Yair Sheleg in "The Dilemma of American Jews" (Haaretz, July 18) speaks to critical issues facing the American Jewish community but gets them wrong.

As has been said many times, the great challenge facing Jews in America is maintaining Jewish identity. Sheleg agrees with this but the context in which he presents the subject is out of whack and reflects an outdated model.Sheleg posits the dilemma facing Jews as one of integration and acceptance by the surroundings versus preservation of Jewish identity. He talks as if Jews are still unsure about their acceptance in America and that as a result they run from their Jewish identity so as not to jeopardize that acceptance. To back up this thesis, he cites numerous examples, such as the fact that campaigns against mixed marriages are dismissed and that far greater donations from the community go to general causes than Jewish ones. Sheleg also notes that Jews oppose government subsidies for Jewish education, which he attributes to the greater importance for Jewish self-image to be part of the liberal camp than to reinforce Jewish identity. Furthermore, he claims that the fact that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) did not sing "Hatikva" at its national conference is an indicator that Jews are terrified of "dual loyalty" charges and thus it affects their behavior.

In a way I'm tempted to say that the challenges facing American Jews are greater than Sheleg describes because the issue of Jewish continuity stems not from insecurity, as he alleges, but rather from a level of comfort and apathy in society. I am not suggesting that there are no insecurities in American Jewish life. There surely still are. However, the dominant reason why Jews are not maintaining their Jewish identity is not that they are escaping their Jewishness but rather their indifference to it in an open and welcoming country.

American Jews give the bulk of their donations to hospitals, cultural institutions and universities because they are fully part of American society. It's a natural development both in terms of having impact on the general culture and for receiving plaudits for the effort. Philanthropy to Jewish institutions, of which there is also a lot, does not offer the level of prestige and fame that comes with giving to the other institutions. That's a price of acceptance, not rejection.

Questions may have been raised over "Hatikvah" not being sung at AIPAC. Yet it hardly signifies wider Jewish fears about dual loyalty. American Jewish support for Israel in every sense - financially, politically, emotionally, publicly - is as strong as ever. This is the case even as people like John Mearsheimer, Stephen Walt and Jimmy Carter seek to intimidate Jews by accusing them of controlling American policy against the interests of their own country. Again, Sheleg is overstating the insecurity factor.

As to Jewish opposition to government funding for religious education: There is a lively debate on this subject within the community. However, it is a misunderstanding to suggest, as Sheleg does, that opposition reflects a distorted self- image or that being part of the liberal world is more important than reinforcing Jewish identity. It is, rather, a product of an understanding that Jewish life in America is unique, as British historian Paul Johnson noted, exactly because of church-state separation. Moreover, those who oppose funding fear that the freedom and comfort level of American Jews will be eroded if the wall of separation is eviscerated.

The challenge of maintaining Jewish identity in America does not come from Jews worrying about their place in America. That was true in years past. Today, it comes from a sense that in a free country, being Jewish may not be significant to them. This apathy or indifference is what leads to intermarriage and distancing from the community.

In sum, Sheleg is right to worry about Jewish continuity. It is a problem we all worry about, even in Israel. It is the draw of America, not the fear of it, that makes the challenge very different from the one Sheleg articulates. In many ways, it is even a more difficult challenge. As tough as it is to rouse the community in the face of fears, it is even more so in the face of indifference. Identifying the problem correctly is the first step to solving it.

Abraham H. Foxman is national director of the Anti-Defamation League and author of "The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control," to be published by Palgrave Macmillan.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.