The Upside of Assimilation

By Mark Greenberg
KOACH Field Worker
Washington, DC

By no means should we downplay the devastating effects assimilation has on the Jewish community. With intermarriage at a skyrocketing rate and more and more Jewish students growing up in less knowledgeable and practicing homes, many are fearful of what will become of Jews and Judaism in the future.

With that said, assimilation is not a new worry. In fact, Judaism and assimilation have a very long, intertwined history. While the Torah and Talmud have stories of Israelites who became assimilated and then came back to their roots, I want to look at what I would loosely call the upside of assimilation.

Purim is where we begin (after all, Mordechai is the first person to be referred to as a Jew!). We all know the story of how Esther told King Achashverosh that she was Jewish and that Haman (boo) was set on destroying her people. With pretty much a snap of his fingers, King Achashverosh changed the proclamation and the Jews were saved. But what makes this story even more interesting is the underlying themes.

Mordechai and Esther both have Persian names. Like many of us today living in the diaspora, Mordechai (a version of Marduk, a Persian deity) and Esther (from Ishtar, meaning ‘star’ in Persian) used non-Jewish names so that they could probably fit in a little better. Even commentators today wonder how religious Esther was while living in the palace. Despite having non-Jewish names, Mordechai and Esther would not let their fellow Jews perish without coming to their aid.

Another interesting point is that Judaism has also influenced other cultures. In heavily populated Jewish communities, such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta, to just name a few, you can get almost any kind of ethnic food Kosher style. Also, take Matisyahu as an example of Jews branching out to the outside world. Many young Jews know this reggae Hasid from hearing him on the radio. Matisyahu, an Ashkenazi Hasidic Jew, is able to express his beliefs and share his love of Judaism in a not so conventional way, through beat boxing, better known as reggae.

So while there are some disturbing figures coming out about assimilation and there are valid worries, we should remember that Jews have faced this before and have not only survived, but have been able to thrive.

[Posted 11/19/06]