This old binary way of viewing what it means to be Jewish “implies that there is this ladder and we’re supposed to move people up the ladder,” she said. “There needs to be a new paradigm,” Aronson agreed, and she encourages people who use this study to enhance Jewish engagement rather than lament that it is changing. Matanky of Congregation KINS, would be to shift programs, “ to address the needs of the entire Jewish community including greater engagement with early childhood, Israel, the PJ Library, all entry points. The solutions to these changing patterns of engagement, said Rabbi Leonard A.
The highest rate for mental health needs are among those aged 22-39.) (One disturbing post-pandemic finding: 20% of households are struggling to make ends meet, with concerns over mental health being the greatest issue.
The pandemic, according to the finding, had an impact on all these questions.ĭuring the pandemic, two in five Jewish adults made changes in their religious life, with 14% of Jewish adults increasing their engagement, such as observing Shabbat or attending services more often, while 26% decreased their participation.
This survey is instead a call to action for us to understand how they are participating, what they are looking for, and what they are doing.” “They may identify in a different way and participate in Jewish life. It would be wrong to assume these diverse residents “are unengaged,” said the JUF’s Sabrina Townsend, one of those tasked with evaluating the study. There are lots of ways to be Jewishly engaged, Aronson pointed out- social justice programs, cultural events, even celebrating Jewish food. “Declining levels of synagogue membership does not amount to the end of the Jewish community.” “I think we are trying to create some language around new ways of understanding Jewish engagement,” she said. When we read that affiliation is down, or people are not identifying with denominations anymore, we have created a false binary understanding, as if these facts are equated with being a “good Jew” versus a “bad Jew” she said. One may belong to a Conservative shul but not identify as Conservative.īrandeis University’s Janet Aronson, a principal investigator in the study, said these numbers indicate we need to shift the conversation about Jewish life. And increasingly, people who belong to a certain congregation often do not identify with that particular denomination. Some 44% of Jewish households report they do not affiliate with a denomination, a number that reflects national trends, and only 26% of households saying they belong to a Jewish congregation, down more than 25% since 2010. The big findings revolve around levels of engagement, and over just what constitutes communal involvement.
It presents a quantitative and qualitative survey of Jewish Chicago across 10 regions, providing even more responses than the most recent national Pew study of American Jewry. The 2020 study, conducted in collaboration with NORC at the University of Chicago and Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, was released recently in a 218-page review and a more digestible nine page summary. Intermarriage increasingly leads to Jewish children, Pew study shows.
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