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3.1 Neo-Classical Zionism. Halkin’s Letters to American Jewish Friend, which I first read almost 30 years
ago, remains the most formative text for my own Jewish identity. Leaving aside the emphasis on aliyah
(which, of course, is central to Halkin’s book and most streams of classical Zionist thought) I derive several
important assumptions:
- Jews as Israelis: Over an extended (multi-generational) period, the terms "Jew" and "Israeli" are
gradually becoming synonymous (in the minds of Jews and non-Jews alike). Even Jews highly
critical of Israel and Zionism seem to understand, and implicitly acknowledge, that Israel is
recognized today as the Jewish nation within the broader community of nations. As both Israelis
and Diaspora Jews currently debate significant “boundary issues” (i.e. regarding the role of non-
Jewish participants, the rules and mechanisms for affiliation with the Jewish people, etc.), it is
imperative to keep in mind that larger environmental forces will likely continue to blur the
distinctions between Jews and Israelis (regardless of any halachic perspectives on these issues).
- Normalization of the Diaspora: As participants in a multicultural society comprised of multiple ethnic groups,
American Jews should identify with Israel in a similar manner as members of other ethnic Diasporas do with
their ancestral nation. In other words, cultural identification with Israel, distinct from philanthropic or political
support, should grow in significance. Demographic patterns should strengthen this trend over time; as emigres
from Israel continue to arrive, while the core Jewish population declines in size, the role of Hebrew Americans
within the overall Jewish population should grow in significance. Indeed, if the percentage of both Orthodox
Jews and Israeli-Americans grow (relative to the total core Jewish population in the U.S.), the
“outreach/continuity debate” will gradually shift its focus to questions regarding the primacy of elements and
forces (religious vs. cultural) that could or should define the core of Jewish life.
- The Importance of Language: Grasp of language is vital for driving deeper attachment to, and participation in,
any culture. Jewish education, therefore, should be driven by cognition – training individuals to recognize the
terms and concepts shared by participants in the parent culture. In current American Jewish thought, personal
practices (halachic or philanthropic), along with underlying attitudes and beliefs, are typically the focus of
education and outreach. A sustained emphasis on acquiring language fluency could create a cultural upheaval
in Jewish life.
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3.2 Organizational Ecology. As a former graduate student in organizational behavior, I tend to analyze
social phenomena in terms of the organizations that sustain a society. In particular, my thinking has been
heavily influenced by the work of Hannan and Freeman (who wrote about organizational ecosystems),
Henry Mintzberg (who wrote about the interplay between organizational strategies and structures), and Karl
Weick (who wrote about the critical role of language and cognition in the organizing process). Some ideas
that play an important role in my thinking include:
- Macro versus Micro: Most research on contemporary Jewry tends to be focused on “micro-level” (personal /
individual) factors; for example, demographic studies of personal attitudes and affiliations attract significant
attention. I personally believe that the institutions that a society generates (and how those institutions perform)
tell us at least as much about that society as any research on the members of that society would.
- Organizational Inflexibility: Established organizations are typically resistant to change; their survival depends
on multiple affiliations and dependencies that constrain drastic action. While I believe that all organizations
need to engage in some sort of outreach strategy to sustain themselves, I generally do not think that it is
possible to significantly transform existing institutions. In my view, truly trans-formative change can only occur
by introducing new kinds of organizational structures (i.e. new “species” of group) within a larger cultural
ecosystem.
- Success depends on clear, limited focus: When organizations operate in a weak ecosystem (i.e. with few
competitors, vendors, reliable customers, etc.), their leaders are often tempted to engage in activities that are
ultimately unsuitable (and may actually strain the organization’s resources). The most common problem in
organization building, in my view, is the inability of the organizers to define a viable operating model (based on
a coherent mission) that can be sustained over time.
- Ideology detached from action: Weick introduced the concept of "retrospective sense making", that
organizations often act quickly and later come up with an interpretation of their behavior that fits their identity.
One direct consequence is that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to understand a group's behaviors simply
by studying their official mission or formal communications. In the Jewish context, this would mean that it would
be hard to make sense of the current condition of the Jewish community by looking at stated beliefs and
attitudes alone.
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