In an excerpt from his new book, RABBI DANNY SCHIFF argues modern Judaism has been rendered obsolete by an age hyper-individualism.

Modernity is over. Its questions, its societal structures, and its struggles are passé. So is its Judaism. Sooner or later, Reform and Conservative Judaism will become entries in the history books, alongside modernity itself. Pockets of strength will likely continue for decades, but the waning years have arrived.

This assertion is not intended as a mark of disrespect for the movements of modernity. Quite the opposite. No movement lasts a thousand years—nor should it. Movements belong to a specific time that calls forth a particular response. They belong to a certain thought milieu.

For any movement to retain relevance and galvanize hundreds of thou­sands of adherents well into a second century of existence is no small feat. It is an accomplishment worthy of admiration. From the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century, Conservative and Reform Judaism helped millions fuse their Jewishness with modernity in ways that allowed their followers—not all, but many—to live as both engaged Jews and citizens of the modern world.

That reality is no more. No longer does the conversation presume the existence of a Jewish community that lives on the margins of society, seek­ing to fit in. No longer is there a prominent debate over how the findings of science and history can mesh with Torah. No longer is there a robust discussion about how much autonomy Judaism might afford individuals. Outside Orthodoxy, no longer is there an appeal to knowledgeable author­ity figures to provide instruction on how to live an authentic Jewish life.

Twenty-first-century concerns diverge from those of modernity on vital issues that go far beyond technology. The multiple transformations of the digital era have resulted in what the journalist and foreign policy expert Moses Naim calls a “Mentality revolution.” This Mentality revolution “reflects the major changes in mindsets, expectations, and aspirations” that stem from all that has happened since 1990: “Globalization, urbanization, changes in family structure, the rise of new industries and opportunities, the spread of English as a global lingua franca…”  Naim points to the “ever-increasing salience of aspiration” as a motivator for human thinking and behavior.