Midterm
1)
Evan Anderson
Rachel Kranson’s title Ambivalent Embrace describes American Jews in much the same way
as Nathan Glazer’s American Judaism. Both refer to the same group of American Jews that
are ascending to the middle class as believing that, “… poverty might be a necessary
component of being a ‘good Jew’,” (Kranson, 3). There was an assortment of American Jews
that believed that the acceptance and lack of prosecution and poverty that modern
American Jews were facing was a detriment to the race and the religion. The history of
Judaism has been prosecution, and then preparing for worse prosecution, and then facing
even more prosecution than had been anticipated before. This led to a whole culture
centered around suffering and the comradery that is borne out of that suffering. When this
suffering and prosecution was no longer part of American Jewish life, it lead many Jews to
wonder what it meant to be a Jew. Some turned to a fulfilling life in Jewish culture by
creating many Jewish centers where Jews were able to be a Jewish culture while appearing
to be a Jewish religion to appease their WASP neighbors. This however, was not what this
group of Jews thought was what it meant to be Jewish, these Jews looked to the prewar
Shtetls and saw the subsistence of those folks and saw that as the true way that a Jew
should live, whether Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox. These Jews believed, “Materially
poor [meant], spiritually rich.” (Kranson, 17). Kranson’s thoughts about these Jews
Ambivalently embracing the middle class matches up well with Glazer’s thoughts, Glazer
stated that, “Jewish religion had always been prepared for persecution, even to the extent
of the extermination of 6 million Jews, but had never been prepared for the abandonment
of the Law.” (Glazer, 98). Here, Glazer is stating that the Jewish religion did not need a
massive amount of incredibly pious members to prosper, only that Jews needed to be Jews
for the religion to survive, Kranson is stating that Jews were no longer Jews if they were not
poor. Since being poor brought Jews together into a common situation, thus creating Jewish
culture that ended up being Jewishness itself. Without a lack of prosperity Jews could not be
Jewish, since being Jewish meant to be poor and have inherent communal interests, rather
than capitol interests.
Kranson’s thesis about anxiety coincide with Glazer’s assessment of postwar American
Jews being Ambivalent towards their newfound grace in the eyes of the American
public. Both authors observe American Jewry being eager to ascend as well as seeing
that ascension as bittersweet, as if they were about to lose a facet of their lives that had
defined them for millenia.
3)
The story of the Four Chaplains is a story of interfaith America making a sacrifice
together for the greater good, to save four lives those four chaplains sacrificed their own, and
went down with the sinking ship while they all prayed together. This was a message to
midcentury America that there was a change in the religious tide. The singular faith Prewar
America had suddenly become the Tri-Faith America that Kevin Schultz writes about. The
inclusiveness of Jews and Catholics into what could be thought of as American was the great
progressive movement of the midcentury. When Jews, Catholics, and Protestants could be on a
level playing field was what seemed progressive to Americans in the 40’s and 50’s. Today this is
not seen nearly as progressive. It seems as though Americans begrudgingly granted the right of
Jews and Catholics to be seen as human, these days it would seem bigoted and inhuman to
regard any foreign idea as less valuable than your own held beliefs. The emergence of Jews and
Catholics into acceptance does not seem progressive to us because we have never seen any
message other than acceptance, more like celebration of others over celebration of ourselves.
4)
Kevin Schultz and Noah Feldman both tell us how the Protestant nature of America is
the greatest factor in the acceptance and allowance of other religions. Feldman’s The
Triumphant Decline of the WASP helps us realize that the birth of America was only because the
first Protestants in this country were so overwhelmingly supportive of freedom of religion that
they were willing to die for it. The protestant founders of the country were so engrossed in the
idea of equality and freedom that they gave the ability to ascend to every American, no matter
the religion. The very basis of Protestantism was inclusion, relinquishing power to anyone
qualified, no matter race or religion, is what led to post-Holocaust America being so inclusive.
The Protestant idea of “Faith saves” is what allows anyone from anywhere to be saved if they
believe, this idea extends to political ends. If a Jewish boy wishes to be a supreme court judge
and is willing to serve to the best of his ability, he will be allowed to serve.
In Schultz’s Tri-Faith America Protestant, Jewish, and Catholic Chaplains work together to support
American troops on bases all around the world. This gives allows the American public to see this support
and see it as an example of the good that can come out of wartime, the necessary evil of war can give
life to true good. The protestant idea of inclusivity and tolerance is the only thing that could allowed the
acceptance of others. Since Protestants were the overwhelming majority, it would have been easy for
them to deny all others and stay in power as long as they wished. The fact is that protestants were the
only ones that could have voted themselves out of power. Since there are fewer protestants in power
now the only explanation is that the idea of inclusivity was a success, and protestants were able to hold
up to their own ideals.