A Great Awakening

A century ago, the American Jewish community became deeply concerned with its viability. The assumptions that had guided its thinking for a generation were tested and found wanting. Jews wondered whether Jewish life in this country would continue. This essay looks back at a transforming moment in our past in an effort to place contemporary challenges into historical perspective. What makes the inquiry pa​​rticularly pertinent, is the fact that the American Jewish community met the multiple challenges it faced.