State of Secular Judaism

In recent conversations with friends about Judaism and Jewish identity, this article will focus on the state of Judaism in both the diaspora and the different elements effecting Jewish identity. This article is just related to non-observant Judaism, as observant jews are able to rally around the central pillars of their communities such as the synagogue with the rabbi as the leading authority. However, the same can not be said for secular and traditional Jews, many of whom have very little affiliation to a central Shule. This article is divided into two parts, one about the status of non-affiliated Jews in Israel and the other is about non-affiliated Jews in the Diaspora, with the contention of looking at whether Judaism without affiliation is sustainable.

The most important part of this is answering the question of whether Jewish traditions and values are worth passing on, and that keeping up a Jewish identity to the following generations is worth while, and not just having continuity for the sake of continuity.

Secular Jewish Identity in Israel

While a poll taken in 2012 states that above 80% of the Jewish population in Israel believe in a God, roughly 40% are self reported secular Jews, and would not consider themselves affiliated to a synagogue despite their belief in a God. The divide between religious and secular has usually been over a belief in god or not, However, the ability to still call oneself secular while still believing in God is achievable now more than ever. While the initial secular movement, which was aligned closely with the pioneering Kibbutz movements, was innately "in your face" anti-religious and threw away several of the traditions their religious counterparts held so dear. The initial movement rejected the need for the central synagogue, or religious beliefs, many in the extreme would also go so far as to work on Shabbat and eat on Yom Kippur. This seemed to die, as there was no longevity in continuing a tradition that was based on being the anti-tradition of something else, and something that over the years grew closer and closer to the Jews who had pioneered the state of Israel.

Today, the secular/religious divide in Israel is a very political topic, which is especially heated over the areas of Religious controlled Laws (such as the laws of Marriage), The Tal Law which exempts religious people from conscription into the Israeli Army, as well as the fact that a large majority of Israel is closed over Friday night and Saturday morning, to respect the Shabbat and that certain roads in Israel are closed, not just on Shabbat but also on the High Holidays. An argument can be made that the concept of Secular Judaism in Israel is dying, and that many of these self reported secular Jews rely on the fact that they live in a Jewish state to make up for the fact that when it comes to understanding traditions or living by Jewish values, in whatever concept they may chose to define it as.

On the other hand, the ability to freely express Judaism in a Jewish state makes secularism a lot easier, and the issues of assimilation less of an issue than it is when living as a secular Jew in the Diaspora. There are some established "religious" Secular centres, such as Secular yeshivas and places of learning Judaism in a non-religious format. Which show the ability for a thriving secular community to exist.

Secular Jewish Identity in the Diaspora

While this article claims to speak of the Diaspora Jewry, my knowledge base is limited to the non-affiliated sections of the Jewish Community in Melbourne, Australia, but I hope that the experiences are relatable to some extent in other secular Jewish communities around the world. However, statistics on non-affiliated Jews in the Diaspora come, as even Jews that may consider themselves to be Secular or at least traditional, may attend a Synagogue for the High Holidays, and they follow the religious traditions when it comes to celebrating shabbat or the other High Holidays. However, there still appear to be large communities of people that consider themselves secular or non-affiliated to a central Synagogue. While some of these people stay connected through family traditions, such as the annual Pesach seder with the family, or a form of Friday night dinner with the family in the place of Shabbat. The notion that these traditions are valuable to the continuing of Jewish identity are questionable at best.

It seems that a large part of this community wouldn't survive without the existence of a larger, somewhat observant section of the Jewish community to grant itself legitimacy of being "Jewish". The notion revolves around an underlying belief that while many people will not follow the laws stated in the various forms of religious Judaism, they still recognise the legitimacy of the Rabbis who lead Jewish congregations, as opposed to creating their own central system revolving around Jewish values, as opposed to revolving around a belief in God and the teachings of the Torah and commentaries.

While this is the majority, it is by no means indicative of the entire Secular Jewish communities, as seen by the leadership of the Secular Jewish Youth Movements, which are able to form itself as a Secular Authority, which does not need to recognise the Synagogues as the only legitimate actualisation of Judaism. However, the issues these movements have is their limited relevance to those involved in the Youth Movement, which excludes many Secular and non-affiliated Jews who are not reached by the Youth Movements, and by those above the age of participation in the Youth Movements. As much as the Youth Movements would like to attract a wider audience of people, outside of fundraising events, but this isn't something that seems to be changing.

Despite all of these aspects, the Jewish identity continues to thrive in the Diaspora, especially as the mere identification of being Jewish makes you more conscious and thinking of what that means. However, without any meaningful expression, or fulfilment of this identity or belief, the chances of either grasping on to religious constructs for the sake of them being there or assimilation grow as slowly but surely people become disenfranchised with a lack of secular options available to them.

Conclusion

While both the Secular community in Israel and the Diaspora face problems and challenges that they must overcome, whether they be the generational disinterest and disillusionment with a lack of secular activity that pushes them to a choice between polar extremes, or a lack of necessary identification and almost lazy participation in tradition that it becomes arbitrary and meaningless. There is nothing to say that these challenges are insurmountable, and that the next generation to lead will be able to continue to grow Jewish culture, both in a religious way and a cultural way.