The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent out an email today saying that the chain that owns Long John Silver's restaurant in Minnesota has apologized for giving out a toy to child patrons with a bible passage on it. A Muslim family found this offensive. I was reminded of my childhood, when my mother tracked every move of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the amazing atheist who hated the church and got prayer banned from schools. My mother cheered her on, and so did I, for expanding the secular space in society.
Today, notwithstanding the motions of the ADL, I think most Jews are largely indifferent to this kind of thing. Because we no longer feel threatened by Christian religious activity. I can't imagine many Jews getting bent out of shape by a toy at a fast-food restaurant with a bible verse. But I can understand why Muslims feel that way. They're really outsiders.
I'm just reflecting on the transformation of my community. Tonight at my wife's family's not-very-religious Christmas Eve dinner, everyone was talking about Madoff–including a report that people tried to join his Jewish country club in Palm Beach so that they could get their money into his hands. This wasn't a conversation about outsiders: it was a conversation about an American elite. As I note often on this site, Jews are the most wealthy American group by religion, and there are countless sociological consequences of that elevation. Bernie Madoff is controlling billions, countless members of Obama's team are Jewish, and I'm at a Christmas Eve dinner in Connecticut feeling perfectly at home (and so are tons of other Jews).
I know I'm repeating old themes. I don't care. There isn't a broad recognition of the Jewish presence in American society, at the top. I'm not nostalgic for the days that my mother was upset about Christian displays. I'm saying, Let's move forward, but do so with more humility and understanding. (And I didn't even mention Middle East policy).
