7. Abraham
No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be
Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
(Gen 17:5 ESV)
Sarah
As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be
her name.
(Gen 17:15 ESV)
8. Isaac
Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.
(Gen 17:19 ESV)
Ishmael
And the angel of the LORD said to her…”You shall call his name Ishmael,
because the LORD has listened to your a
ffl
iction.”
(Gen 16:11 ESV)
9. Israel
Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven
with God and with men, and have prevailed.
(Gen 32:28 ESV)
John
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has
been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call
his name John.
(Luke 1:13 ESV)
11. Ruth
Naomi said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty
has dealt very bitterly with me.
(Ruth 1:20 ESV)
Paul
But Saul, who was also called Paul,
fi
lled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently
at him and said…
(Acts 13:9 ESV)
15. ἔ
θνος
1. a body of persons united by kinship, culture, and common
traditions, nation, people.
Frederick Danker, A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament , 3rd edition, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2021).
18. Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said… “The God who made
the world and everything in it…made from one man every ethnos of
mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted
periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek
God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and
fi
nd him.
(Acts 17:22–27 ESV)
19. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he
fi
xed the borders of the people-groups according to the number of the sons of God.
Deut 32:8
He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses
them.
Job 12:23
You have
fi
xed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.
Psalm 74:17
21. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one
could number, from every ethnos, from all tribes and peoples
and languages, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their
hands,
(Rev 7:9 ESV)
29. Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the
fi
xed
order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea
so that its waves roar— the LORD of hosts is his name: “If this
fi
xed
order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the
o
ff
spring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” Thus
says the LORD: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the
foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast o
ff
all
the o
ff
spring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD.”
(Jer 31:35–37 ESV)
30. 1. Jewish Continuity is important to God
2. Jewish Continuity is important in the Missio Dei (Mission of God)
Importance of Jewish Continuity
31. It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD…On the
day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities [of
Judah] to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt…[The
nations] will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the
garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now
forti
fi
ed and inhabited.’ Then the nations…shall know that I am the
LORD/
(Ezekiel 36:32–36 ESV)
32. 1. Jewish Continuity is important to God
2. Jewish Continuity is important for the Missio Dei
3. Jewish Continuity is important because preserving heritage is ethical
Importance of Jewish Continuity
33. 1. Jewish Continuity is important to God
2. Jewish Continuity is important for the Missio Dei
3. Jewish Continuity is important because preserving heritage is ethical
4. Jewish Continuity is important because it’s important to the Jewish people
Importance of Jewish Continuity
37. American Jewish life is in danger of disappearing…As the result of skyrocketing rates
of intermarriage and assimilation, as well as "the lowest birth rate of any religious or
ethnic community in the United States," the era of enormous Jewish in
fl
uence on
American life may soon be coming to an end…One Harvard study predicts that if
current demographic trends continue, the American Jewish community is likely to
number less than 1 million and conceivably as few as 10,000 by the time the United
States celebrates its tricentennial in 2076. Other projections suggest that early in the
next century, American Jewish life as we know it will be a shadow of its current, vibrant
self.
Dershowitz, The Vanishing American Jew, (New York: Little Brown, 1997), 1
39. Fourth
Because it is partially true, most Jews who
embrace Yeshua no longer engage with the
Jewish community, and their children do not.
40. 1. Jewish Continuity is important to God
2. Jewish Continuity is important for the Missio Dei
3. Jewish Continuity is important because preserving heritage is ethical
4. Jewish Continuity is important because it’s important to the Jewish people
5. Jewish Continuity is important for Messianic Ministry
Importance of Jewish Continuity
41. Community of Witness
We display a community of witness
when we establish intergenerational
communities of Messianic Jews who
e
ff
ectively transmit heritage to their
children.
42. Perpetuating the
Messianic Movement
By transmitting Jewish heritage, we
ensure the next generation will want
to identify as Jews and carry on the
Messianic movement
43. Greying of the Messianic Movement
Age %
65 +. 49%
55-64 15.1%
45-54 10.2%
35-44 13.9%
25-34 9.4%
18-24 2.2%
Age %
65 + . 62.7%
55-64 9.9%
45-54 8.8%
35-44 9.9%
25-34 5.2%
18-24 3.6%
Attendees of Messianic Congregations Leadership of Messianic Congregations
Monique Brumbach, UMJC (April 2022)
44. 1. Jewish Continuity is important to God
2. Jewish Continuity is important for the Missio Dei
3. Jewish Continuity is important because preserving heritage is ethical
4. Jewish Continuity is important because it’s important to the Jewish people
5. Jewish Continuity is important for Messianic Ministry
6. Jewish Continuity is important because Jews have a covenantal obligation
Importance of Jewish Continuity
47. Jewish Continuity begins with Jewish identity
1. Jewish Continuity requires transmitting Jewish identity
2. Transmitting Jewish identity requires understanding what
Jewish identity is in 2022, and how it evolved over time.
50. Jewish Continuity begins with Jewish identity
1. Jewish Continuity requires transmitting Jewish identity
2. Transmitting Jewish identity requires understanding what
Jewish identity is, and how it evolved over time.
3. Understanding what Jewish identity in 2022, requires
engaging with Jews and learning how Jews identify, and they
Jewishly engage.
51. Therefore we study…
• Theories of identity and identity development
• Biblical foundations of identity & ethnicity
• History of Jewish identity
• How Jewish identity is expressed today.
• How Jewish identity relates to Messianic Jewish ministry.
• How to cultivate and transmit Jewish identity
53. De
fi
nition of Identity
Identity includes the many relationships people cultivate, such as their
identity as a child, friend, partner, and parent. It involves external
characteristics over which a person has little or no control, such as height,
race, or socioeconomic class. Identity also encompasses political
opinions, moral attitudes, and religious beliefs, all of which guide the
choices one makes on a daily basis.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/identity#what-is-identity
55. Sue’s Tripartite Model of Self-Identity
Derald Sue, “Multidimensional Cultural Competence,” The Counseling Psychologist 20, No. 6, November 2001: 790-821
The Human Self
The Social Self
The Inner -Self
56. Meyer’s Revision of Self-Identity
The Human Self
The Social Self
The Inner -Self
Derald Sue, “Multidimensional Cultural Competence,” The Counseling Psychologist 20, No. 6, November 2001: 790-821
The Eternal Self
57. 1. The Eternal Self — Nefesh (the soul), our spiritual essence
2. The Inner Self — Mind, Heart, Mind, inner traits
3. The Social Self — What we tell others, and what they tell us
4. The Human Self — What we share with all human beings
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/identity#what-is-identity
Self-Identity
60. Biblical Modi
fi
cation of Self-Identity
Derald Sue, “Multidimensional Cultural Competence,” The Counseling Psychologist 20, No. 6, November 2001: 790-821
Nefesh (the Soul)
62. The Bible tells us we all have an immortal soul that transcends our
cultural, physical, and mental identities. After death, that part of us
remains unique and distinguishable.
63. Samuel the Prophet
[King] Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men
with him. And they came to the [witch of Endor] by night. And he said, “Divine for me
by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.”…The woman said,
“Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman
saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have
you deceived me? You are Saul.
(1 Sam 28:8–12 ESV)
64. Lazarus & Abraham
There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and
fi
ne linen and who feasted
sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered
with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover,
even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the
angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades,
being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far o
ff
and [he recognized]
Lazarus at his side.
(Luke 16:19–23 ESV)
69. The Social Self
Identity Domains
• Gender identity
• Family identity
• Ethnic / racial identity
• Religious identity
• Sexual identity
• Socio-economic class identity
•
Derald Sue, “Multidimensional Cultural Competence,” The Counseling Psychologist 20, No. 6, November 2001: 790-821
72. What are some of the domains of the Social Self?
• Your Name
• Gender Identity
• Family Identity
• Generational Identity
• Cultural Identity
• Religious Identity
• Linguistic Identity
• Vocational Identity
• Ethnic and Racial Identity
• Political and Ideological
Identity
74. Social identity theory is a social psychological theory that explains how people’s
conception of who they are (their self-concept) is associated with their
membership of social groups and categories, and with group and intergroup
behaviors. The theory de
fi
nes group membership in terms of people’s
identi
fi
cation, de
fi
nition, and evaluation of themselves as members of a group
(social identity), and speci
fi
es cognitive, social interactive and societal
processes that interact to produce characteristic group phenomena
Michael Hogg, “Social Identity Theory,” Encyclopedia of Identity: 749.
75. How Social Identity is constructed:
1. Identi
fi
cation — we identify with a group
2. Observation — we observe behaviors & values
3. Emulation — we emulate their behaviors & values
4. A
ffi
rmation — we seek a
ffi
rmation & feedback from others
5. Evaluation — we evaluate our identity based on feedback
76. Identi
fi
cation
Choose Group Identity or
Ascribed a Group Identity
Observation
Observe group’s values
Behaviors, perspectives
And learn their meta-narrative
Emulation
We adopt their values
Emulate their behaviors and
Rewrite our biography into the metanarrative
A
ffi
rmation
Receive social input
On group membership
Evaluation
Evaluate ourselves according
To our social input
Construction of Social Identity
77. Ex. Cultural Identity
1. Identi
fi
cation — Mom & Dad tell Lisa she is Italian
2. Observation —Lisa observes family & friends at an Italian wedding, noticing
what they value, and how they behave
3. Emulation — Lisa adopts Italian cultural values & emulates social behaviors
4. A
ffi
rmation — At school, Lisa’s friends say, “Lisa you are so Italian!”
5. Evaluation — Lisa’s self-esteem goes up because she FEELS Italian
78. Jewish Identity is Socially Constructed
• עברית Hebrew — “One who crossed over,” ascribed by Canaanites
• יהוד Yehud — (shortened from Judah) province ascribed by Persian Empire
• Ioudaios — ethnic ascription of the Jews by Greeks
• European Jewish identity continues to develop according to the societies
where Jews lived
79. How would Jewish identity
develop in a synagogue or Jewish
youth group?
83. What are some of the things that identify us?
• Gender
• Cultural
• Ethnic
• Racial
• Religious
• Political or Ideological
84. Cultural Identity
Culture can be understood as the traditions, customs, beliefs, values, norms, and
perspectives that are learned through shared behavioral patterns and cultural practices
passed down from generation to generation. Culture is learned implicitly, though it is
the foundation for meanings we attribute to our perceptions and it in
fl
uences how we
describe events. At its most fundamental level, culture is re
fl
ected in the attitudes and
behaviors that characterize a group of people who share implicit norms and rules.
Brown, Timothy J., and Brown. "Culture, Ethnicity, and Race." In Encyclopedia of Identity, edited by Ronald L. Jackson, II. Sage Publications, 2010.
85. Cultural Identity
• Shared values, practices, customs, behaviors
• Is learned in childhood
• How does cultural identity change throughout a person’s life?
• How is Messianic Jewish culture shared by Gentiles & Jews?
• How is Messianic Jewish culture di
ff
erent from Jewish & Christian culture?
• What are the implications for doing Messianic Ministry?
86. Ethnic Identity
Ethnicity can be de
fi
ned as individuals who have a shared ancestral heritage. More
speci
fi
cally, ethnicity is the self-consciousness of a group who share a common origin
or a separate subculture to maintain a distinction between themselves and outsiders.
Brown, Timothy J., and Brown. "Culture, Ethnicity, and Race." In Encyclopedia of Identity, edited by Ronald L. Jackson, II. Sage Publications, 2010.
87. Ethnic Identity
• Group Identity
• Develops later in life
• What does a person need to experience before they can self-identify with a
people group?
• What kind of things about a people group make them an ethnic group?
• In a Messianic Congregation, what kind of ethnic identity do some people
have?
88. Racial Identity
Identity distinguished by inherited physical features.
Brown, Timothy J., and Brown. "Culture, Ethnicity, and Race." In Encyclopedia of Identity, edited by Ronald L. Jackson, II. Sage Publications, 2010.
89. Racial Identity
• Racial identity is a social construct
• Race changes over long periods of time
• How is race determined by a dominate class or group
• How does racial identity overlap with Ethnic identity? What are the di
ff
erences
90. Religious Identity
Religious identity describes how a person or group understands, experiences,
shapes, and is shaped by the psychological, social, political, and devotional facets of
religious belonging or a
ffi
liation.
Azaransky. "Religious Identity." In Encyclopedia of Identity, edited by Ronald L. Jackson, II. Sage Publications, 2010
91. Religious Identity
• What aspects of Judaism create a religious identity?
• Besides “beliefs” what makes up a religious group?
• What are the implications of “religious identity” in Messianic Ministry?
•
100. 0-1 yr
Name Family Gender Language Culture Sexual Ethnic Religious Political Vocational
1-5 yrs 5-8 8-10 10-13 13-18 18-21 21-25 25-30 30-40
Development of Identity Domains
Childhood
Infancy Adolescence Emerging Adulthood Adulthood
103. Family Identity
At 5, Tamar knows she is part of a
family. She knows who parents are,
and can tell the di
ff
erence between
them and her siblings.
104. Gender Identity
At 8, Tamar knows she’s a girl, and
that is di
ff
erent from boys. She wants
to wear nail polish, and have nice
dresses, and identi
fi
es with women.
105. Linguistic Identity
At 10, Tamar traveled with parents to
Israel. She discovered that Israelis do
not speak English. She begins
identifying as an English speaker.`
106. Cultural Identity
At 12, Tamar is studying for her bat
mitzvah. She starts identifying with
her Jewish culture, values, and
enjoys Jewish celebrations.
107. Sexual Identity
At 16, Tamar has her
fi
rst boyfriend!
She
fi
nds she likes boys, and starts
day dreaming of the day when she
will get married.
108. Ethnic Identity
At 18, her senior year, someone
painted swastikas on the school door!
Tamar learns about antisemitism. She
learns that her Christian faith does not
protect her from ethnic hatred, and
begins to identify with other Jews.
109. Religious Identity
At 21, in college, Tamar attends a
Messianic Congregation. Though
she grew up in a Christian home,
she begins personalizing her faith.
Moreover, she identi
fi
es as a
Messianic Jew.
110. Political Identity
At 25, Tamar begins caring about
climate change and sustainability.
She becomes a
ffi
liated with a local
environmental group and attends
demonstrations.
111. Political Identity
Actually, in 2016 Tamar traveled to
Washington DC to be at Trump’s
inauguration, and became a Trump
follower.
112. Vocational Identity
At 30, After countless job hopping,
and internships, Tamar lands a job
with a non-pro
fi
t in public health.
Tamar is totally excited! She has
found her calling and her career.
115. Identity Diffusion Identity Moratorium
Identity Foreclosure Identity Achievement
Low High
Low
High
Crisis
Commitment
Can’t decide
Doesn’t care
Can’t decide
Does care
Been decided
Didn’t care
Did decide
Did care
119. During Emerging Adulthood
• Exploration (Moratorium) of Identity
• Development of Religious, Cultural, and Vocational Identity
• Vocational Identity is enmeshed with other Identities
120. Evidence of Emerging Adulthood
• Emerging adults in America travel internationally
• Change college majors & take gap years
• Change jobs throughout their twenties
• Move back in with their parents
• Get married late 20s or after 30
124. Stage 1:
Unexamined Ethnic Identity
Foreclosure or Di
ff
usion
Accepting values and behaviors of
majority culture, sometimes
internalize negative stereotypes
125. Stage 2:
Ethnic Identity Search
Moratorium
Encounter a situation that initiates
ethnic identity search
126. Stage 3:
Ethnic Identity Achievement
Clear, con
fi
dent sense of one’s own
ethnicity. Acceptance and
internalization of ethnic self.
127. Stage 3:
Ethnic Identity Achievement
People feel good about who they are
and proud of their ethnic identity
141. Why study the history of Jewish Identity?
1. Older views of Jewish identity persist in literature and media
2. Older views of Jewish identity persist vin Jewish culture
3. Older views of Jewish identity persist among older generations
4. Older views of Jewish identity persist outside of America
5. Older views of Jewish identity shaped modern Jewish identity
142. What is the nature of Jewish Identity
1. Jewish identity is socially constructed — Jews are told who they are
2. Jewish identity is internally constructed — Jews re
fl
ect on who they are
3. Jewish identity is culturally constructed — Jews borrow & adapt from culture
4. Jewish identity evolves — Historical events shape how Jews see themselves
145. Fiddler on the Roof
Jewish Identity in a Changing World
146. Sholem Aleichem
1859 - 1816
Born Sholem Rabinovitsh
Yiddish Short Story writer
Short stories of Tevye the Dairyman (1894-1914)
147. Sholem Aleichem
Dramatically Changing World:
• Russian Revolution
• End of Czarist Russia
• Modernization of Eastern Europe
• Mass Jewish immigration to America
• End of chapter of Jewish life in Eastern Europe
148. Sholem Aleichem
• Sought to preserve stories from the Old Country
• Sought to tell how Jews see themselves in a
changing world.
149. Fiddler on the Roof
Broadway Production
Opened 1964
Produced by Harold Prince, Jerome Robbins
Staring Zero Mostel
150. Fiddler on the Roof
Movie
Released 1971
Directed by Norman Jewison
Starring Topal
151. Fiddler on the Roof
Coincided with the Ethnic Pride Movement
sweeping the United States in 1970s
152. Theme of the Movie is Jewish identity
“What it means to be a Jew in a changing world?”
153. 1. What does it mean to be a Jew?
2. How was it understood by American Jews in 1906?
3. How was it understood by American Jews in 1971?
4. What did it say about Jews to non-Jews in 1971?
“Tradition” opening Song
162. Fagin in “Oliver Twist”
Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice”
Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli
Depicted political cartoons
163. Racial Distinctions
“Anti-Semitism” coined by Wilhelm Marr in 1879
Jews became categorized by race, not religion
Jews were categorized as “Semites” in Europe, and “Hebrews” in US
Non-Jews were categorized as “Gentiles” not “Christians”
167. Emancipation
End of the Ghetto
Jewish integration into Europe
Reform of Jewish religion
Europeanization of Jewish culture
What distinguishes a “Jew”?
168. Adoption of “Race”
Racial distinctions already existed
Anti-Semitism had emerged
Jews adopted the terms to
distinguish themselves
Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of England
169. “All is race: there is no other truth”
Sidonia, the Jewish superwoman
speaking to a gathering of English
aristocrats.
Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of England
Disraeli, Tancred, 1847
170. Racial conception of Jewish distinctiveness was rooted not only
in cultural uniqueness but also biology, shared ancestry and
blood…Jews used racial language as a positive way to self-
identity…Jews drew comfort from a racial self-de
fi
nition during
the late nineteenth century because it gave them a sense of
stability at a time when old distinctions of Jewish identity were
disappearing.
Eric Goldstein, “Di
ff
erent Blood Flows in Our Veins,” American Jewish History, 85 no. 1 (March, 1997): 29-55.
173. How Jews became white in America
• Jews advocated to be accepted in white America in early 20th century
• Jews advocated to be white prior to WWII
• Jews became white as they partnered with Black Americans in the Civil
Rights Movement
• Jews became white after the Black Power movement in the 1970s expelled
non-whites
174. Jews remained racially distinct in Europe
•In Soviet Union
•In Pre-War Germany
•In Pre-war France
175.
176. What are the implications of Jews
becoming White
178. Jewish Americans Before WWII
• Wanting to leave behind the Old Country
• Wanting to forsake Yiddish
• Wanting children to be successful Americans
• Wanting to identify as Jewish America
183. Superman
• Immigrant, Refugee from Krypton
• Birth name Kal-El (Voice of God)
• Tried to blend in by wearing glasses
• Clark Kent is “nebbish”
• He is pushed around & dismissed
• True Identity is strong hero
• Advocate for justice
• Supernatural Strength
• Loves America
• Fights to keep it just for all people
184. Truth, Justice, & the American Way
Rabbi Shimon ben Gamaliel used to say,
“On three things does the world stand:
Truth, Justice, and Peace; as it is said:
“execute the judgment of truth and peace
in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16)
Mishne Pirke Avot 1:18
185. Joe Schuster & Jerry Siegel in “The Comic Strip Hero” (PBS, 1981)
189. Theodore Herzl
Journalist from Austria
Covered the Trial
Shocked by outbreak of hidden anti-
Semitism
Realized it never went away but was under
the surface
1860 - 1903
191. Pogroms (1881-1884)
• Death of Czar Alexander II
• Pogroms across Ukraine & Russia
• Covered by international press
• Telegraphed across Europe
• Condition of the Jews in E Europe
• Need for a Jewish homeland
193. Read The Jewish State (1896), Chapters 1-2.
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/quot-the-jewish-state-quot-theodor-herzl
194. How did Herzl de
fi
ne the Jewish People?
What distinguished Jews as “others” in European Society?
To What extent do you think Zionists held racial views of Jewish Identity?
197. Isaac Mayer Wise
• b. Moravia
• Educated in Prague
• Rabbi in Radnice, Bohemia
• Reformed the synagogue
• Emigrated to New York in 1846
1819-1900
198. Reform Judaism in America
• Moved to Cincinnati in 1854
• Built the Plum Street Temple 1866
• Founded the Hebrew Union College 1875
• Founded Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1889
• Grew into the Union of American Hebrew Congregations
Plum Street Synagogue in Cincinnati
199. Pittsburgh Platform
• Nov. 16-19, 1885
• Concordia Club, Pittsburgh
• Isaac Mayer Wise & Kaufman Kohler (HUC)
• Founding document for Reform Judaism
Concordia Club
209. Impact of the Holocaust on Jewish Identity
1. Jews will never be entirely accepted by society
2. Jewish assimilation & conversion will never erase Jewish distinctiveness
3. Jews must be concerned with survival and continuity
4. Jews need a Jewish homeland
210. Emergence of the secular - ethnic Jew
Religion 11%
Ancestry 21%
Culture 22%
Ancestry & Culture 10%
“Jewish Americans in 2020”, Pew Research, p. 63
217. Jewish Pride Movement
• Information about the Holocaust began to emerge
• Anger over the atrocities
• Fury over the inaction of the “Christian” nations
• Shame for Jewish Americans who didn’t do enough
219. Jewish Nationalist Movement
• 1967 Six-Day War energized and galvanized Jews toward action
• New Jewish Nationalism — identifying with the State of Israel
• Jewish Power Movement — importance of Jewish self-defense
• Jewish ethnic identity — importance of public identi
fi
cation
• Plight of Soviet Jewry — a cause to united American Jewry
220. Jewish Defense League
• Meir Kahane
• Born Brooklyn
• Modern Orthodox rabbi
• Founded JDL in 1968
• Goal: Arm and defend Jews
• Violence if needed
1932 - 1990
221.
222. Transformation of Jewish Identity
• Secular Jewish Identity — Being a Jew is not religious but ethnic
• National Jewish Identity — Being a Jew is identifying with State of Israel
• Survivalist Identity — Being a Jew means concern for continuity
• Public Identity — Being a Jew means being proud to express publicly
223. The 1990 National Jewish Population Survey
And The Vanishing American Jew
224. Jews by
Religion
4,210,000
Jews of No
Religion
1,120,000
Jews by
Choice
185,000
Total Jews 6,840,000
Jews who
Converted Out
210,000
Jews by Birth
Of Another
Religion
415,000
Children Raised
In Another
Religion
700,000
Total Jews
Who Left
1,325,000
1990 National Jewish Population Survey
Highlights of the CJF National Jewish Population Survey, p. 6
225. Loss from Conversion or Secularization
• 19.5% of American Jews left by Conversion
• 17% of American Jews are secular
• 46% of Jewish Children are raised in Judaism
• 16% of Jewish Children are raised secular
• 37% of Jewish Children are raised in another religion
227. Religious Identity of Children of Intermarried Parents
Number of Chidren Percent
Child Raised Jewish 214,000 27.9%
Child Raised Secular 237,000 30.8%
Child raised Another
Religion 319,000 41.4%
Total Children Raised
in Intermarried 700,000 100.0%
228. Read: Vanishing American Jew
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/
books/first/d/dershowitz-jew.html
229. The Vanishing American Jew
• At the end of the 20th Century, what were Jewish fears?
• What social in
fl
uences created this situation for Jews?
• How do you think American Jews responded to these concerns?
• What are the implications for doing ministry in a Messianic Jewish context?
231. “Larry David is accused of being a self-hating Jew”, Curb Your Enthusiasm
232. Origins of Jewish Self-Hatred
• Herzl (1896) — Reaction to Secular Zionism, “disguised anti-Semites of
Jewish origin” (The Jewish State)
• Kurt Lewin (1940s) — Reaction to Jewish assimilationists
• Ethnic Pride Movement (after 1967) — reaction to Jewish criticism of Israel
• Critical Race Theory (1990s) — Internalized Racism
233. Jewish Self-Hatred Today
• Reactions to Jewish Left criticism of Israel
• Allegations against Messianic Jews by the Jewish community
• Very real phenomenon among secular liberal Jews
• Very real phenomenon among Hebrew Christians in the church
234. Jewish Self-Hatred
1. What is the cause of Jewish self-hatred in the 21st Century?
2. When is the allegation valid? When is it merely political?
3. How do we respond to Jewish self-hatred in Messianic Ministry?
238. “The Sky is Falling!”
Critique of Jewish Alarmism in the 1990s
239. “Grand Soy Vanilla Latte with Cinnamon”
Jewish Identity and Community in a Time of
Unlimited Choices
http://www.acbp.net/pdf/pdfs-research-and-publications/Latte%20Report%202006.pdf
240. Reboot 2005 Study of Jewish Millennials
•Interviewed 35 Jewish youth (18-25)
•Surveyed 1,385 Jewish youth (18-25)
241. Reboot 2005 Study of Jewish Millennials
Push back against the premise of the 1990 NJP
study: Young Jews are losing their Jewish
identity.
A person either has a Jewish identity or not
242. Reboot 2005 Study of Jewish Millennials
Today’s Jewish Millennials have multiple identities
shaped by many factors, including intermarriage
in their families, diverse social networks, and
dynamic boundaries around geography and other
identity characteristics such as gender and
sexual orientation. Being Jewish is part of a larger
identity mosaic for today’s Jews.
245. Barna 2016 Study
•Considered themself Jewish and
•Have at least one Jewish Parent
•Regardless of their beliefs or practices
246. Important Findings
48% said Jewish Identity is important
11% said Israel was important
58% have only one Jewish parent
53% said their understanding of Jewishness di
ff
erent than parents
52% are una
ffi
liated with a denomination
56% said you can be Jewish and ascribe to another religion
78% said values comes from their families
249. Pew Research “Jewish Americans in 2020”
Nov. 2019 - June, 2020.
4,718 Americans who identi
fi
ed as Jews
3,836 Jews by religion
882 Jews of no religion
250. Who is Jewish (for this study)
• Jewish by religion
• Jewish by culture, ethnicity, or family background
• Jewish by upbringing
• Jewish by one parent
• Did NOT convert to another religion
251. Rejected 1,163 respondents
1. Converted to another religion (i.e. Christian)
2. No Jewish ancestry, upbringing, and did not
ascribe to Judaism
252. Is being Jewish important to you?
Very or Somewhat 76%
Not much or at all 23%
261. Qualitative Research
A. What is qualitative research?
B. How is Jewish identity studied?
C. How do you do a qualitative interview?
D. How do you write up the interviews?
263. Quantitative Study
• Surveys
• Large numbers of people
• Big Institutions
• Large Funding
• Examples: Pew Research,
Barna, Institute for Jewish
policy research
264. Qualitative Study
• Interviews
• Focus Groups
• On-site observations
• Small numbers of people
• Academic organizations
• Small private or non-pro
fi
ts
267. How is Jewish identity studied?
1. How do Jews describe their identity?
2. How do Jews “Jewishly engage”?
3. How do they narrate their life story?
268. 1. How do Jews describe their identity?
a. What makes you Jewish?
b. What things are essential to being Jewish?
c. How does being Jewish a
ff
ect your life choices?
269. 2. How do Jews Jewishly engage?
a. How do they participate in Jewish things?
b. What rituals do they observe?
c. How often do they attend a religious service?
d. What culturally Jewish things do they do?
e. Are their friends Jewish?
f. Do they only want to date another Jew?
270. 3. How do they tell their life story?
a. Ask them to tell their life story
b. How were they raised?
c. What things do they remember growing up?
d. What Jewish observances or holidays were important & why?
e. When they left home, how did they Jewishly engage?
f. How is their Jewishness di
ff
erent from their parents?
272. How do you do an interview
1. Write out an interview questions
2. Contact your participant and arrange interview
3. Brie
fl
y introduce yourself, chat, let them know the
purpose of the interview.
273. How do you do an interview
4. Ask open-ended questions
5. Ask only one question at a time
6. Allow participants to freely share
7. Avoid leading questions (ex. journalists & lawyers)
8. Follow-up interesting leads
9. But watch your time and try to meet your goals
275. Writing up the report
• Read through your notes
• Read the transcription or
• Listen again to the recording
• Circle important themes
• Copy them into a list of themes
• Note repeated themes
276. Writing up the report
• Repeat the same with the 2nd & 3rd interviews
• Note repeated themes
• Note di
ff
erences
• Write up your list of repeated themes and di
ff
erences
• Re
fl
ect on how those themes were described in the
literature for this course (or di
ff
erent)
277. Write up Your Report
• Section 1 — Introduce each participant
• Section 2 — Identify and describe each theme
• Section 3 — Discuss the themes in terms of literature
• Section 4 — Discuss implications for ministry
278. Section 2 — Findings
• Brie
fl
y state the theme
• Describe the theme as it emerged from the interviews
• Cite 1 or 2 quotes from the interview as examples
279. Section 3 — Discussion
• Discuss the themes in terms of the reading in this
course.
• What studies described these themes?
• What themes seem di
ff
erent from some of the studies?
280. Section 4 — Implications
• What are 3 or 4 implications for doing Messianic Jewish
ministry or for continuity?
• State them, explain them, give an example.
287. Synagogues that “Get It”
• S3K study — “Emergent Synagogues and their Participants”
• S3K study — “Synagogues that Get It”
• Cohen & Kelman, “The Continuity of Discontinuity”
290. Jewish Identity in Film
1. Film Re
fl
ects — This is what society thinks Jew are
2. Film Expresses — This is what it feels like to be a Jew
3. Film Shapes — This is who you should be, as a Jew
291. Film Reflects
This is what society thinks Jew are
Example: The Jewish American Princess
