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Recent Publications

The New Philanthropy:  American Jewish Giving to Israeli Organizations 
The first of its kind, this report draws on Internal Revenue Service documents to describe trends in American Jewish giving to Israeli organizations. 

Estimating the Jewish Population of the United States: 2000-2010
Our initial concerns about NJPS and similar surveys to identify and characterize the Jewish population led us to consider alternatives to the NJPS approach. Using meta-analytic methods, we estimate  the Jewish population of the United State to be 6.4 million, substantially higher than estimates reported elsewhere.  

Necessary Losses? Turnover Among Jewish Service-learning Program Leaders
This report describes research conducted by researchers at CMJS to explore the reasons that program leaders from American Jewish World Service (AJWS) and The Progressive Jewish Alliance & Jewish Funds for Justice (PJA & JFSJ) decide not to return for additional seasons with immersive Jewish service-learning program providers. Although this level of voluntary turnover is in line with other informal Jewish education venues,  it is critical to  understand the pull of forces that motivate leaders to stay as well as the push of those that result in departures, in order to reduce program leader turnover. 

Year 2: Refining the Pedagogy of the Group Leadership Training Institute for Immersive Jewish Service Program Leaders
This report summarizes the findings of research conducted by CMJS on the second year of the Group Leadership Training Institute (GLTI), a collaborative initiative of  American Jewish World Service (AJWS), The Progressive Jewish Alliance & Jewish Funds for Justice (PJA & JFSJ) and the PANIM Institute of BBYO and funded by Repair the World. The purpose of the current research was to build on findings from the study of the program’s inaugural year related to group leaders’ experience of and satisfaction with training and to conduct a summative evaluation of the impact of GLTI2 program participation.

Engaging Jewish Teens: A Study of New York Teens, Parents and Practitioners
The world has changed significantly in the past decade, but efforts to engage teens in Jewish life have not kept pace. Sponsored by The Jewish Education Project, with funding provided by UJA-Federation of New York, this study is unique in that it triangulates the views of parents, their teens, and the professionals charged with working with them. 

Understanding the Jewish Identity and Experiences of Russian-Speaking Young Adults: A Study of the Taglit-Birthright Israel Generation
This report focuses on North American Taglit-Birthright Israel participants who come from Russian-speaking families. It examines their demographic characteristics and Jewish identities, as well as their reactions to Taglit-Birthright Israel and their post-trip need for Jewish education and experiences.

Volunteering + Values: A REPAIR THE WORLD Report on Jewish Young Adults
Commissioned by Repair the World and conducted as a collaborative effort between researchers at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies (CMJS) at Brandeis University and Gerstein | Agne Strategic Communications, the goal of this landmark study was to develop a comprehensive portrait of the volunteer habits, attitudes and preferences of contemporary Jewish young adults.

Future of the Denominations: Analysis and Purpose (CCAR Journal, Spring 2011)
Published in CCAR: The Reform Jewish Quarterly, this article discusses the future of denominations in terms of its individual and institutional dimensions. The author concludes that while certain forces facilitate the erosion of denominationalism, the impulse to build umbrella organizations and the need for distinctiveness and diversity in religion, act to favor American Jewish denominations.

Limud by the Lake Revisited: Growth and Change at Jewish Summer Camp
This report follows up on our seminal study of Jewish camps, Limud by the Lake: Fulfilling the Potential of Jewish Summer Camps and the subsequent book, "How Goodly Are Thy Tents": Summer Camps as Jewish Socializing Experiences. This report presents the results of our summer 2008 study of Jewish summer camps. It describes changes in the field over the previous eight years and presents new data on the families and staff that comprise the camp community. It concludes with a set of questions about the future of the field and five recommendations for expanding and deepening the Jewish summer camp experience.