Aliyah Magazine presents a new series of articles dedicated towards ensuring the survival of our Jewish people. To enable the implications of this series to be fully understood, AM is simultaneously revisiting events associated with WW2, including the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel shortly after the war’s conclusion. It is not our intention to drive a wedge between our beloved family living in the Diaspora, with those living in Israel. However, it would be a neglect of duty to withhold such important information, which we hope to present in a systematic and caring way.
About a decade ago a startling survey was undertaken by Antony Gordon and Richard Horowitz under the title of ‘Will Your Grandchildren Be Jews?’ It revealed a dwindling number of Jewish offspring in the United States alone. Their later survey revealed an even starker portrayal that suggests aside from the orthodox community, Judaism is literally dying out in this major part of the Jewish Diaspora. There appeared little to suggest that a sufficient move towards orthodoxy would also be able to stop this disturbing process from reaching its horrific conclusion.
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Sample Population Count (Jewish growth rate) |
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| Average Number of Children Per Woman | Intermarriage Rate | First Generation | Second Generation | Third Generation | Fourth Generation | |
| Hasidic / Yeshiva Orthodox ^ | 6.72** | 6%* | 100 | 324 | 1,050 | 3,401 |
| Centrist Orthodox ^ | 3.39** | 6%* | 100 | 163 | 266 | 434 |
| Conservative | 1.74 | 32% | 100 | 66 | 44 | 29 |
| Reform | 1.36 | 46% | 100 | 46 | 21 | 10 |
| Secular | 1.29 | 49% | 100 | 41 | 17 | 7 |
Assimilation, might be an easy excuse to explain the exodus away from Judaism. However, we strongly believe that assimilation does not occur in a vacuum. Accordingly, AM will introduce many other critical factors into the equation in the hope of providing marker buoys on this perilous journey. Without a clear navigational chart, G-d forbid it will not only be the Egyptians getting lost at sea.
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