the halachically defined status of most American Jews is that of tinok ha nishba or child captured and raised up in an alien culture.  The fact that this 'capture' was partly self-inflicted, and that it does extend over generations, does not change the basic outline. 

People born Jews (more or less, depending on where you hold on the matrilineal-patrilineal thing) who essentially know nothing about their own heritage (or at least less than the crazy christians who actually read the bible regularly).  Raised in ignorance, with no cognizance much less experience of shabbat, tefillin, shavuot, or the beit ha migdash...  I was one too, I know how completely alien the world of assimilated American Jews is from real live experienced Jewish life.

I was priviliged and lucky, years ago, to be present in the Black Hills of south dakota at a gathering of AmerIndians from all over 'Turtle island' (the americas).  Among many beautiful ceremonies and speeches, they did a 're-adoption' ceremony, to ritually welcome back into whole identity all those Indians who had been taken away from their families, reservations, or land as children and raised in mission schools, forbidden from speaking their own languages or practicing their beliefs.  Many years later, many have come searching.  This ceremony wound up including many of the elders, even, as well as young people (the practice of child theft and reeducation continued til the 1980s in America, believe it or not).  Everyone there was blown away; not a dry eye in the prayer circle.

jews are so traumatized, in different ways, that we can't even figure out how to reach out and welcome back all these 'lost' jews with love.  I'm not saying it's easy, but there are models out there on how to do it, and god knows we need it, as this thread is well aware.