I found myself saddened, demoralized and deeply concerned when reading the results of the Pew survey (“Fast-Growing Jewish ‘Nones’ Seen Reshaping Community,” Oct. 4).
In one decade, the number of unaffiliated Jews tripled, the intermarriage rate has vastly increased and the signs of all the other data bode ill for the future of American Jewry. At this rate, what will the results look like in 20 years? The only way to ensure our Jewish future is to learn from the past. The only way to ensure that we are not a declining entity is through ensuring that our children are brought up with the proper Jewish education which should be nurtured further at the home. There is simply no substitute for this. Brought up with proper values and knowledge from a young age is our biggest defense against assimilation, intermarriage and loss of Jewish identity. It is up to all of us as parents and responsible adults to ensure that what Hitler did not succeed in destroying through a physical holocaust will not be lost in a decade as a result of a spiritual holocaust.
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