For over a century, American Jews have told themselves essentially the same story about their identity and place in American society - one of split selves, distant ties to Israel, and an increasingly marginal role for God. This remarkably persistent narrative emerged with Israel Friedlander's 1907 address "The Problem of Judaism in America" and continues to shape Jewish self-imagination through the 1980s. Through analysis of novels, sociological studies, historical accounts, and religious writings, clear patterns emerge in how American Jews have conceptualized their collective identity. These patterns appear not only in fiction by authors like Philip Roth and Delmore Schwartz but also influence supposedly objective historical and sociological scholarship. The narrative consistently features three key elements: a bifurcated rather than synthesized American-Jewish identity, treatment of Israel as an anchor for identity rather than actual homeland, and the diminished role of God in Jewish self-definition. This master narrative functions as "emplotment," organizing facts and experiences into a coherent story of American Jewish exceptionalism and triumph. Such persistent storytelling reflects American Jewry's unique position as a community that must imaginatively construct itself, having lost both traditional religious certainties and direct experience of unified Jewish life. In this context, these shared narrative patterns serve a crucial role in maintaining collective identity and purpose.