Quote:
Originally Posted by Crawford
My sense is that the secular Jewish suburb, the stereotypical Jewish experience in modern-day America, is kind of disintegrating. The U.S. Jewish community is getting much more Orthodox, while Conservative and especially Reform Jews have a high degree of intermarriage, and people no longer feel obligated to live in specific neighborhood typology.
The old "rules" around WASP, Catholic, and Jewish suburbs (at least in the older parts of the U.S.) have weakened considerably. People group more around income and lifestyle than by religion and ethnicity.
Of course, this doesn't mean that Jewish neighborhoods are disappearing. Jewish religious neighborhoods are booming. But the postwar secular-type suburb seems to be dying out. The Jewish community overall is becoming much more religious, and there will probably be a shift in the typical Jewish experience in the U.S.
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This phenomenon is replicated across other ethnic groups, too. Look at the old Italian, Irish, Asian, and even gay enclaves. As American society becomes more tolerant and immigrant groups assimilate, the need for such communities lessen. Overall, it's a good sign that people don't have the "need" to live within specific communities but then again, it's a little sad to see these groups assimilate (lose their unique identities) and these old ethnic neighborhoods disappear.