converted by people like Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail, the pioneer in the field, are extremely small, and this seems an unlikely answer to the problem.
At the moment, the situation is problematic, and it is likely to grow increasingly problematic in the years and decades ahead. Perhaps the saving factor in the situation will be a return to religious practice by more and more of the Jewish people, and with this an increase in the size of Jewish families. Perhaps the fact that the State of Israel is still adding seventy to eighty thousand Jews to its population each year is a sign that not all forebodes demographic doom for the future.
But the problems and questions are real and there is much work for Jewish thinkers, communal leaders, and Jews who care. World Jewry must actively seek and find ways of strengthening the community's ability to survive in the future.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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