How to Save Judaism: Better Marketing!

If you want to market Judaism, we have to talk about Judaism, not Israel and not the Holocaust. Those two things take up 95% of what Jews talk about. 

I'm not saying don't talk about those things; I'm say don't only talk about them. Many non-Jews find a lot of the ethics of Judaism compelling even if they don't understand kashrut or Hebrew.

Part of this is intrinsic Jewish shyness about Judaism. For my part, I make sure to invite as many non-Jews as possible to tree plantings on Tu B'Shevat and to my Passover Seders. When people find out that Jews believe in repairing *this* world and have a 3,500 year legacy of fighting for liberty, they take more notice of that as relating to their lives. 

Just saying.

(And the Dalai Lama tells Westerners to practice their own religions all the time.)

I am about to have an adult Bar Mitzvah, at age 58 !  I mentioned this in passing at work, and about 20 of my co-workers have indicated that they would like to attend.  In talking to these people, all non-Jews, what eventually comes out is that they are really curious about Judaism, and simply want to experience a Shabbat service.  A little marketing in the right places, and I think our conversion numbers would be way up !

I would love a time when a person could simply go to a rabbi,
say they have a Jewish heart, and could take home a Torah and
commentary simply saying, "this is us...if you want this, take
it" and the following week be in a mikvah.

I just noticed this line.

You can't possibly be serious.  I hope you're exaggerating for the sake of humor.

@ Medic14 - good luck, I just had mine, at 39, last weekend.

@Jeff Eyges - isn't this all a bit tongue-in-cheek

 Thanks Patrick for writing such a topic in a humorous way. Sometimes on a personal level the enthusiasm for Judaism is the best "marketing" ever. I love my Jewish life and it shows. People can see it and make their own choices.

My appeal is more toward adult Jews that have a 13 year old bar/bat mitzvah view of Judaism to engage and wrestle with Judaism now as an adult. The enthusiasm you have for Judaism will be the best marketing.

L'Shalom,

mTp

I'm confused, I don't know what to say really: My super jewish , potential-flooded book is a total marketing failure. 

here's a Ynet article 

 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3643494,00.html

please, tell me what you think...

thanks  :) 

Good point, Enellup.  A shirt is marketed far more effectively by being worn on an attractive person than by being extolled.  Likewise, Jewish identity is marketed far more effectively by example than by precept.  This should be easy, because while others, like Christians and Muslims, profess their religions, Jews live theirs.

This leads to two problems:

1.  Bad Jews.  The Boeskys, Madoffs and Specters not only fuel anti-Semitism amongst Gentiles, they make many Jews say to themselves, I want no part of this.  While one might say, a bad Christian is not a real Christian, alas, a bad Jew is still a Jew.  It's like naming your kid Junior:  for better or worse, you're stuck with each other.  This could be corrected by the Jewish equivalent of disownment, anathema.  Unfortunately, despite the Worldwide Zionist Plot, there is little if any institutional Judaism outside Israel.  Nevertheless, we do have the beit din, and there's no reason its mandate can't be broadened beyond gets and conversions.  Anathema may seem archaic, but I think, considering the high impact of mass media, there should be a voice in the community which says loud and clear to the world, especially to Jews who might otherwise question their identity, This is what we are not!

2.  Lack of public ritual.  Ritual, while theoretically an act of faith, in effect is show business.  Music and incense and gothic cathedrals and liturgical calenders are not only for glorifying G-d but for getting the members' juices flowing.  The Gentiles put on a show on Sunday, and earnest Jews argue scripture on Saturday.  I'm not arguing the validity of one over the other, just saying that, of course anyone, given the choice, would rather go to Crystal Cathedral than shul.  Hey, we're talking marketing here!

On this last point, from a marketing standpoint, not being a proselytizing religion works to Judaism's disadvantage.  And we're not talking about winning converts but about keeping Jews Jewish.  The Christians have an institution for this kind of inner mission -- the revival.  Do we have the equivalent?  Well, kinda.  It's Chabad, which has had its share of controversy.  Patrick is right, we need P and lots of it.  Otherwise, we get co-opted by this.

I went to summer camp in the North Carolina mountains.  I run a Website for alumni.  A contribution by an alumnus, from the WWII era (vanity compels me to add, Way before my time)...

"The counselors were mostly teachers and divinity students who were not subject to the draft.  I particularly remember in my second or third year that a group of divinity students from Wheaton College [Billy Graham,' 43]  made a special effort, at secret midnight gatherings, to convert campers in the cabins where they were counselors.  This all came to an end when Chief Johnson got a call from an irate Jewish father, that he had just heard from his son that he had some exciting news: He had just found his savior in Jesus Christ.  All of the counselors were sent back to Wheaton in mid-season, and we junior counselors and counselors’ aids took over for the rest of the summer as full-fledged counselors."

By the way, "Chief Johnson" was the owner of the camp.  He was a kind and scrupulous man.  And a Baptist.

It almost seems like there's two very different factors in play. One, how or why to bother with being religious at all in this post-religious world. Two, people preferring one religion over another. In my personal life, the people I tend to hang out with are not religious at all. Thus, if they're Jewish, they say 'I don't believe in God, religion is a fairy tale' etc. And I can't argue with any of that. That's much different than somebody who's born Jewish deciding to find their savior in Jesus. 

So really, these are two different arguments. Personally, that's why Israel was a godsend for me (pardon the pun). Finally, a secular, hands on expression of Jewish identity. That was something to relate to. I've just never been into religion or sitting in temple or listening to rabbis or anything like that, and yet I've always considered myself absolutely Jewish.

However, if I were still an on the fence Jew who knew not Israel, "cool rabbis" like Shmuley Boteach et al are more likely to make me find Jesus than return to the fold. Nonetheless, I do support attempts to make Judaism more acceptable and palatable to modern Jews, half Jews, etc. Seems to me in this postreligious society, a lot of Jews intermarry, their children are half Jews and not necessarily turned against Judaism, but rather alienated from Judaism through benign neglect. 

These types of suggestions are necessarily callow, but a subscription to Heeb Magazine might help some people feel more connected. They have very nice photo spreads of Jewish people you might not necessarily think of as Jews: Jennifer Connelly, Morgan Spurlock, etc. And they have very irreverent, yet very Jewish, articles. 

Heeb probably makes some people cringe the way Shmuley Boteach makes me cringe. The salient point being, there needs to be outreach to the alienated, and  there should be more than one channel of outreach. 

I'm a convert, a pretty recent one. I'm dang proud of my year of study and the work I did to reach this goal. One reason I'm a Jew by choice is I saw that the choice wasnt cheap, wasnt an impulse buy, it was gonna cost me time, money and effort and that means its worth more to me than just about anything else I've ever achieved. I dont need pie in the sky when I die, I need a framework for this life here and now and thats what I get with Torah. Rather than offering Speedy Isaac's Weekend Conversions, how about working to get all of the children of Israel to accept JBCs as being as Jewish as those born into it.

 About the only part of this post I can really agree with is the idea that it would be great to see more proud media people who are publicly and clearly Jewish even if they arent as frum as Matisyahu. If some completely decadent rock star came along and says, "no I wont perform on Friday nights, its Shabbat" even that would be something. It also makes me sad that our best known representative on TV is Jerry Seinfeld. If we really  did control the media, surely we could do better than that! What would it take to have some visible kippas or tizitzis on the occasional sitcom or drama character?

 You wanna market Judaism? Live a live according to our values and dont act ashamed to be a Jew. Show the world we are more than shylocks or whiners.  

Jews are an ethnic group originating primarily in the region
where Israel
has been reestablished. In the Diaspora that followed the loss of their
homeland, identity became focused on faith. This has led to much confusion,
enhanced by the conflation of ethnicity with the pseudo-scientific concept of race.

 I believe the best way to ‘market’ Judaism would be to focus
on the history of Jews as an ethnic group, and the forces that shaped their
culture. There were many, including adapting to the discrimination faced wherever
they migrated and the many occupations closed to them. No other group has faced
such adversity while emerging so much stronger from the experience. I believe most who have studied history are in awe of Jewish achievement.   

I see from doing a preview this site still marches to a different drummer and it reminds why I never post here. Ironic given my high regard for Jews that this site would be the most difficult to use. Such is life.

As opened as Jews are about most and every thing, we are not as opened to talking about G-d in a serious way. Believe it or not, many Jews are looking for spirituality and feel more comfortable in a church or ashram where they can fully express it without feeling like they have to crack a joke about it afterward.

While, yeah, it might take some hot Jews to "sell" Judaism, there are a ton of Jews who will be sold with just talk about G-d. David Wolpe rocks! And I'm glad someone is bringing this lack of spirituality talk up here.

For a great example of a Catholic site doing this check out www.BustedHalo.com. 

(Disco_Stu, 6/6:) "people you might not necessarily think of as Jews: Jennifer Connelly, Morgan Spurlock, etc."

Shows to go ya: last name still counts for something. Shouldn't, but does. Mine's Welsh, FWTW.

(Recursive Prophet, 6/6): " I believe the best way to ‘market’ Judaism would be to focus on the history of Jews as an ethnic group, and the forces that shaped their
culture. [snip] No other group has faced such adversity while emerging so much stronger from the experience."

Very, very good idea. Might help Not-Jews understand Jews better...especially as to why Jews sometimes seem to embrace conflicting ideals (money/intellect, cosmopolitanism/insularity, you name it). 

And perhaps why - as with RP - there's often that instinctive ptooey!, that subtle down-note at the end of a thought. Shouldn't be a Pollyanna; you'll invite the evil eye or make yourself simpleminded or something. 'Cause there's always something. 

after reading "the perks" of other religions, it's understandable why people opt out of Judaism: inflated affiliation costs, endless dietary restrictions, negative media coverage (ahem...Bernard Madoff) and stereotypes (ahem...Woody Allen), and ruling out 98% of the US population as potential mates can result in a massive headache. so what can be done to better market ourselves?

face it, the conversion dilemma is our own fault. i realize that back in the day, the "third time's a charm" system was abided by. but considering the stagnant/declining population, even some Orthodox Rabbis might find this policy stringent. in recent years, more people seem to feel that proactive conversion is necessary. instead of waiting for people to come to us, we have to go to them. we also need to highlight all the positive things to gain out of this experience rather than simply stating that we need to expand our numbers.

one of the things i always liked about Judaism is that it encourages questioning and debating...oddly enough, my Agnostic and Atheist friends also find this appealing and consider Jews to be highly logical people (Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein are probably the best examples...granted, they were both Atheists but nonetheless were well-known and revered by Jews and non-Jews alike). it is also refreshing to some that we don't go around telling people they're on the path to Hell for the stupidest things as the Catholic Church tends to do. perhaps these could be jumping off points.

Jews have defined themselves by negative experience for so long, and have positioned themselves as oppositional, counter, anti, standing athwart history and yelling STOP! (or at least rolling our eyes and saying "here we go again") for so long, that I can't see us reaching out as a group in a truly, unambiguously positive way. (And that goes for religiously, ethnically, socially, or culturally.)

It just seems like Pollyannaism, whistling past the graveyard, tempting the fates, and turning our back on our history. We're chosen, I fear, to be scolds, cranks, wet blankets, throwers of cold water, teachers of lessons no one wants to learn. I don't like it much - don't even believe in it, really - but what I believe doesn't matter much.

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