The recently released Pew Research Center report, “A Portrait of Jewish Americans,” has unleashed a veritable tsunami of commentary. The results of this study have been interpreted in so many ways. According to some, the American Jewish community is dissolving, while others maintain that the community has never been larger. The lecture will assess competing views of the state of American Jewry and the prospects for future decline or growth. The perspective will be one of optimism: How Pew’s findings should be regarded as positive and how understanding the data can help the American Jewish community address challenges.
Leonard Saxe, Ph.D., is Klutznick Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Social Policy at Brandies University where he directs the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and the Steinhardt Social Research Institute.
The program begins at 1:00pm with a presentation of the FY 15 slate of nominees to the JMM’s Board of Trustees for election by the Museum’s membership. The lecture will follow.
Refreshments will be served.