1. Ruderman Summit on Philanthropy, Power and Democracy in the Jewish Community of the 21st Century
Hebrew College
April 2, 2017

2. Insights from the Jewish Past
Askamot: Articles of Agreement
Sefer Hashtarot: The Book of Contracts
Much of Jewish public law had to do with interpreting the meaning of compacts

3. “In all matters of the community, no one part of the community is permitted to do as they please, unless the entire community consents. For the community are as partners in all communal responsibilities and in all communal appointments.”

4. The New World Quasi-Voluntary Communities
Religious associations organized on a membership basis
The Jewish response in the “New World” involved the adaption of the covenant principle through federative arrangements.

5. Building an American Communal System
Historical Roots: Kehilah Model
American Model: Federalism and Republicanism
Balance of Power and the Separation of Power
Voluntary Character of the Community
Church (synagogue)-State (federation)
National-Local Distribution of Authority and Power
Lay-Professional Divisions of Responsibility

6. What was the Communal Order Designed to Accomplish?
Managing the Distribution of Resources
Representing the Community
Establishing Communal Priorities
Promoting the “Mythology” of One People, One Destiny

7. American Judaism as a Political System: Its Characteristics
Power Centers: New York as the national “Jewish Capital” and Jerusalem as the global Jewish Capital
Defining Power Relationships:
Ben-Gurion-Blaustein Letters (1950) Defining Israel’s Relationship with the Diaspora

8. How We Decide: A Roadmap to Decision-Making
Civic Tradition
Religious Imperative
Politically Essential
Tribal Obligations

9. Categories of Jewish Decision-Making
Communal
Inter-Communal
Local
State
National (Federal)
Trans-National (Diaspora-Israel)
International

10. What Constitutes a “Decision”?
Majority-Minority Decision Making
Consensus: Defining What Constitutes “Consensus”
Competition: Campaigns and Ballots

11. Narrowing of the Playing Field: The End of the Communal Order
Understand Passover, Chanukah, and Purim in this New Political Condition?

12. How did the Communal System Unravel?
Civic Culture
Jewish Marketplace

13. Civic Culture Technology and the Information Revolution
Generational Transitions (Millennials: i.e. Religious Nones)
Notions of Work and Education
Robert Putnam on the Public Square (Bowling Alone)

14. The Jewish Marketplace
1985: American Jewry-Israel Crisis (Who is a Jew?)
The Decline of the Consensus Model
“Greatest” Jewish Generation Leaves the Communal Stage
Transfer of Wealth and the Emergence of the New Donor Class
Decline of the Legacy Order and the Emergence of Boutique Judaism

15. Distinctive Characteristics of the New Jewish Civic Culture
Consumer Dominance within a Jewish Context
Social Networking
Privatized Judaism and the Decline of Denominational Judaism
From One, Many: The Explosion in Choice
The Emergence of a Jewish Aristocratic Class

16. Continued… Shift from Centralized Governance to Localized Management
From Visionary Leadership to Institutional Maintenance
Closures, Mergers and Consolidations (Madoff Effect)
Culture of Experimentation and the Culture of “Free”

17. New Communal Paradigm
Flattening Out of Communal Structures ( Economic Crisis)
New Demographics
Rise of the Single Issue Constituencies
Creation of a Business Model

18. New Communal Order continued…
Loss of Political Consensus and the Decline in Civility
The New Jews
New Generational Cohorts
Technology and its Jewish Consequences
The New Authoritarianism
Loss of Memory and Meaning

19. The Second American Jewish Revolution
Legacy Model
Crisis Model
Collective Responsibility
“We Are One”
Integrated Federation Responses
Continuity/ Institutional
Maintenance
Multi-Institutional Focus
Boutique Model
Entrepreneurial Model
Selective Engagement
“Sovereign Self”
Diffused Institutional Responses
Innovation
Experimentation
Single Issue Constituencies

20. Continued… Legacy Model Boutique Model Generational Neutral
Generic Marketing
Peer Relationships
Interlocking Networks
Israel and Holocaust
Central Organizing Principles
Membership/ Dues
Boutique Model
Generational Nuanced
Segmented Marketing
Individualized Engagement
Isolated Relationships
Contemporary Themes
Random Methods of Organizing
Groups with Shared Interests

21. The New Jewish Political Reality
Themes
Jeffersonian Jews
Jacksonian Jews
World View
America ought to use the resources of the international community in advancing its strategic interests.
America has core interests that need to be defended and advanced.
Identity Politics
Jewish interests are aligned with certain universal causes and global concerns. Israel’s welfare must be seen in the context of America’s larger interests on the international stage.
Jews seek to insure Israel’s security and as a strategic partner of the United States.
Role of Government
Finding congruence with the liberal political tradition, Jeffersonian Jews are seeking to employ government in the advancement of human rights and as the promoter of social activism.
Joining the Republican perspective, that government ought to have a focused and limited agenda, Jacksonian Jews support a defined role for the state.
Religion and Society
The wall of separation between church and state protects this democracy from any one religion or religious ideas from dominating and influencing the political culture.
Religion ought to be seen as core asset and value. Religious ideas and practices ought to be encouraged within the public square.
Moral Outlook
The society should welcome and celebrate alternative ideas, divergent social and cultural expressions.
The social order ought to be maintained for the welfare of citizens. Behaviors and practices that violate the social norms of the culture should be rejected. Constitutionalism ought to define the limits of government activism.

22. The Questions Jews Are Asking
Does the liberal Jewish mainstream share any common political ground with its more politically conservative co-religionists?
What should our relationship be with the Jewish State?
What, if any, are the common threads for a shared discussion around Israel?
Who is permitted to critique Israel?
What does it mean to be “Jewish” in a 21st century environment?
Can we even be defined at this point as a community?

23. Challenges in the Moment
Helping Jews who are in search of meaning
Focusing on building points of connection among Jews
Strengthening and growing the instruments of community
Promoting models of communal experimentation
Challenging the new anti-Semitism
Re-imagining the Israel-Diaspora connection

24. Where Are We Now? Understanding the Communal Divide
Are we still a community or are we in fact multiple communities?
Uniting toward what end? Challenges facing our legacy institutions
Strategies for future consideration:
Confederations
Bottom-Up Organizing
Alternative Models of Community

25. Reflections and Directions