I begin this blog post with an old Jewish saying: “Even though I am Jewish I have some good news for you!”

I have recently returned from several weeks in the USA and London, where I was hosted by several thriving Conservative and Reform/Liberal/Progressive  synagogues which are all doing very well. All of these synagogues had large crowds for religious worship and programs, and all of them were blessed with multigenerational attendance, including many young adults and youth.

By the way, the Reform and Liberal Jewish movements in the UK have agreed to merge into one movement, to be called Progressive Judaism, which is more good news for Diaspora Jewry.

I must confess that I was somewhat surprised and positively impressed by all of this. As someone who has lived in Israel for 46 years, during which time I have heard and read countless times in the media in Israel about how Diaspora Judaism is dissipating and disappearing, I was struck by the vitality and positivity of the communities that I visited . Attendance at synagogue services and events was very high; congregants were very happy and even enthusiastically connected to their communities, and the spirit and practice of volunteerism and active participation was inspiring, as was the commitment and dedication of rabbinic and lay leadership, both new and experienced leaders.

Accordingly, I am hereby letting my Israeli (and Diaspora) friends know that non-Orthodox Judaism in the diaspora is not dead, despite Israeli predictions (and even........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)