Orthodoxy in America is a pretty flexible term

Submitted by Kenneth S. Besig (Israel), May 9, 2006 at 10:09

Although I have lived in Israel for almost twenty five years, I can still recall how truly flexible the term Orthodox had become in the Jewish Community there. And then a few years ago, an American Jewish Senator, Joe Lieberman, ran for the office of President, and there were people who described him as Orthodox. But here is a Jew who doesn't pray three times a day, keep Kosher in all his meals, and certainly is not Shomer Shabbat, regarding the Laws of Family Purity, I don't know.

An awful lot of American Jews characterize themselves as Orthodox and yet still drive on Shabbat, go to treif restaurants to eat out, and don't even know what a mikve is, much less use one, ever.

On the other hand, apparently the only Jews having children in America are the Orthodox or at least the religious Jews and in the numbers game, the last man standing does win. So I suppose that after the Reform Jews have all assimilated, and the Conservatives have died off, the only ones left will be the Orthodox, and of course, the Hareidim who have even more children than the Orthodox, and are now setting the American Jewish religious agenda.

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