American Judaism's four major movements - Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist - face mounting internal polarization as they navigate the challenges of modern American life. Gilbert S. Rosenthal's expanded second edition of *Contemporary Judaism: Patterns of Survival* offers a comprehensive analysis of these movements' evolving responses to intermarriage, assimilation, and religious authority through the 1980s. Building upon his 1973 publication with 100 additional pages, Rosenthal systematically examines each movement's ideological positions and internal tensions, maintaining scholarly objectivity despite his position within Conservative Judaism. The analysis reveals how each branch confronts unique challenges: Reform Judaism struggles with high intermarriage rates, Orthodoxy balances moderate and fundamentalist factions, Conservative Judaism grapples with theological questions of revelation and halakhah, while Reconstructionism debates issues of patrilineal descent and mixed marriages. Through careful documentation of each movement's perspectives, strengths, and weaknesses, Rosenthal demonstrates how understanding these diverse expressions of Judaism illuminates the underlying unity of American Jewish life - a crucial insight as American Jewry charts its course for survival and renewal.