u/Massive-Yard4482

I am curious if anyone has any resources (books, podcasts, articles, academic research, etc.) or first/secondhand knowledge of how and why American Jews (at least Reform, Conservative and parts of Modern Orthodoxy) "switched" to the Modern Hebrew pronunciation.

I put "switched" in quotes because it doesn't seem like the effort was particularly successful. Just a few examples:

- Pronunciation of modern ר is very difficult for American Jews

- Many words that have more frequent use retained an Ashkenazic inflection, like mitz-vuh vs meetz-vah

- Mitzvah usually gets pluralized with an 's' not a 't'. I conjecture this is the traditional mitzvos surviving, not the anglicized mitzvahs

- American Jews do not stress the same part of the word as Israelis

Overall, it seems we ended up with a strange half-half accent, that I don't think we're better off with. I'm open to any information and opinions on the topic, but some starter questions are:

- When did this change start to occur in institutions, and by what year was it widespread?

- Was it a top down institutional decision (and if so who started it) or was it a grass roots effort?

- What was the rationale for the change?

- In your opinion, was it successful? If yes, what merits it as a success? If not, what went wrong?

- Could the switch have gone better, or was some level of discomfort with Hebrew inevitable for people who speak/use it only as a secondary language?

Thank you in advance for your answers!

I can't find the post now, but I recently read a great comment (here or r/Jewish) about the lack of non-Orthodox Jews with strong Jewish knowledge who aren't rabbis. I believe this to be a major problem for American Judaism and would love to hear others' thoughts. Feel free to share anything you deem relevant, but here are some questions and comments to start the conversation.

- Do you personally know highly educated non-Orthodox Jews? If so, where'd they receive that education and how does it play a role in their life and community?

- For the older folks, has the number of highly educated non-Orthodox Jews changed over time? If so, to what do you contribute this trend?

- What can be done to increase knowledge outside of Orthodoxy? Where in the life cycle are quality educational opportunities most lacking?

Anecdotally, in my own life I see two kinds of non-Orthodox non rabbis with decent education. First, are people who went to day school (Shechter or similar). I find they have a strong core identity and knowledge, even if they attended only through middle school. Second, are Jewish studies majors. Because the education is from a secular and not a Jewish institution, I find the nature of their identity and knowledge differs in a way that's hard to describe.

What do you consider to be the great works of the Conservative movement? This could be foundational texts, histories of the movement, biographies of its rabbis, or any media solidly of/about the Conservative movement from any point in its history.

I grew up going to Conservative synagogue, but didn't feel engaged philosophically or spiritually. I'm looking for recommendations on what I missed out on.