For generations, non-religious Jews were embarrassed by their religious brethren. Those days are over.
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twersky was a unique individual. The descendant of a large Chassidic dynasty, he wanted to become a doctor. An article appeared about a poor young man in Milwaukee who could not afford medical school. Danny Thomas, the famous actor who was the child of Lebanese Catholic parents, heard the story and paid for Twersky’s medical studies. There is even a picture of the two of them together. Rabbi Twersky became a world-class expert in addiction and wrote numerous self-help books in English and Hebrew. Charles Schulz was so impressed with Twersky’s writing that he allowed him to use his Peanuts characters, Charlie Brown and Friends, in his books.
One day, Rabbi Twersky was riding on a bus. He was dressed in traditional Hasidic garb, and nothing in his appearance would suggest that he was a medical doctor. An irreligious Jew sat next to him and did not waste a minute: “You are a disgrace! How dare you wear those old Polish clothes of the 19th century. Don’t you know we’re in modern America? You should be ashamed.” Rabbi Twersky looked up at his seatmate and said, “I’m Amish.” “Oh, how wonderful it is that you keep your customs and the ways of your forefathers!” Rabbi Twersky replied, “So, if I’m Jewish, it’s a disgrace, but if I’m Amish, it’s the best thing possible?"
When I was at Harvard, I made my way into the bowels of Lamont Library. There, I found advertisements from 100 years ago in Polish and Russian newspapers. The ads were placed by German Jews living in New York. These folks were not religious and were very much a part of the roaring twenties life in the big city. They were embarrassed by their religious brethren from Eastern Europe who lived in the Lower East Side. Those Jews lived in tenements, still spoke Yiddish, and dressed like Rabbi Twersky, as in the old country. The advertisements told Jews to stay put and not come to America. The modern folks did not want more of their “backward” brethren coming over and giving them a bad name. When the Germans came for the Jews less than twenty years later, they did not distinguish between the secular Jewish professor and the quiet Torah scholar; they came to kill them both.
In 2025, Rabbi Twersky is no longer alive. He passed away here in Israel from COVID-19. If one looks at the general features of religious and non-religious Jews in America, some features stand out:
*Religious Jews supported Donald Trump by large numbers; non-religious Jews moved more in the direction of Republicans but still voted over 50% for Kamala Harris and the Democrats.
*Religious Jews are growing in number, the only sector that is growing in size in the US. Non-religious Jews have low birth rates and high intermarriage rates.
*Religious Jews back Israel strongly; many non-religious Jews also feel strongly towards Israel but politically tend to support the creation of a Palestinian state, something that would be a disaster for Israel.
*Growing numbers of religious Jews have led to an explosion in kosher food variety and Jewish-friendly appliances and goods. Our Samsung refrigerator and Siemens ovens have “Sabbath Settings” installed by the manufacturer.
*Religious Jews are taking more prominent positions in business, politics, and social media. Well-known media figures are not embarrassed by religious garb, and prominent Jews in business and politics also proudly and publicly display their fealty to their Jewish heritage and beliefs.
At the end of the day, the Jewish people need one another. There is a story in the Talmud of a boat getting ready to sail. One of the passengers began drilling under his seat. His terrified fellow passengers asked what he was doing. “It’s my seat. I paid for it, and I can do whatever I please!” While the Orthodox sector is growing, it is still smaller than Reform, Conservative, and “unaffiliated.” Even Hamas admitted that the internal fighting in Israel over judicial reform was an impetus to the October 7th attack. USAID helped pay those opposed to reform and Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu. They also paid for signs against Bibi in several previous rounds of elections.
Orthodox Jewry in America has gone from the supposed embarrassment of their “enlightened” coreligionists to the face of American Jewry’s future. The Chabad movement, which has synagogues, schools, and other facilities worldwide, opens a new center every three days. Orthodox congregations are taking over synagogues that no longer have the membership to support the physical plant built 50 years earlier when hundreds or thousands of Reform and Conservative Jews would routinely come for services.
Many left-leaning Jews were not only shocked by the anti-Jewish explosion on US campuses after the October 7th pogrom but they were further surprised by groups with whom they had worked turning against them. Hundreds of Jewish organizations had signed their names to a pro-Black Lives Matter ad in the New York Times. After the pogrom, BLM went straight for Hamas. The same was true for gay and trans groups that had stood side-by-side with Jews in the past. The left-leaning Jews were shocked to see professors, students, and many liberal groups turn against them, often threatening or harassing Jews who have no direct connection with Israel.
Donald Trump significantly improved his performance with Jewish voters in 2024. Yet, even with Trump’s polling around 40%, a majority still voted left. I am asked by non-Jewish friends sometimes why that is. It’s a complex subject, some of it being very liberal values, some of it being regularity, and part of it being an image of Donald Trump that does not correspond to the man and his values. Donald Trump has always been a good friend of Jews and Israel. He has shown his strong support for Israel several times in the mere month he has been back in office. As the orthodox sector grows, people will no longer need to ask why Jews vote liberal because the majority will be voting for those who are pro-Israel and pro-freedom of religion. Judaism in America is changing, and religious Jews have every reason to be proud and not embarrassed of the way they live their lives.