Be a Jew First, Like Richard Lewis

4/1/24

Since moving to Martha's Vineyard almost two years ago, Hadassah and I had the privilege of meeting many people. Having always enjoyed getting to know people, I cherish the connections that I've made.

Besides everything else, meeting people with varying and different religious backgrounds than I have has been most enlightening to me.

One thing that I've found remarkable is that even people who might consider themselves secular and practice little observance, nevertheless, usually proudly identify themselves, first and foremost, as Jews.

This week, Richard Lewis, one of the generation's legendary comedians, passed away.

While Richard occasionally studied Torah with a Chabad rabbi in LA, he was, from what I've read, a secular Jew. But when asked by the Jewish Journal what role Judaism plays in his life, he had this to say:

"I'm so Jewish. I'm Jewish from my toes to the remaining hairs on the back of my head. I'm not a deeply religious person, but I am spiritual. I feel Jewish when I wake up. I feel Jewish when I go to bed. I'm not an atheist. I love the story. I'm proud to be a Jew. I don't feel I do enough as a practicing Jew, but as Mel Brooks once said, and this is his line, 'I don't practice, I'm very good at it.' I reek of Judaism. And I feel blessed about it."

This response from Richard Lewis seems so typical for folks of that age frame. Secular, non-observant, but yet so proud of their being Jewish.

But this phenomenon of the very secular yet very proud Jew - that is so prevalent among boomers -- seems to be mostly absent among younger generations.

Today, if we want our children and grandchildren to have the Jewish identity their elders took for granted, it's increasingly clear that it requires substantial effort. The social and cultural bond that did it for the older generations just doesn't cut it for millennials and Gen-Zers.

The reason for this change is likely due to assimilation and the "golden era" of American Jewry of the last 70 years. It would be interesting to see how the recent alarming rise in antisemitism--and especially the reaction to events in Israel--might inform the trajectory.

Later this month, we celebrate Purim and read the Book of Esther. Here's how the Megillah introduces Mordechai:

"In the fortress Shushan lived a Jew by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite." (Esther 2:5)

The Megillah is a fascinating book filled with thought-provoking and increasingly relevant and timely ideas, but in this verse, in the most simple and beautiful way, the book of Esther shows us what the ideal bio looks like.

Mordechai was a scholar, a member of the high court, a teacher, and a watchman at the palace. But first and foremost, even before his own name, he was "a Jew."

We might feel that way about ourselves, and it's safe to assume we want the same for our kids. But if we want those results, we must put in the effort.

Assimilation may have weakened the fabric of American Jewry, but one silver lining it caused is that Jewish identity must henceforth be the product of a positive, proactive, and love-filled education, not just a reaction to antisemitism.