Who Is a Jew, U.S. Edition

The best demographers attempting to tally the number of Jews in the United States have failed. Christianity and Judaism have turned into a religious salad in which neither is able to isolate its components.

Demographers have a defined role: They must count people. Accordingly, demographers of American Judaism also have a defined role: to count American Jews. Thus far, everything is clear and agreed upon. From here onward — divided.

Earlier this week, the leading demographers of American Judaism — along with a few sociologists, historians and community leaders — gathered for two days of discussions at Brandeis University. They do not know how many Jews there are in America. They have no idea because they have no idea whom to count. And no one is helping them.

The umbrella organization of the federations, which was left critical and divided after the last national census of American Judaism 10 years ago, chose a winning strategy: to stop counting. If no one counts, there is nothing to argue over. On the other hand, if you do not count, you also do not know. How many Jews are there? Who are they, and what are they doing? What defines them as Jews and why? We can only hope that at some point they will resume counting.

Here is an example of a question on which we must decide an approach: Is Judaism a matter of belief (in the right god), behavior (observing Yom Kippur), lineage (Jewish parents) or personal choice (I am a Jew)? Each of these definitions will change the number of Jews and will redraw the borders of the community.

Debra Kaufman of Northwestern University* gave an example of the difficulties presented by modern America to the mappers of these borders: An American young adult often identifies as Jewish primarily through a scheduled meeting, every Friday evening, with friends. They gather, talk and mostly sing. It’s a nice tradition.

And at the end of every such meeting, the closing hymn is “Amazing Grace.” “When he hears ‘Amazing Grace’ he thinks of the Sabbath,”** Kaufman summarizes to those present. “Amazing Grace” is a well-known hymn in the Christian tradition. And this is part of the Judaism of this young man. “I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind, but now I see.”

“Tell me the parameters surrounding your group of Jews, and I’ll tell you who they are.”

There are many Jews in America who act similarly to those in Israel. A Seder on Passover, honey at Rosh Hashanah, candles throughout Hanukkah. And there are many who don’t. As much as a quarter — a quarter! — of all American Jews go to the services of other religions as well. This is not the case in Israel.

Alan Cooperman of the Pew Research Center, who presented the data, revealed that something like a fourth of Americans also believe that there are “spiritual” powers in trees, mountains or crystals. In this way, they are apparently more similar to us. But we must always remember that “Jewish Americans” are more similar to Americans than they are to Jews — that is their immediate, daily exposure. This raises interesting questions in this area of research: For instance, can one compare Jews from here and there? Is there any meaning to such a comparison?

Charles Kadushin reminds us that different groups respond differently to the same research questions because the experiences and ties of the responder are different. To light a Hanukkah candle in Israel and then in America is in fact not the same tradition. There is a different source — a different connection (by the way, Jewish Americans light candles for religious reasons much more than practitioners of other religions).

If we can return to the story of “Amazing Grace”: To sing a Christian hymn in Israel and to sing such a hymn in America is also nothing alike. The context is key. So who is Jewish in America? Or a “Jew” in America.

There are all sorts of “Jews” of different strains that answer to different, changing and slippery definitions. Tell me how you define the group, and I’ll tell you who your Jews are. For researchers, this adds more layers to the issue. For political leaders and policymakers, it only deepens the complication.

*Editor’s Note: This information is accurately translated from the original text. However, Debra Kaufman is a professor of sociology at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

**Editor’s Note: This quote, accurately translated, could not be verified.