Walter – The answer according to traditional Jewish law is that a Jew is anyone born of a Jewish mother or lawfully converted to Judaism (for a fuller explanation you will have to consult a qualified rabbi). Of course that basic definition indicates almost nothing about any particular Jew’s familiarity with or affinity for Judaism. Perhaps a helpful analogy might be American citizenship. A person can be a native born American citizen but still be entirely estranged from traditional American values and hostile to American interests.

Really? I’m more confused than ever.

There are 6.5 million Jews in America.

The fact that “In 2008, 2.7 million Americans called themselves religiously Jewish, down from 3.1 million in 1990.” brings on the question: Who is a Jew and what is it that makes a person a Jew?

My wife and I have sent our four children to Modern Orthodox Jewish day schools since kindergarten. Fees are generally $10,000 per year for K to 8 and $20,000 per year for 9 to 12. Tuition is generally higher in the most expensive metro areas (NYC, LA, etc.). It is obviously a tremendous burden*, but as David notes, how much are you willing to pay for Olam Habah (or even Jewish continuity)? It should also be noted that there is often some form of private financial aid available.

I grew up in a fairly unobservant Conservative Jewish household and originally began to study with Orthodox Jewish outreach groups in order to a become better Jew in a Conservative environment. I eventually came to the painful conclusion that it is mostly only Orthodox Jews who promote effective Jewish continuity and engagement with the God who expresses himself through our Torah (Torah understood as not just the Pentateuch, but the whole body of traditional Jewish learning and worship). Orthodox life is difficult, and I consider myself a follower of Rosenzweig’s “Not Yet” approach. My wife and I jumped and swam for Orthodox Judaism as the only lifeboat in a stormy sea.

Sadly, among non-Orthodox Jews, there are only small pockets who are sincerely interested in engaging with our Torah (for example some small minyanim (prayer groups) organized by alums of JTS).

It’s my impression that, outside of Orthodoxy, the organized Jewish world blows with the winds of fashion in elite opinion. This is not to say that there are not tremendous problems within Orthodoxy or that there are not Reform, Conservative and secular Jews who are wonderful people who do great things for the mankind and the Jewish people. I just don’t think that they will have too many Jewish descendents.

* for those who enjoy irony, we were able to afford the last few years of day school tuition due to my generous salary as an advisor to the US Army in Iraq

However, the main exception I have to Lisa Miller’s essay is her contention that synagogues should be encouraging more Jews to join regardless of their commitment level. This strategy, pursued in the 1950′s through 1980′s by the Reform movement, is now leading to its demise, while the opposite strategy pursued by the Orthodox has led to its resurgence. What the Jewish community needs are more committed Jews, not more nominal Jews like Lisa Miller. Committed Jews are far more numerous today than 40 years ago, although the nominal number may have shrunk a bit, but more of them are in the Orthodox camp and that is where the future of Judaism lies.

As Jacob Neusner once commented, “We are not competing with the Chinese.” Judaism survives because of the high level of commitment and knowledge of a small group of people, not the low level of commitment of a large group of people. That has been true for thousands of years, and the American situation is no different than all the others.