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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/18232/full/18232/jews-get-a-7th-inning-kvetch-from-n-y-mets-heritage-day/ <br /><br /> <b>Jews get a 7th-inning kvetch from N.Y. Mets ‘heritage’ day</b> <br /> Friday, August 9, 2002 | by <p>Anyone wondering just how comfortable Jews have become in the American diaspora need only have gone to New York’s Shea Stadium r </p> <br /><br /><p>It was billed as "Jewish Heritage Day" at Shea. The New York Mets geared up to face the Cincinnati Reds, and the number of Jews in attendance was, quite simply, astonishing.<br /><br /> Several synagogues throughout the metropolitan area had come on organized trips, proudly wearing T-shirts specially made for the occasion. At one point during the game, the list of synagogues flashed on the scoreboard, their respective members erupting into cheers as each congregation's name was read aloud over the public address system.<br /><br /> Though a rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe has led many Jews there to minimize or downplay expressions of their identity, lest they find themselves being targeted for attack, no such fears seem to have gripped America's Jews.<br /><br /> At the game, a dizzying variety of knitted, suede and velvet kippot were proudly on display, as both modern and haredi Jews came out to enjoy a day at the ballpark. And though they might not agree on various philosophical or religious matters, they were all united on at least one point: cheering for the home team. It may not be much, but it's a start.<br /><br /> The glatt-kosher hot dog stand did a brisk business, barely keeping up with the demand for potato knishes. When one customer asked, half-jokingly, if there was a minyan, he was told, in all seriousness, that there is usually one held for ma'ariv (the evening service) during night games. I wonder whether the same can be said for Hapoel Tel Aviv or Maccabi Haifa.<br /><br /> In between innings, Mr. Met, the team mascot, danced on top of the third-base dugout together with an Israeli dance troupe to the tune of "Hava Nagila," as the 30,000-odd Jews and non-Jews who came out to see the game applauded enthusiastically to the beat of the music.<br /><br /> This, I thought to myself, was a classic example of what makes America great. Only in a country as free and tolerant as the United States could Jews so boldly and publicly assert their identity without fear or recrimination. Sure, it may not be perfect, and no place is, but the ease with which Jews are able to live as Jews, while still participating fully in secular society, is as remarkable as it is unprecedented.<br /><br /> And yet, as the game proceeded, and the Mets fell behind, I began to have my doubts. For although there are signs of a renaissance of Jewish life in the United States, such as the increase in Jewish day-school enrollment, the sprouting of new communities and the renewed activism on behalf of Israel, the evidence of decay is also unmistakable.<br /><br /> Pick up a copy of the Sunday New York Times and take a look at the wedding announcements, which serve as a kind of scorecard in the running battle between Jewish assimilation and Jewish survival. All told, it would appear that the number of Cohens marrying O'Learys exceeds the number of Cohens marrying Levys.<br /><br /> Half of American Jews do not belong to a synagogue, and most have never visited Israel. While many young Jews study French or Spanish, few can understand or read Hebrew. The People of the Book have become the People who Can't Even Read the Book. Worse still, many no longer seem to care.<br /><br /> Which is to say that American Jewry is paying an enormous communal price for its lifestyle, as it progressively shrinks from year to year. The short-term success achieved in a variety of fields, from business to academia to the arts, is effectively coming at the cost of long-term dissolution and disintegration.<br /><br /> And so, as I looked around the stadium, which was about 60 percent full, I noticed that there were plenty of empty seats. For all the loyal and faithful Jews who had come to enjoy "Jewish Heritage Day," there were countless others who had gone astray or vanished altogether.<br /><br /> As the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, American Jewry's inability to preserve its identity constitutes a failure of colossal proportions, one that raises serious questions about the long-term viability of diaspora Jewish life in the modern world.<br /><br /> Sadly, Israeli Jewry is also not immune to the forces of assimilation, as harmful ideologies such as post-Zionism have gained currency in recent years, weakening the nation's resolve and calling into question the very legitimacy of the Jewish state.<br /><br /> Where, then, will it all end? With these gloomy thoughts in mind, it is not surprising that the short intermission in the game known as the seventh-inning stretch had rapidly deteriorated into a seventh-inning kvetch, or groan of despair. How could I possibly enjoy the game when the Jewish future appeared so foreboding?<br /><br /> Leave it to the Mets to provide the answer. In the bottom half of the seventh, they came from behind to score enough runs to put them in the lead, before going on to win the game by a thin margin. Their victory over the Reds was impressive, and it kept them in the race for a wild-card spot in the playoffs.<br /><br /> The surprising turnaround, however, amounted to more than just an enjoyable sporting event. It was a pointed reminder that as bad as things may appear to be, a Jew must never give up hope, for any obstacle can be overcome. Even a seemingly insurmountable lead in the bottom of the seventh.<br /><br /> All it takes is a bit of hard work and determination. And, as the slogan inscribed across the top of the Mets dugout aptly reminds us, there is one additional ingredient to success: "Always believe."</p> <p> </p>

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