American Jewry's Challenge Conversations Confronting the Twenty-first Century

Watershed eventsincluding the second Palestinian uprising in, September, and the Iraq warhave created important new challenges for American Jewry. The introductory essay and interviews with prominent American Jews explore these. Major elements of American Jewrys changing mind-set relate to Israel. Others concern attitudes toward Evangelical Christians and Muslims as well as increased anxiety about anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. These, mainly political, challenges are superimposed on the structual problems of American Jewry.

Manfred Gerstenfeld is Chairman of the Board of Fellows of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.