Did you know that today more salsa is sold in the United States than ketchup? That tortillas are more popular than burger and hot dog buns? According to a recent AP story, tacos and burritos have become so ubiquitously "American," most people don't even consider them ethnic.
We live in a changing world. Within that world we live in the greatest melting pot in history, America.
As Jews, we are certainly thankful to be living in the most free and welcoming country in the history of mankind. We, too, have contributed to the diet of American fare. From bagels to pickles, we have left our mark.
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As we celebrate the integration of numerous cultures into our great United States’ culture, we realize that people no longer consider pizza or pasta to be Italian. They’re simply food, a staple of American eating habits.
What, then, will become of the matzah ball and gefilte fish?
Logic suggests that should they prevail as Jewish food icons, they too will succumb to the adoption into the American cuisine. That’s great news for people like me who are searching supermarket aisles for kosher products. But it might be devastating news for the average American Jew’s grandchild, who likely will grow up thinking it’s just another food.
On second thought, what is so disastrous about that? Do we need our grandchildren to worship bagels and lox like we do? Will they be worse Jews if they don’t eat chicken soup with kneidlach?
That really depends on how we define Jewish life. A recent Pew Research survey reveals some alarming statistics about Jews in America. For example, the study finds that only 15% of American Jews define being Jewish by being of the Jewish religion. 62% define culture as the definition of Jewishness.
What happens to those (almost 2/3! of the) Jewish people when their favorite foods and humor become but one thread lost in the fabric of American society?
Numerous articles have been penned and speeches delivered on this topic in the short period since the study’s release. Most have doom and gloom written all over them. Some suggest radical changes to save Jewish life as we know it today. Others promote embracing American society and recognizing that Jewish life will never be the same. Some Orthodox scholars, are pulling out the told-you-so placards to demonstrate that Jewish life can only succeed if we reject American culture.
I, however, believe that this newfound information that young Jews don’t want to affiliate is – in a way – great news. And the action points are simply ‘none of the above.’
How, you may wonder, can a rabbi see a silver lining in so dire a set of statistics?
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When Avraham was instructed by G-d to leave his homeland and travel to a new land, he had many choices. He arrived in Canaan and was immediately labeled the Ivri, meaning the guy from the other side of the river – a foreigner. He could have recognized his minority status and began the lengthy task that most immigrants undertake, acclimating to his new environment. He could have fought back against the people of the land or segregated himself from their negative influences.
Instead, this week’s parsha tells us, that he set up an inn and he called there in the name of the L-rd, the G-d of the world. Avraham did not fight the culture around him. He simply emphasized the values and practices of the monotheistic faith that he fathered. When facing abounding darkness, he simply added light.
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If we wish to secure the Jewish future of our grandchildren, it will not happen by serving an extra helping of gefilte fish. It’s time to remember that synagogue membership and kugel have never kept us faithful to Judaism – they are the result of our faithfulness.
The central tenets of the Torah – namely the commandments of how we behave between man and G-d and between man and his fellow – have maintained us for generations. They are the key to our future.
When young Jews reject communal Judaism today, it is my fervent hope and belief that they are looking for something deeper and more meaningful.
I enjoy shawarma, schmaltz herring and schug – but I do realize that adding light – Torah and mitzvot – is the only recipe to make this world the place that G-d wants it to be.