Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry [Hardcover]

Scott A. Shay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2006

In this provocative book, Scott Shay takes on the major obstacles facing American Jewry today. He examines the current state and future prospects of American Jewry and finds a Jewish community that is dangerously adrift and on an overall downward trajectory, due to a community-wide lack of shared purpose, focus, and mutual concern. To counter this downward spiral, the author presents a platform of ten practical and achievable mini-manifestos that can reinvigorate American Jewry as a whole. Casting away conventional wisdom and political correctness, this book carefully brings to bear extensive research as it deals with the most controversial and essential issues facing American Jews.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Scott Shay believes unabashedly that Judaism’s fundamental purpose is to impact humanity positively. --Shulamit Reinharz, Jacob Potofosky Professor of Sociology; Founding Director, Hadassah-Brandeis Institute; Founding Director, Women's Studies Research Center

A must read for all who seek to strengthen Jewish life. --John Ruskay, Executve Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of UJA-Jewish Federation of New York

GETTING OUR GROOVE BACK is a book that every Jewish leader ought to read. --Dr. Jonathan Woocher, CEO, JESNA; Director, Lippman Kanfer Institute

About the Author

Scott Shay has seen all sides of Jewish communal life. His volunteer work began while he was in his teens and lead to leadership and active participation roles in Hillel, Hebrew Schools, synagogues, Jewish Day Schools, Israel trips and a Chair of UJA-Federation of New York’s Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal. His organizational skills have lead to his appointment to the boards of local, national and international Jewish organizations. Scott Shay has also had a successful career spanning Wall Street, private equity, venture capital and banking. He brings all of his experiences to bear in this book. He is a graduate of the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He lives in New York with his family.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Devora Publishing (December 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932687858
• ISBN-13: 978-1932687859
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,286,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prescription for Revitalizing American Jewry, December 22, 2006

By 

Ronald Belmont - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry (Hardcover)

Scott A. Shay has presented a timely, well thought-out and meaningful program to address the portentious demagraphic decline facing American Jewry in the coming decades. The book can be segmented into three parts. First, the author details the seemingly inevitable decline of American Jewry in both absolute terms (i.e., the numbers of Americans identifying themselves as Jews is shrinking at an alarming rate) and in proportionate terms (i.e., as fast as the absolute number of Jews in the United States is dropping, the percentage of Americans identifying themselves as Jews is falling even faster). Second, the author asks and answers the very important question: why does it matter if American Jewry disappears into the melting pot of the USA? And third (and what takes up most of the book), the author presents his series of "planks" to halt (and, hopefully, reverse)this demographic decline. The planks range from enhancing the "Birthright Israel" program to adopting a type of mandatory funding for Jewish education.

While the planks in themselves offer many interesting ideas and deserve to be studied for implementation, they do something far more important than set up a system of policy prescriptions: they serve as touchstones for putting this (in this reviewer's opinion anyway) highly important issue on the American Jewish community's agenda for social action and public discourse. If nothing else, Mr. Shay should be commended for writing a book that sounds the clarion call for action. Mr. Shay has thrown down the gauntlet; let's hope it gets picked up.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, January 25, 2007

By 

The Constant Reader (NY NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry (Hardcover)

Finally a book that offers solutions instead of just 'kvetching'!

Scott Shay expertly researches and suggests practical solutions to the challenges facing the American Jewish community today. A MUST read for communal leadership as well as parents and grandparents.

--Staci Light

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very important book; a must read, January 21, 2007

By 

Mark Meirowitz (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry (Hardcover)

Scott's book makes very important suggestions on what needs to be done to re-energize the Jewish Community. His book is thoughtful and analytical and he has given a great deal of thought not only to identifying what the problems are but also has offered solutions for these problems and issues. This is a must read for anyone concerned about the future of the American Jewish Community.