Recruitment to Grow the Faith

Pros·e·ly·tize Pronunciation: 'prä-s(&-)l&-"tIzFunction: verbInflected Form(s): -tized; -tiz·ingintransitive senses1 : to induce someone to convert to one's faith 2 : to recruit someone to join one's party, institution, or causetransitive senses : to recruit or convert especially to a new faith, institution, or cause- pros·e·ly·ti·za·tion /"prä-s(&-)l&-t&-'zA-sh&n, "prä-s&-"lI-t&-/ noun- pros·e·ly·tiz·er /'prä-s(&-)l&-"tI-z&r/ noun


In today's New York Times there is an article about a non-sectarian evangelical church that recently purchased an arena in Texas that holds thirty thousand congregants. Wow! And the article went further to state that they anticipate that their membership will exceed 100,000. They also broadcast their services to an average audience of over 2.8 million people.

Does Judaism, or should I say, is there a Jewish leader who could command such a following of new members to the faith? Is there someone or something that can be done to convert Judaism from a religion that is limited, because of low birth rates, intermarriage, death, etc. from growing from the extremely low world estimates of 13-16 million? I believe we must convert Judaism from being a surviving religion to a growing religion.

I continue to wonder why Judaism has failed and/or refused to convert itself from a religion that always looks inward and fails and/or refuses to look outward to the non-jew to grow the faith.

Being part of the "covenant" should not mean that you must be born of Jewish parent(s). Being part of the covenant should mean that based upon a belief and/or acceptance in the tenets of the Judaism you seek to live and worship as a Jew.

I wonder if the continued perception of the Jewish people as the persecuted could be flipped on its head to make being Jewish a badge of honor and pride that humankind has seen and done heinous things and from such atrocities the flower of the Jewish people continues to bloom.

Where do these thoughts lead? I believe that Judaism has simply failed to attach any importance to conversion of the non-jew to grow the religion. I believe that there has to be a reexamination of this issue and that Judaism should devote financial resources and person-power to advance this idea. And the conservative movement, with its problems concerning its membership rolls, may be just the right movement, in this political climate and times to do this. I will address this issue further.... Shalom Jeremy