In a rare personal television interview, Michael Steinhardt, one of world Jewry’s most philanthropic benefactors and a co-founder of Birthright Israel, expresses scathing criticism of non-Orthodox Jewish life in the Diaspora (though Steinhardt sees himself as anything but an Orthodox Jew).
In conversation with Mark S. Golub, president and executive producer of Shalom TV, Steinhardt expresses his deep disappointment with the traditional Hebrew School system (“can there be a worse term in the American Jewish lexicon than ‘Hebrew School’ – there were six kids in the 20th Century who liked it!”) and characterizes many of the young people he has met through Birthright Israel as “Jewish barbarians” who have never experienced a Shabbat dinner.
Steinhardt expresses his anger with those described as “wonderful educators” in the Reform and Conservative movements for having done “such a poor job under-educating our next generations” by failing to distinguish Jewish values from Christian values. To Steinhardt, it is virtually impossible now to identify a non-Orthodox Jewish student at any secular university from a non-Jewish student.
“I think that many of the trends that we have seen – such as the fact that 55-60% of non-Orthodox Jews are marrying ‘out,’ such as the fact that only 15% of total philanthropy of Jews goes to Jewish causes – are reflective of that fact that non-Orthodox Jewish education in America has been, and continues to be, a shandah – an abysmal failure.”
Steinhardt also has some damning things to say about Jewish leadership in America, feeling that there has been much too much emphasis on the Holocaust – “an event of extraordinary enormity” – and misplaced fears about anti-Semitism in America.
“Anti-Semitism has always been far more mythical than real in America; it’s as if organizations have to create the bogeyman of anti-Semitism in order to raise money.” As long as the Jewish community is obsessed with the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, these concerns detract “from our ability to think about the Jewish future – because it’s hard to be focused intensively on the Holocaust and, at the same time, to think about what we want to accomplish and what we want to be in the 21st Century.”
Steinhardt offers his assessment of Diaspora Jewry: “It is a moribund Jewish world, continuously losing its young people, whose tz’daka has dramatically changed where only a small fraction of total philanthropy is going to Jewish causes; interest in Israel is declining; the number of American Jews going to Israel is not growing; where the culmination of Jewish life seems to be (for the young person) the bar mitzvah – and from there it is all downhill.”
For Steinhardt, the most effective tool in instilling a sense of Jewish identity in young people is for them to visit Israel. “They grow up there. They feel more Jewish there.”
This is not to say that Steinhardt is without criticism of Israel. “Its politicians are, writ large, awful; its businessmen are of less than glorious quality; and when you walk down Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv and you look around at these people and you say, ‘This is who you admire?’ I often say it’s easier to be a Zionist in Manhattan than it is in Tel Aviv.”
But for Steinhardt, Israel has always been his great love – and his “substitute for religion.”
“While the religion of Judaism is so deeply disappointing – its practice, its verbiage, its inability to reflect realistically upon our lives; I could forgive almost anything vis-à-vis Israel. Israel was and still is my Jewish miracle!”
Steinhardt also articulates his appreciation for what freedom and opportunity has afforded him as an American Jew.
[To watch the entire conversation with Michael Steinhardt, click here.]
Jonah Halper says
January 8, 2010 at 2:54 pm“While the religion of Judaism is so deeply disappointing – its practice, its verbiage, its inability to reflect realistically upon our lives…”
Steinhardt’s personal take on Jewish practice and its relevancy in his own life is exactly why the “Hebrew School” experience is a “shandah” in his eyes. It has no relevancy to him and those who went through the religious school experience…
Jewish life isn’t something you plug into before your bar mitzvah, check back into for your marriage and then the funeral…rather it needs to be a 365 day experience. It is either part of your every day life – or it will have no relevancy.
This isn’t to say every day Judaism = Orthodoxy, and if Non-Orthodox Judaism is to succeed it needs to be something more than milestone Jewry (to the affiliated families). Therefore, I disagree with Steinhardt that the fault falls on the educators. The fault falls on the parents who consider Hebrew school on a Sunday morning to be nothing more important than soccer practice warm up before the bar or bat mitzvah.
Children learn by example. If there is no regular Jewish life in the home, then it won’t be important to their children.
Julie Farkas says
January 8, 2010 at 4:49 pmI agree that ultimately, the responsibility lies with the parents and the home life that a child is brought up in.
But, unfortunately, we have come to a point in time where lack of practice in Judaism is not necessarily a rejection of Judaism, but the mere fact, that most Jews in this society just don’t know anything about their Judaism, so how do you expect them to educate their children?
It is the responsibility of not only the educators, but literate Jews-regular people, like you and me, to share what we know. This is the only way to perpetuate our people.
We need to create a movement that is void of these labels that divide us. Quite often, non affiliated Jews feel judged by the Orthodox community. Which at times may be a reality and at times a false perception. You cannot change things, if you don’t recognize the problems, listen to the concerns and work together to erasing perceptions.
I teach to my non affiliated friends and neighbors every single day. I find something in Torah to learn, I then pick up the phone and make calls to share my knowledge. This is a part of my daily routine, in addition to running a business and raising a family. Can you imagine how we could change the world if we all did such a thing.
Let’s stop pointing fingers and playing the blame game. If you recognize the problem, take responsibility and do something about it.
Jonah Halper says
January 8, 2010 at 5:14 pmJulie – very admirable indeed!
The problem with this solution, is that it needs to happen on a larger scale and I don’t think the parent masses share your proactive enthusiasm to educate.
I can’t pretend to have the answer on how to address this on a communal level, but think individuals like Steinhardt should think about addressing this on a shake-up scale as he did with Birthright. Birthright may get kids to experience Israel, but it won’t necc. reinforce their decisions if Jewish life was never made a priority outside of Hebrew school…
I think the $64,000 question to Steinhardt’s peeve is how to incorporate distinctly Jewish practice in one’s every day life outside of Orthodoxy. Julie, you do this, and undoubtedly your children will also value its importance. I would place my bets that your kids will stand out on the college campuses, be involved in Jewish life and marry Jewish…
Larry Engelhart says
January 8, 2010 at 6:12 pmHaving been a Jewish educator, I believe that the strongest influence on kids is their pre-existing Family & Community context. (Community impacts Family which impacts Kid).
I think it can be argued that most kids come out of school with approximately the same religious observance level as they entered … subject to some exceptions.
A Religious School (Day School, Yeshiva) has the added strength of bringing the Community into the school environment … but it’s mostly reinforcing, not creating, observance. For the most part they get intensive knowledge (cognitive) but relatively little behavioural (affective) impact.
If correct, this would explain why Jewish Camping has been so effective – it effectively becomes both Community & Family for the duration of the camping experience.
Then, for kids with weaker backgrounds, but who are open to change, the educational experience later provides reinforcement, skills, and context for the changes they are making.
However, kids who are making the change to more “observantly Jewish” lifestyles often have to move away from previous Community & Family standards and that can be intimidating/threatening to both.
Therefore, I posit that the “shandeh” of Jewish Education is a subconsciously deliberate subversion of students to prevent future-members of their Community from moving out (to a more “observant” Community).
The cruel irony is that this deliberate weakening of their identities actually facilitates their moving out (out-marrying, assimilating, etc)so that they are ultimately lost to an even greater extent.
Jonny Cline says
January 11, 2010 at 1:37 pmMr Steinhardt just became one of my heros!!
Karen Aron says
January 15, 2010 at 10:49 pmAs I understand it, Michael Steinhardt does not support Torah education. If one looks at the statistics of intermarriage amongst Jews who graduate from an Orthodox Jewish Day school, and by inference, come from a practicing orthodox home environment, they are significantly lower. In many communities, the Orthodox day schools battle financially, as many of the families who send their kids there cannot afford to pay full tuition. Modern buildings, state of the art sports facilities and enrichment programming are not part of the schools’ make up. Many struggle to get by and scrape by month to month on pure emunah. However, if people like Michael Steinhardt were to support the Orthodox Jewish Day school system, these luxuries could become institutionalized. This is turn could help attract more students from less observant families. In my option this would do more in helping the survival of the Jewish people than a trip to Israel where many secular Israelis do not identify themselves as Jews at all and the bleeding heart liberal political agenda often highjacks any hope of pro Israel sentiment. The Israel that is Steinhardt’s “Jewish miracle” is not the Israel of my children’s generation, unless I steer them to the beauty of the Torah observant communities that continue to thrive there. What Steinhardt has to realize is that Judaism IS a religion, not a cultural movement. If philanthropic endeavours do not support the religious aspect but only the cultural aspect, we are going to lose more and mor Jews to intermarriage. I feel very sad for Steinhardt who, in my opinion, has only scratched the surface of a very wise and ancient religion and judged the religion based on the people who practice it and not on the wisdom that our Torah has to offer us.
Mallory Probert says
February 17, 2010 at 3:50 amWith all due respect to Mr. Steinhardt, he is overlooking the obvious. birthright’s success is based on its experiential nature. the challenge we face as Jewish educators is to take the SCHOOL out of the equation. There is little reason why religious instruction, when measured out one or two days a week, should resemble secular education. Being Jewish is living, acting, creating, community, questioning Jewish. When we take our students out of their desks and ask them to find their Jewish neshama in everything they do and learn, education will happen. Our charge is to create lasting ties to the land, language and strengthened cultural literacy. Love of God, in whatever fashion, can lead us on this path. Simply because the old model doesn’t work, doesn’t mean that supplemental, informal education cannot.
Chuck Michaels says
September 16, 2010 at 5:40 pmI believe Mr. Steinhardt’s heart is in the right place. He should be given much credit for focusing his philanthropy on Jewish causes, unlike many wealthy Jews. I do think, however, that he would have more impact on those issues he has identified, and which concern him deeply, but funding Jewish day schools. I know from my own experience that having my children in Jewish day school, despite the substantial monetary commitment, has not only had a massive impact on keeping my children Jewishly focused, but has done so for me and my wife as well. My wife and I were not brought up with a Jewish day school education. My children have the benefits we never had, but just by being part of the Jewish day school community, we have all benefited. Most Jewish day schools, however, always are in need of funds. Scholarships are available, but it is always a struggle raising sufficient funds. If even a fraction of the amount funds spent on Birthright were directed towards Jewish day schools, the impact would be very significant. Give every Jewish child an opportunity for a Jewish day school education, and you will see a stronger, thriving Jewish community in a very short time.