DEUT427 Since the problem [of assimilation] is such a threat to Jewish survival, what can the community and individuals do to reverse the trend and help more Jews feel Jewish and remain part of the community? The best way, as outlined earlier, is through the performance of mitzvot. In fact, the Midrash (Midrash, Sifri, Re'ah 24) states that those mitzvot that the Jews were careful to observe helped to keep the Jews alive, and Jews today still keep these same mitzvot. There are numerous Torah references to Jewish survival and the thriving of the community tied to mitzvah observance (Leviticus 26:3-6, this verse, Deuteronomy 11:13-15). Rashi, however, makes specific reference to Jews in the Diaspora, where the threat of assimilation exists. He says (Rashi commentary on Deuteronomy 11:18) that the only reason to keep mitzvot in countries outside of Israel is to ensure the spiritual survival of the Jewish people so that the Jews can return to Israel and keep the commandments. Of course, mitzvot today are equally obligatory on Jews everywhere, but this concept points out just one underlying purpose of keeping the Commandments. ... For those who will not move to Israel and who do not keep the Commandments, is there any hope to prevent assimilation? To answer, it is necessary to find a precedent, a time in Jewish history when Jews did not or could not keep Commandments and yet remained Jewish in spirit. There was such a time, before the Jewish people received the Torah and its Commandments but were able to remain distinctively Jewish. The place was Egypt during the period of Jewish slavery. In fact, the one mitzvah they have previously been given, brit milah [i.e., circumcision - AJL], , they abandoned (Shemot Rabbah 1:8). How, then, did they remain distinctively Jewish? The midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 32:5) says that in Egypt the Jews kept three practices (that were not mitzvot) that kept them Jewish. Although there are different versions of this midrash, the consensus of practices kept in Egypt were that Jews wore distinctively Jewish dress, were called by distinctively Jewish names, and spoke a distinctively Jewish language, which kept them alive as a people. What does this teach us for potentially assimilated Jews of today who will not keep the commandments? Distinctively Jewish dress helps a person identify as a Jew. This can be translated into wearing a kippah, wearing tzitzit, or, for a woman, wearing certain clothes that are identifiably Jewish in this day and age. These clothes need not be Jewish in origin, just as the coats and hats of many of today's chasidim originated as the dress of the non-Jewish aristocracy of Eastern Europe. Today, this garb is identified as distinctively Jewish dress. So, too, any dress that is identified as Jewish (such as the long dresses worn by many observant Jewish girls today) will help to preserve the Jewishness of the person wearing it. Then there is the Jewish name. Most potentially assimilated Jews were given Hebrew names at birth. By using this name and not the Christian (English) name, a person will immediately identify as Jewish, both to others and to the person himself or herself. In addition, by using this name (even the Yiddish name), a person will also identify with the deceased relative he or she is usually named for and thus will create a connection to the Jewish past. Finally, Jewish language will help to preserve Jewish identity. The language can be Hebrew, Yiddish, or even Ladino for Jews from Spanish-speaking countries. In all cases, speaking this language will help a person to identify as part of a distinctive group called Jews. For many people, any one of these is a difficult and alien step to take. Nevertheless, we can see that these kinds of actions can stem the tide of assimilation. ... It is up to the larger Jewish community that cares about the continuity of Judaism to help persuade marginal Jews to remain in the Jewish community through these practices.
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