Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies

Levenson argues that syncretism (blending) and surrogacy (replacing) constitute two distinct, prevalent, radical, yet largely overlooked forms of assimilation in the modern era. As examples of syncretism, he offers Jewish-Christianity and Jewish-Buddhism; as examples of surrogacy, secular Zionism and psychoanalysis. He distinguishes these two modes of assimilation both from older forms of inward acculturation which wittingly or unwittingly incorporated outside influences into an agreed-upon Jewish culture, and from more moderate forms of modern assimilation, such as the formation of Jewish subcultures or the transformation of Jewish identities into functional replacements for a religiously oriented civilization. Recognizing that older concepts of essentialism have been discredited by the academy, the author explores the nature of syncretism and surrogacy as an encouragement to greater reflection on the radical implications of these changes for modern Jewry.