Customer Reviews

Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry

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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.

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

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.

This is an ambitious, well-researched, and practical, 'how to' book on revitalizing the shrinking and divided American Jewish population. Refreshingly, it is authored by an enthusiastic lay leader in the Jewish community whose background is in finance. A must-read for anyone with a personal or professional stake in Jewish survival.

Scott Shay's timely manifesto is food for thought that leaves the reader with an appetite for action. Shay does not demand consensus but presents an achievable proposal for creating a common denominator that would mean a stronger future for American Jews... let's get to it!

Scott Shay's book, Getting our Groove Back: How To Energize American Jewry, is masterful. Mr Shay has applied his keen, scientific, problem-solving mind to important issues facing Judaism.

Jewish community problems are discussed with reference to today's best sociological research. Mr. Shay presents thoughtful, forward-thinking answers to help the Jewish community solve its issues.

Practical solutions are Scott Shay's contribution to the Jewish community.

Anybody who is serious about improvement and change within Judaism must read this thought-provoking, creative book.

I was intrigued by a review in the Jewish Week and devoured the book. I've since bought copies for the Rabbi and President of my Conservative Synagogue... bought more copies to give to our Seder guests.. Shay brings a thoroughly refreshing perspective on both the problems confronting American Jewry as well as possible solutions. He is totally non-partisan or denominational. His only agenda is securing the future of American Jewry. He's critical of Orthodoxy for assuming that if they are successful they can save us on their own. Shays shows they don't have the critical mass. He's critical of Reform for patrilinear decent and the havoc it creates.. and he's critical of Conservative Judaism for loosing it's position as the largest denomination... if they are loosing members... we all lose. You don't have to buy all his solutions.. but they will certainly make you think. Get the book. Read it. Get copies for agents of change and let's energize American Jewry!

This second edition has many of the numbers updated which reflects the most current demographics being taken into account. Specific research includes data released during 2007. The new appendix makes the demographic situation of American Jewry even more clear. The book continues to be a great call for action. I recommend Getting Our Groove Back as a manifesto for Rabbis, Synagogue Presidents or anyone interested in the vitality of American Jews. Kudos to Mr. Shay for his candor and commitment to such important issues we face for the future of American Jewry and as it affects our children and future generations.

Written by Scott A. Shay, Chair of UJA-Federation of New York's Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal, Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry is a straight-on look at the numerous obstacles confronting American Jewry today. Chapters question whether Hebrew schools can ever be made to effectively transmit Jewish identity, why Jews are giving less to Jewish causes and what can be done about it, to the modern erosion. of the American Jewish population due to intermarriages without conversion and declining overall birthrates. "In my view, if we accept zero population growth as desirable - which not all people do - Jews should be exempt from this concern. Contrary to other populations across the world that have grown exponentially, the Jewish population has declined in the past fifty years. Jews still have a great deal of catching up to do, whether it be to restore the population lost during the Holocaust or simply to reach numbers proportionate to the level of population growth internationally and in America." Getting Our Groove Back also stresses that the state of Israel is utterly important to the Jewish identity, and encourages trips to Israel for all Jewish teenagers. A hardcore guide to strengthening the cultural identity and influence of the Jewish tradition among American Jews of all branches of Judaism.

This book is a fantastic call to action. Mr. Shay has clearly done his research and used his qualified experiences and level-headedness to lay out convincing and practical solutions to the crisis that faces American Jewry. His dedication to American Jewry is refreshing and his optimism is inspiring. Because Mr. Shay writes to the point, the book is not dense and can easily be read by any individual regardless of education or religious experience. As a 23 year old recent college graduate, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in seeing the amazing tradition, culture, and religion that has helped shape the lives of great Americans continue to shape the lives of others in the future.