My interviews with teen-agers confirmed this portrait of the weakening of religious and ethnic bonds. Jewish identity was often confused with social and economic strivings. ``Being Jewish gives you tremendous drive,'' a boy remarked. ``It means that you have to get ahead.'' When I pressed for a purely religious definition, I encountered the familiar blend of liberal piety, interfaith good will, and a small residue of ethnic loyalty.

``I like the tradition,'' a girl said. ``I like to follow the holidays when they come along. But you don't have to worship in the traditional way. You can communicate in your own way. As I see it, there's no real difference between being Jewish, Catholic, or Protestant.''

Another teen-ager remarked: ``Most Jews don't believe in God, but they believe in people -- in helping people.'' Still another boy asserted: ``To be a good Jew is to do no wrong; it's to be a good person.'' When asked how this was different from being a good Protestant, the boy answered, ``It's the same thing.''

This accords with the study by Maier and Spinrad. They discovered that, although 42 per cent of a sample of Catholic students and 15 per cent of the Protestants believed it important to live in accordance with the teachings of their religion, only 8 per cent of the Jewish students had this conviction. The most important aims of the Jewish students were as follows: to make the world a better place to live in -- 30 per cent; to get happiness for yourself -- 28 per cent; and financial independence -- 21 per cent.