While I can't presume to predict what directions the Jewish community will take in the future, it does strike me that life as a member of a minority religious group is far different -- far easier -- now than it was even twenty years ago.
When I was a child, world history started in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq), but quickly moved from there to Europe, with a brief nod at the Pharaohs and Cleopatra (only because she interacted with Europe) and a quick mention of Constantinople as this annoying military power that threatened European hegemony. The Crusades were again nameless, faceless Infidels. China, India and the rest of Asia, Africa, South America, even Eastern Europe received no attention at all.
In contrast, my children's World History classes have included units on China and the Middle East. Their Social Studies classes have had unit on Africa, and research papers where they were required to pick a country NOT in Europe and then make a presentation to their class.
When we had international day, the nations were places like Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, and for the really exotic Russia (as in Muscovite Russia) or Yugoslavia. When my kids have International Day the countries include places like Japan, Djibouti, Ecuador, and Mauritius.
Religion was simply off the radar screen when I was growing up. The Infidels of the Crusades were not only nameless and faceless, they were also religionless. They were simply usurpers who had to be removed.
Along the same lines, until I converted to Islam some 20 years ago, I had no idea that Muslims had ruled Spain for 800 years, establishing a vibrant culture that allowed for religious freedom (the great Jewish thinker Maimonides, for instance, lived and thrived in Moorish Spain) and which was one of the factors in the coming of the Renaissance of Europe. This is despite the fact that I had spent a semester living in Spain and taking classes in Spanish history.
My children's classes, in contrast have included units on a variety of religions -- Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism in particular. While they have at times taken exception to what was written about Islam in the text book, the mere fact that other religions and cultures are discussed, and that history includes people of all backgrounds not just white Europeans, makes it far easier for them to feel comfortable and at home as a minority in America than it would have been when I was growing up.
This sea change in the way our schools work, reflects a sea change in the way our country thinks. The civil rights movement laid the groundwork for a truly multicultural nation which respects people of all backgrounds and creeds. We are all indebted to the brave men and women who fought for their civil rights, and those of other minorities, and to their successors who fought to make the climate of our culture reflect the ideals of that movement, which are the founding sentiment of our nation as stated so eloquently in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal. Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Jews and countless others have played a major role in creating that culture of mutual respect which has grown in America over the past fifty years. Whether we are a minority or not, we owe them a big dose of gratitude for making our country a better place.
It is because of their devoted work that we have Iftars at the White House, a congressman who is Muslim, and a presidential candidate who looks like he may well win the election who is not only black, but also attended madrassa as a child. Occurrences and events that would have been unthinkable fifty or even twenty five years ago, and which make America a much more comfortable place for minorities than it once was.
I suppose, though I hate to do so, I should also give a nod to the retail market. As much as materialism and commercialism work to undercut spirituality, there is something to be said for being able to walk into a Borders or Barnes and Noble to pick up a children's book with Muslim characters, making at stop at the Hallmark store to buy an Eid Card, and then mailing them off to friends or relatives using a group of Eid stamps. Or being able to subscribe to cable TV channels that focus on your particular community and to having commercial TV programming that features people from different communities not only as the bad guy, but as normal people, as part of the American landscape. Even though you know these retailers are just trying to tap into a market, or to pick up on a trend they think is up and coming, there is an innate sense of belonging that cannot be denied. A feeling that you have a place here in this country.
Not that everything is all roses... things are still far from ideal. Blacks face discrimination, both from individuals and on a systemic level, on a daily basis. Hispanics have to deal with belittling attitudes and arrogance spawned by tensions over the immigration issue. Muslims are grappling with a growing demonization akin to what Japanese Americans experienced after Pearl Harbor. But hand in hand with those negatives, are strong positives. The sum balance, I believe, makes it one of the best times to be a minority in America.
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