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Page 6 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE December 5, 1986
Silberman brings bad news, good news
by Carolyn Cold
The Jewish people have an
obsessive capacity to find a cloud
in every silver lining. This is how
Charles E. Silberman describes
the Jew ish psyche even in Amer
ica where they've never had it so
good.
His recent Atlanta lecture was
aptly titled “Good News. Bad
News." Silberman. author of the
controversial book “A Certain
People: American Jews and Their
Lives Today." delivered the Sid
ney Q. Janus Memorial Lecture
to culminate the A.JCC weekend
celebration of Jewish books.
“American society is open to
Jews today on every level." says
Silberman. "yet we seem to fear
that we have gained our achieve
ments at too heavy a price. Some
fear that anti-Semitism is on the
increase: while others fear the
absence of anti-Semitism, believ
ing that anti-Semitism unfortu
nately has been the glue that held
the Jewish people together."
The mild-mannered, profes
sorial Silberman is difficult to
picture as one who has stirred
such a tempest. But he continued
to arouse passions between those
who agree with his long-range
optimistic outlook for Judaism
in America and those who fore
see the worst.
Both fears about anti-Semitism.
Silberman thinks, are misplaced.
He agrees that is has not disap
peared. Anti-Semitism is evident
now in the farm belt, in some
country clubs and in certain resi
dential areas; but there is less
now and it is more “altitudinal
than behavioral.”
He points out that restrictions
and quotas have largely disap
peared. One crucial attitudinal
change is that Jews are no longer
seen as “strangers" or “guests" in
this country but rather as “na
tives" or “insiders.” Silberman
says. “The United States has un
dergone a transformation into a
genuinely pluralistic society."
The most profound change, in
Silberman's opinion, is that Jud
aism now is seen not as a faith
but as an option. The openness
of T.S. society gives Jews a sense
of choice about remaining Jew
ish. Therelore. he says, Jew s have
to take decisive action in order to
remain Jewish. "The enemy in
this case is apathy." he explains.
There has been a reversal of
self-hatred that Jewishness once
entailed. Silberman cites statis
tics on how many Jews are now
lighting Hanuka candles and at
tending Passov er Seders.
His critics, he concedes, des
cribe these actions as diluted ob
servances. Silberman. however.
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Charles Silberman
maintains that as long as these
Americans remain Jews, there is
always the chance that they may
become better Jews.
The author describes many
ev idences of a grow ing v itality in
Jewish life. The Atlanta bookfair
was one such example; the Jew
ish women’s movement, another.
He relates that in 1948 there were
two teachers of .1 udaic studies in
U.S. colleges and universities.
Today there are 350.
In spite of the gains, fear and
guilt are serious problems: fear
of anti-Semitism and its absence;
guilt over what we are or are not
doing. The author concludes that
we must accept that this is the
first generation to whom being
Jewish is an option rather than a
faith. This generation must be
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convinced o! the “joy and beauty
and meaning of being Jewish.
in the question-and-answer
period that followed his address,
it was obvious that the audience
shared some of the fears which
Silberman had described. He ad
mitted that there is a danger in
the modern condition of Juda
ism as a choice rather than a
faith. "But all Jews today are
Jews bv choice. 1 hat is the nature
ol the world in which we live." he
replied.
Other questions touched on
conv ersion, religious observance,
assimilation, intermarriage. Israel
and divisions among Jews. Sil
berman s historical perspective
gave an interesting dimension to
his answers on these subjects:
• Our tradition ot discourag
ing conversion has only been true
since the 15th and 16th centuries.
Before that, he relates, Jews
proselvti/ed extensively. 1 hen
after suffering scorn and perse
cution. they reversed their think
ing and evolved the idea ol Jew
ish genetic superiority.
• Everv generation. Silberman
believ es, has the problem of non
observers. In fact. Eastern Euro
pean Jews who came to this
countrv were the least observant
Jews of their communities. The
rabbis were forbidding emigra
tion to America, so those who
came had mostly a mixture ol
Viddishkite and superstition.
A generation ago only one in
eight Jewish children in this
country was getting a Jewish
education and that didn't com
pare to the education of today. In
I 1
addition, the synagogues were
empty, says Silberman. so we
should not believe that our par
ents’ generation was more obser
vant.
• Silberman also refuted the
projection as “utter nonsense"
that by the year 2076 assimila
tion and intermarriage will result
in a minimum of 10.400 Jews ora
maximum of a halt million Jews
in this country. These projections
have been disavowed over and
over. Our real concern, he said,
should be with the Jewish birth
rate w hich has barely been at the
replacement level for the last 60
to 65 years.
• T he Diaspora was the root
cause of our immature relation
ship with Israel, the author be
lieves. The establishment of a
Jewish state was so miraculous
that we have not been able to
maintain any critical distance in
how we see Israel and Israelis. It
is necessary now to develop a
more mature, open, honest and
critical view —to love them, as we
do family, in spite of faults.
• Divisions within the Jewish
community are not something
new in Jewish history, acccord-
mg to Silberman. There have
been w orse disputes and “history
suggests we will be able to over
come" current ones. He suggests
that we need good will, a com
mitment to talk and the accep
tance of the legitimacy of others’
convictions. We must accept that
they are honest and sincere in
their beliefs.
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