In which I ramble about Jewish identity. or: an excerpt from my graduate school application statement of purpose

The concept of Jewish identity is changing. The award-winning documentary, “The Tribe,” puts forth the idea that every group has a number of sub-groups contained within itself. The Tribe refers specifically to the overarching group of The Jews, and contained within this group are all the different kinds of people who are identified as Jewish: Reform Jews, Orthodox Jews, Cultural Jews, Atheist Jews, Bacon-eating Jews, Blond-haired-blue-eyed Jews, Feminist Jews, etc. Although an individual may only choose to self-identify with one of these sub-groups, the message espoused by “The Tribe” is that any kind of self-identification whatsoever is a connecting factor to the group at large, and is seen as a tie to the polymorphous global Jewish community (and beyond that to the Human community).
The sentiment expressed by this important documentary is quite lovely. However, there are several rather practical implications that arise from this very real model of self-identity: the Jewish community is fragmented by all these divisions; people may describe themselves in a multitude of ways, but in actuality have no corresponding, physical sub-community with which to participate; individuals who relate to less orthodox modes of identity feel alienated by larger community groups; people who are seeking content are often met with fluff (a good example of this is Heeb magazine, which is supposed to be a publication offering alternatives to the “traditional” views of Judaism, but instead prints articles about bagels and lox, leaving a rather hollow impression of Judaism) and feel dissatisfied and further distanced.
A number of social factors have contributed to changing avenues of identity and the correlating issues associated with community. Because of integration into a general American society, second and third generation Jewish-Americans offer their children little in the way of Jewish education, or are themselves estranged from Jewish communal organizations. The direction of the general American society which these Jews are so closely tied is also clearly impactful, in terms of identity: American culture teaches a very specific mixture of suspicion, pride, and aloofness, which is often prohibitive of real community building, content, and connection.
I do not believe that there is any one real solution to these types of issues, except to expect that Jewish organizations must realize these trends in the wider population and begin to respond. It is clear to me that many Jewish communal organizations cling to one historical framework, which often does not allow room for flexibility. Part of the solution must include changes in the educational systems of such organization—if children have positive experiences, hopefully they will not migrate to the periphery of the community. As well, Jewish organizations must adapt and embrace a new understanding of what this shift in identity really means. Certainly, Jewish community cannot continue to operate in the same traditional manner without risking complete societal irrelevance and antiquation.