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Careful study of the current state of Jewish education reveals that much of the system is beset by sporadic participation; deficiencies in educational content; an underdeveloped profession of Jewish education; inadequate community support; the absence of a research function to monitor results, allocate resources, and plan improvements. A massive program will have to be undertaken in order to revitalize Jewish education. It was to achieve this goal that the Commission on Jewish Education in North America was established and its work plan is described in this report.

The decision to do a "better" job of acculturating the current wave of Soviet immigrants than was done for the wave who arrived in the early 1980s poses a great challenge for the Jewish community. Almost every Jewish community and every communal agency and institution is currently involved in some way with the current wave of Soviet newcomers. These communities and agencies are currently struggling with how to deploy most effectively their human and financial resources to meet the challenge of acculturation.

The response of the laity and professionals to the tremendously increased demands of Soviet resettlement has important implications for the future of the Jewish community and the professional's role in that future. Three concepts central to the communal enterprise - filtered giving, Israel as centerpiece, and consensus  - require re-examination in light of this recent experience.

Presents an opinion piece on "World Jewish Security and the 'Who is a Jew' Issue"

A study of the concerns of Jewish youth in Tucson revealed both an inner directedness, evident in their highest-ranked concern for "looks and appearance," and great concern for such global issues as the "homeless and hungry," "Soviet Jewry, " and "nuclear destruction." The percentages of youth indicating particular concerns increased with age, and girls indicated concerns with greater frequency than boys. To counteract destructive societal forces that affect the Jewish family, the Jewish community must address these special concerns of its youth.

Achieving the long-term goal of Jewish community linkage and participation by Soviet Jews is a difficult but doable task, requiring the development and implementation of sensitively designed Jewish acculturation programs. Yet, many studies reveal that Soviet Jews who come to the United States are receptive to Jewish identity-enhancing experiences, and this receptivity should be even more evident among the current wave of immigrants who have been exposed to the Jewish cultural movement in the Soviet Union. Principles around which acculturation programs should be designed can be derived both from research studies on acculturation and our experiences in resettling the first wave of immigrants.

Research can be a valuable tool in maximizing the effectiveness of services offered by the Jewish community. Because there is no single research paradigm, the challenge is to understand the various options and to determine which model would be most appropriate for a particular purpose. Three aspects of research - program evaluation, secondary data analysis, and literature review - have great utility for Jewish communal service.

As American and Israeli Jewry evolve into distinctive communities, there is evidence of a growing distancing between the younger generations of each society. Both American and Israeli Jewry have vital stakes in a continued strong relationship. Two methods - leadership seminars and high-quality video productions - are described as means of bridging the gap between young American Jews and young Israeli Jews.