A Crisis in American Judaism: Arnold Eisen to Speak Wednesday at Adath

I know you’re all busy, especially during the week, balancing work, family, social lives and everything else you do, but if you have a few extra hours and want to get a little revved up about the future of Jewish life, thought, community and politics, head over to Adath in Minnetonka on Wednesday night to hear Arnold Eisen speak.

Eisen is the Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, and his talk is on “Renewing American Judaism: The Time Is Now.” The event starts at 7:30pm, and there’s a dessert reception after the talk.

In his interview with Mordecai Specktor of the American Jewish World newspaper, Eisen talked about the urgency of acting and engaging Jewishly at this moment. Specktor writes:

The crisis is financial and organizational; the Conservative movement is “losing a large number to assimilation,” allows Eisen, who is not a rabbi but an esteemed scholar of American Judaism. “There is a sense that we are not meeting the needs of the younger generation.”

In his travels and talks with rabbis, cantors and Conservative lay leaders, Eisen has found a sense of urgency about doing something to address the exodus of youth from synagogue life. “If we don’t get this younger generation now, we’re going to lose them,” he said, paraphrasing the message from Conservative leaders.

Read the rest of the American Jewish World’s article about Eisen’s upcoming talk, and check out the flyer for Arnold Eisen’s talk at Adath on Wednesday night. Hope some of you are able to attend!