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Abstract
Qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to examine the religious and ethnic identity of youth attending a Jewish summer camp in Texas. A strong aspect of participants' Jewish identity is formulated in reaction to the surrounding Christian society, with which they negotiate a compromise to live relatively comfortably. The informal religious education and temporary community of the camp allow exploration of a proactive Jewish identity. A typology is developed with two sets of opposed concepts of identity: individual versus peoplehood and internal versus external. Sub-regions differentiate between fearful versus benevolent external identity and between psychological versus traditional internal identity.
INTRODUCTION
Jewish Identity in the Southern United States
The United States is home to the largest Jewish population today, with 5.8 million (44%) of the worlds 13 million Jews living within its borders. It is by far the largest Diaspora population. Nevertheless, Jews represent only approximately 2% of the total U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau 2002). Therefore, members of the largest Jewish population are a tiny minority within their home country. Most of those Jews are concentrated in urban areas. However, increasing numbers of Jews are leaving ethnically homogenous neighborhoods and dispersing throughout the general population.
The present study looks at the ethno-religious identity of participants from Texas and Oklahoma in a regional Jewish summer camp. Over three quarters of Texans identify themselves with one of the various denominations within Christianity, with a strong fundamentalist and evangelical presence (Alvarez and Plocheck 2004). Jews make up only 0.6% of the population of Texas and 0.1% of Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau 2002). Many camp participants are among the only Jewish students in their public schools. The religious education received at the short-term camp must be understood in the context of the daily religious context in which the Jewish youth live.
Although most Jews in the United States have not experienced violent anti-Semitism, Jewish-Christian relations, particularly in the Southern "Bible Belt" have been complex, and at times uneasy, over the past several decades. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention have missionary efforts aimed specifically at converting Jews to Christianity, and some of their leaders and missionaries have made statements offensive to Jews (Ariel 2000). At the same time,...