Edgar Bronfman, president of the World Jewish Congress and chairman of the International Board of Governors of Hillel, spoke in Wilson Hall Friday about the current "unnoticed crisis" in Judaism and his plan to start a "Jewish Renaissance."
"There are two main crises in Jewish life. First is the disappearing number of Jews in the Diaspora [non-Israeli] world, and second the widening religious divide in Israel," Bronfman said.
A sense of complacency contributes to the problem, he said.
"The average American Jew feels we are at a high point in history since there is very little anti-Semitism, many high-ranking Jews in the American government, and the CEO of the number one finance company is Jewish," he added.
The solution to this crisis is to begin what he called a "Jewish Renaissance," in which every Jew would know what it means to be a Jew and would identify himself as a Jew, Bronfman said.
He delineated five programs that would lead to a Jewish Renaissance: strengthening Jewish day schools and camps, reforming synagogue services, increasing participation in Hillel and having more young people visit Israel through the Birthright Program. Birthright is a program that provides Jewish young adults with the opportunity to visit Israel. Hillel is a nationwide Jewish organization for college students.
He added that he feels strongly about synagogue reformation.
Bronfman said he did not attend services for 45 years because he thought they were "boring" and "repetitive."
Later he decided to attend services again but found little had changed.
To counter boredom in services, Bronfman now is working with other Jewish leaders to make services more appealing.
He now runs a synagogue and said he has received positive feedback from its congregation.
The Birthright program, which organizes student trips to Israel, has been successful in raising the interest of Jewish youth in Judaism, Bronfman said. A group of University students participated in one of these trips over Winter Break.
He ended his speech by examining world affairs, including the peace process in the Middle East.
"I really believe in the peace process," Bronfman said. "I still believe it is imperative to make peace with the Palestinians."
He also said that he does not see merit in making peace with Syria now because of Syrian President Hafez Assad's advancing age and the possibility of a civil war after Assad's death.
He offered a solution to the peace problem: raising Israel's and other Middle Eastern countries' standards of living, thereby helping Arab countries become more accepting of the Jewish state.
The Jewish people have served an important role historically, Bronfman said.
"We were the people who gave the world a single God, we gave the Ten Commandments and with them a system of ethics, and we gave the world the Talmud," he said.
Religious Studies Prof. Peter Ochs brought Bronfman to the University.
Ochs said the University's tentative Judaic Studies program will be unique because it will have distinguished leaders like Bronfman speak to students.
Ochs was especially proud to host Bronfman, he said.
"I felt it would be appropriate to begin with the most important Jewish leader in the world," Ochs said.
The Faculty Senate will vote this week on whether to approve a new Judaic Studies major for the University.
Bronfman also is the president and chief executive officer of the Seagram Company Ltd., a company that produces wine and spirits and holds part-ownership of Universal Studios.
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