Complex sentence: Most European and American Jews acculturated, but they rarely lost their sense of Jewish identity, and they most often abstained from what Gordon called "structural assimilation," the creation of friendships and other contacts primarily with members of the host society.
Split into simpler sentences: Most European and American Jews acculturated, but they rarely lost their sense of Jewish identity. They most often abstained from what Gordon called "structural assimilation," the creation of friendships and other contacts primarily with members of the host society.