amy,
In many countries assimilation has been an issue, and loss of Jewish identity, because for a few generations there were many Jews who just wanted to fit in and not stand out, imo in part as a reaction to the prejudice and persecution that has surrounded the Jewish community. In this generation there has been more of a value placed to uniqueness and what makes us different, rather than what makes us all the same, in general and not just in the Jewish community, and because of this there has been a resurgence of Jewish identity. However assimilation still remains an issue.
Dauer
