What can the Dead Sea Scrolls Teach us about the Pew Research Study?

The big news in Jewish circles this week is the latest demographic study of the American Jewish community. The first comprehensive survey in ten years, “A Portrait of Jewish Americans,” was not commissioned by Jewish groups as in the past, but by the Pew Research Center.

This survey will be the source of much conversation in coming months and, while I’ve only read the chief findings, I suggest we all to read it so that our community can learn from the findings as well. The most dramatic trend is surprisingly, not about intermarriage, but about the “nones”—Jews with no religion. Overall, Jewish identity remains high, and the majority of individuals surveyed are proud to be Jewish. But the number of those who identify with Jewish religion decreases from older to younger. Among Jews born between 1928 and 1945, only 14% identify principally with their Jewish ancestry and culture, but not Jewish religion. Among Jews born after 1980, 32% identify as “Jews of no religion.”

As a Reconstructionist, I respect that Jews identify in many different ways, and that we express our Judaism through social justice, family holiday celebrations, Jewish culture and support of Jewish causes. However, I also subscribe to Mordecai Kaplan’s description of Judaism as the “evolving religious civilization” of the Jewish people. I recognize that American Jews may be reluctant to define themselves as “religious.” But Judaism without a religious basis strips that civilization of what I consider to be the core. I need to understand better what being a “Jew of no religion” actually means.

What is striking about this trend, which is no different from similar surveys of the overall American population regarding religious identity, is how it impacts the next generation. Among those who consider themselves religious, 71% are raising their children as Jews. Among those who do not identify with Jewish religion, 67% are not raising their children as Jews. In this scenario, intermarried families are more likely to raise their children with some religion, while only 37% of intermarried parents choose to raise them with no Judaism.

There will undoubtedly be many who foresee the end of Judaism in this survey. This is certainly a classic Jewish response. Remember the telegram which read: “Start worrying. Letter follows.” I am inclined to agree with Donniel Hartman, who published a column in The Time of Israel that urges us resist pointing fingers or seeking to promote one particular form of Jewish life over another, and to work together to respond to the reality of these trends.

I look at these numbers with a long view. My vantage point is the Museum of Science in Boston, where the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit is continuing until October 20.

Having visited the exhibit (and viewed the IMAX film “Jerusalem” that same day—definitely worth the trip), I believe we have the tools, and the experience, to think calmly and creatively about the Jewish future.

When you visit the exhibit, you will discover some interesting artifacts of life in ancient Israel that demonstrate how Judaism survived an era of turmoil and transition.  The religious ritual items on display include horned altars used for burning incense and small figurines that appear to be representation of goddesses. Ancient Israelites held onto ancient pagan roots even as they developed monotheistic rituals.

The scrolls themselves are a testament to the rise of scribal arts which created a common culture that survived the Roman destruction and exile. However, during the time they were written, Jews were divided into a variety of sects. No one knew which ones would ultimately prevail. While most of the Dead Sea Scrolls contain identical writing to what we find in our Hebrew Scriptures today, some include alternative texts. Those familiar with the Ashrei(Psalm 145) will discover that the scrolls actually add a verse that is not preserved in our Bible or prayerbook. They alter an ancient Psalm!

In our day, we are witnessing a period of turmoil and transition, a time of divisions and multiple interpretations of what it means to be a Jew. What Judaism becomes in the next generation may not be recognizable to us, just as the artifacts from ancient Israel bear little resemblance to our Jewish practices today. I’d like to imagine what a writer of the Dead Sea Scrolls might think of our Jewish practice today. Would it qualify as “religion” in their experience?

The Pew Research study points to what Jews today find important. I’m not sure what it means to be without religion. I know from working with people over the years that as many people age, the religious practice can become more accessible and more appealing. And from history, I know that we Jews are a creative people, an enduring people, not because we gave up on Judaism and not because we refused to change, but because we have continually reinvented the religious civilization of the Jewish people. On paper, the task may seem daunting. But let’s not be fooled into thinking we are different from those who faced similar challenges in our past. On parchment, we are a people who survives by continually learning and growing.