I spotted the following article online.

Communal ties lacking for young Jewish professionals, study shows

November 10, 2010

NEW ORLEANS, La. (JTA) — A new survey shows that younger Jewish professionals are less committed to the Jewish collective than their elders.

The results of the survey of about 2,500 self-identified Jewish community professionals were released this week in New Orleans at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America.

Most Jewish communal professionals grew up with two Jewish parents, had strong Jewish educational backgrounds and spent time in Israel, noted sociologist Steven M. Cohen, who did the pro bono research for the project. He called those factors “strong predictors” of later Jewish engagement.

Women make up two-thirds of all Jewish communal professionals, their median age is 48, and they are paid on average $20,000 less per year than men in comparable positions, according to the survey commissioned by the Jewish Communal Service Association of America.

Among those under 34, the survey showed 28 percent had been on Birthright programs, a higher percentage than one would expect among young Jews in general, Cohen said. That indicates a correlation between participation in Birthright and choosing a career in the Jewish community.

But despite that Israel experience and their strong Jewish backgrounds, these young professionals, like their peers not in communal work, have lower levels of commitment than their older colleagues to what he calls the “Jewish collective,” including Jewish peoplehood, Israel and a sense of Jewish “community.”

The take-away from that, Cohen said, is that the Jewish community cannot count on this generation’s continued engagement on the basis of group loyalty. Their Jewish involvement has to be earned, and Jewish professionals who understand that — their peers — will serve them better than older leaders.

“We’re going through a transition from peoplehood to purpose,” he posited. “Younger Jewish professionals are part of the purpose-driven generation.”

The survey was conducted in the fall of 2009 by the Berman Jewish Policy Archive at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Yes I know the title of this blog is not necessarily the most sophisticated reaction, however, I do not think that the trends in this study should be a surprise to anyone.  Someone, we will call her me, wrote a sermon about the narrative challenge facing the Jewish community and I think this studies findings are demonstrative of my point which was/is, the Jewish community must re-embrace our collective narrative, the Exodus narrative, because it is that story which outlines our purpose.  Organizations and individuals who are stuck on remembering the more recent past are not serving anyone.

Fear does not mobilize the community, as effective as it might be in fundraising.  The Jewish people have a unique purpose in this world thanks to our textual tradition.  We are told to remember that we were slaves in Egypt in order to serve the Jewish and global community through acts of tzedakah raising, which I would translate here as justice.  Jews are repeatedly called to ensure that there is a sense of justice in the world because of our collective memory of enslavement and redemption.

It worries me that this is so surprising and that this study of Jewish communal professionals is ringing some type of alarm. (Let’s ring the alarm at the pay disparity and the uneven gender divide instead!)

What do you think?  Are you surprised by this article?

I don’t actually care what the answer is.  I’m just hoping that you will go to my new facebook page, Rabbi Eleanor Steinman.  You just have to ‘like’ me and I will be the happiest person and it will help me streamline my facebook page.

Join me on the web!  Bring your lunch, a computer (with wifi or internet), a phone line and we’ll do a little learning together through a webinar.  I will be teaching today, November 3, November 10, and November 17.  You do not have to attend all of the sessions, you can pop in as you are available!  If you need the log-on information for the 10th or 17th, let me know and I will get those to you.  Here is today’s information.

This program is brought to you by Temple Sinai Congregation of Toronto.

And if you use foursquare or thought about it, check this out!

Foursquare Checkins On Election Day

2010 October 27

by Lisa

You know the dandy little sticker you get after voting, “I VOTED!”? Foursquare, the popular mobile-based geo-location game has collaborated with Rock the Vote, Pew Center, Google and the Voting Information Project to create the digital version for the upcoming election.  “Every day we see new examples of Foursquare encouraging and reinforcing positive behaviors,” said Foursquare’s Eric Friedman in a statement. “We’re excited to harness the power of Foursquare to drive civic engagement through the ‘I Voted’ badge.”  Foursquare currently has over 4 million users.  You can download the app to your phone, and/or sign up online.

To pull it off, they’ve collected data on 107,000 polling places. When users check in at these locations and include the hashtag #ivoted, they’ll get the “I Voted” badge in Foursquare, and be added to real time maps and data collected from around the country.

The Foursqaure project builds on the 2008 Twitter #VoteReport, a project that allowed users to share information during the presidential election about their polling places (what was going well, and not so well) in order to make sure everyone was able to vote in a timely and accurate way. Data from the Foursquare project will be used to plan additional initiatives to increase voter turnout and ensure smooth voting experiences for the 2012 presidential election. You can follow the project on election day here.

Allison Fine, one of the co-creators of Twitter #VoteReport, and co-author with Beth Kanter of the excellent book The Networked Nonprofit, will be presenting a webinar with Darim on November 3, from 1-2pm in celebration of our 10th anniversary. All are welcome to this free webinar (though space is limited). Register here!

I’ll be checking in on election day.  Will you?

I’m confused.  I remember Halloween taking place on October 31, as a kid I remember trick-or-treating, the Halloween parade at school, and carving pumpkins and roasting pumpkin seeds.  I have zero recollection of Halloween greeting cards, wearing costumes for a week, and it being in any way acceptable to stop regularly scheduled activities (like Sunday School!) for Halloween.

Don’t get me wrong, the kids walking around in costumes and stuff is very cute.  I even understand a Halloween party the night before (it is so Jewish to start holidays the evening before) especially on a Sunday.

It has gone too far.  Looking around the Sunday School today it seems that numbers might be slightly down (this is unofficial).  Of the 13 grade 10 students I prepared to teach, only three showed up.

The commercialization of every celebration, no matter how big or small is horrifying to me.  Are we really modeling something to the next generation or are we preparing them to rebel against us?

My favorite Halloween tradition is the one that I learned about in Spanish class every year, Dia de los Muertos (I know there should be some accents in there).  This is actually the origin of Halloween to some extent and has deep important meaning for the families that go to the cemeteries and remember the deceased in preparation for tomorrow, All Saints Day.  These celebrations are not part of my faith or cultural tradition but I think they are very interesting to learn about.

So, Happy Halloween, I guess.  Please let it be over when it is over.  Oh, and happy November!

Happy birthday to the best father I’ve ever had (yes he’s the only one, too).  In honor of your birthday, I’m going to write a list of 29 reasons I love you!  (Why anyone in my family couldn’t be born at the beginning of a month is beyond me!)

1.  You like to spontaneously call in the middle of the day just to say ‘hi’.

2.  You are a devoted father and ensured that THE DIVA and I were independent women and knew how to do things like fix toilets and check the oil.

3.  You are really good and researching purchases (specifically electronics) and ensuring that you get the device you really want.  I make no comment about using said devices.

4.  When I was little (we’re talking really little) you used to take me on dates and not get mad when I would eat only the cucumber out of a cucumber roll.

5.  You think you’re really funny.  Sometimes you are.

6.  You’ve become a professional volunteer in your retirement, a reminder to everyone that perhaps the real reason to work is to be able to retired and give back to community.

7.  We are both left-handed ensuring equality at our family dinner table.

8.  You are always concerned there will be something on the menu for me to eat.

9.  You are immensely talented and creative.  Your latest foray into the world of ceramics is a testament to this!

10.  No one can worry as effectively as you.

11.  You LOVE to read and always know a good book.

12.  Though I did not attend a university with a football team, you ensured that I know who to root for at all times.  Fight on USC!

13.  Once, THE DIVA and I found your secret stash of candy and we hid it from you.  You didn’t get ‘mad’ and you never got even 🙂

14.  No one can pretend to detract squirrels from a bird feeder as effectively as you.

15.  There is not a coat that exists in the world that you don’t want to own (yes this man has more coats than anyone I have ever met).

16.  You are really good with children and they flock to be around you.

17.  We used to make the best chocolate chip cookies together (this was long ago) and you made sure that THE DIVA and I got equal parts of the batter.

18.  You have exceptional taste.

19.  You are an excellent nurse.  I know it from when I had my ACL replacement.

20.  You are the king of schmoozing.

21.  You are really good at driving the speed limit.

22.  True story: “I went to see _____ movie.  I couldn’t figure out why it was so dark.  When the movie was over.  I realized I still had my sunglasses on.”  Hilarious!

23.  You are really good at trivial pursuit.  Really any game that requires lots of knowledge about random things.   You passed this skill on to me.

24.  You lived in Japan for a year.  This is cool because it meant we were eating sushi before it was trendy, and you can spy on Japanese people and tell us what they’re saying.

25.  You really like getting your back scratched and shoulders rubbed.

26.  In 1984 you took me to the Olympics in Los Angeles to see women’s team finals.  You got to see lots of other cool things, too.

27.  You’re fun to go on a road trip with, especially when you spring for massages.

28.  You wrote me my very own lullaby.

29.  Since later today it will also be Shabbat, I am comfortable telling the world that you created the phrase “Shabbat Salami.”

So Shabbat Salami, Dad!  I love you!