Modern Jewish Identities

Dear Colleagues,

It is too soon to tell whether Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli military’s ongoing reprisals against Gaza, will transform modern Jewish identities. At least for now, it appears that the current war has exacerbated longstanding divisions while amplifying trends toward denominational consolidation that have been around since at least the new millennium.

The editors of this Special Issue of Religions, which explores “Modern Jewish Identities,” have identified four overlapping topics that illustrate ongoing trends. First is the relationship between the modern state of Israel and Diaspora Jewry, especially in the United States. Scholars have long observed that Zionism and Holocaust commemoration function as de facto civil religions for the American Jewish community. How does the sacralization of Jewish tragedy and triumph reinforce secular Jewish identity, both historically and today? Are Jewish challenges to modern Zionism, which have grown especially strong amongst young Jews, reflections of an alternative Jewish civil religion? What role does Judaism as religion play in these divisions? As culture?

Second is the matter of the denominational divide in American Judaism. In recent decades, the Orthodox have become increasingly endogenous, adopting very conservative preferences in terms of halakha and women’s and LGBTQ rights. At the same time, however, the differences between the other major U.S. denominations—namely, Conservative and Reform—are fading. On the one hand, Conservative Jews have begun to embrace an emerging consensus that recognizes both intermarriage and patrilineal descent. On the other hand, the Reform movement is increasingly returning to a more traditional worship service. These patterns raise questions about which branches of Judaism carry the most legitimacy: the Orthodox or everybody else? And what is the future of Jewish denominationalism?

The third topic that now defines the American Jewish experience centers on the growing number of converts to the religion, including people doing so for personal reasons, rather than because of marriage. This includes queer individuals attracted to more progressive denominations—which appear quite distinct from U.S. evangelical Christianity—as well as increasing numbers of non-white people. Furthermore, the latter are part of a larger process: After more than a century of hegemony, the near-automatic association of Jews with whiteness is finally beginning to break down, as Sephardic Jews, Mizrachi Jews, and Jews from outside of Central and Eastern Europe affirm themselves in Jewish spaces. In effect, the Ashkenormative secular Yiddishkeit that is popular among some progressive Jews is being seriously challenged. This may be indicative of a shift away from secular or cultural Jewishness to a more religiously oriented Judaism.

Finally, there is the matter of increasing global antisemitism. Much of the debate about this phenomenon has centered on whether antisemitism is coming from the right or left. But a less frequently posed question is how increased antisemitism, or at least the perception of increased antisemitism, shapes modern Jewish identities. How is antisemitism received by different denominations? How is it received in the United States versus Israel? Among Jews by birth and Jews by choice? Among white Jews and non-white Jews? Is the current perception of a wave of antisemitism fostering novel Jewish identities?

Our Special Issue invites scholars of diverse disciplinary perspectives to examine elements of these topics. We are looking for research articles based on primary source and data analysis that explore how Modern Jewish Identities are presently being transformed. Thus, we hope to begin to pose answers to the following question: What is a modern Jewish identity in the 2020s?

Dr. Daniel Bessner
Dr. David Weinfeld
Guest Editors

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• Judaism/Jews/Jewish
• Zionism
• diaspora
• assimilation
• denominationalism