American Jews in danger of dying out, survey shows

A LANDMARK survey of Jews in America has found that they are being assimilated at a faster rate than ever before - so much so that it has sparked fears for the future of Judaism as a separate entity in the US.

The 2000-2001 National Jewish Population Survey found that Jews have too few children to replace the number of Jews dying of old age. More importantly, it found that they continue to marry non-Jews at high rates, with only about a third of the children of intermarried couples being raised Jewish.

The study also found a growing alienation between Jews who are active in religious life and those who aren't.

The unaffiliated are less likely by far to have close Jewish friends, donate to Jewish causes and feel emotionally attached to Israel, making it harder to draw them back into the fold.

Like many Christians, a significant number of Jews turn to their faith only for major life events such as weddings and funerals. Fewer than half of the 5.2m US Jews belong to a synagogue, the survey found.

At the same time, rabbis - like ministers and priests - have experienced a loss of status. As Jews became more educated and sceptical of authority, they often turned to religious thinkers other than local clergy as experts on faith.

Synagogues, meanwhile, have focused intensely on shoring up membership and finances, expecting rabbis in some cases to act more like business managers than spiritual leaders. As a result, job satisfaction for rabbis plummeted and many recent seminarians decided not to lead congregations when they graduated.

But among the most vexing issues is intermarriage.

The survey estimated that Jews over the last two decades have been marrying non-Jews at a rate of between 40pc and 50pc.

Jewish leaders remain divided over whether resources are better spent on persuading intermarried couples to become more observant or supporting Jews who already are.

Schulweis, during Rosh Hashana services, will ask congregants to become "mentors" to non-Jewish spouses of interfaith marriages and invite them to convert.