The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies incorporates the latest social science techniques in the study of contemporary Jewish life. The Steinhardt Social Research Institute develops reliable quantitative data about the US Jewish population.
Using cutting-edge social science methods, we collect, analyze, and report accurate and actionable data that informs community planning and helps animate Jewish life.
Our American Jewish Population Project includes a detailed interactive map of the US Jewish population with demographic profiles and political views of Jewish adults for states, metropolitan areas, and counties in the United States.
Our research on Birthright Israel employs rigorous methods to evaluate Birthright's short-term and long-term impact on Jewish young adults.
From studies of Hillel to synagogues and Jewish camp, we document the impact of core programs and initiatives on Jewish community life.
October 31, 2023. The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies is conducting a series of studies to understand how American Jews are reacting to the Israel-Hamas war. This study is lead by Prof. Leonard Saxe, the Director of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University. We have been contacting individuals by text message and by email. Invitations were sent to individuals who applied or went on Birthright. If you have any questions about this study please call 781-736-3821 or email isrlstudy@brandeis.edu.
July 2025
This report explores the impact of financial insecurity on the college trajectory of Jewish young adults. The findings are based on survey data collected in spring 2024, from 2,164 Jewish respondents, and from 19 in-depth follow-up interviews conducted in spring 2025. All respondents were ages 23-24 years old at the time of data collection. The report examines how those who grew up with the most financial need (16% of all respondents) compared to their peers who grew up in more affluent circumstances with respect to their journey from high school to college and beyond.
June 2025
Jewish Maine: The 2024 Community Study is the first ever in-depth assessment of the size and characteristics of the Jewish community throughout Maine, and the first study to cover Southern Maine since 2007. The study provides a comprehensive portrait of the state's 19,000 Jews; their families; their Jewish attitudes, affiliations, and behaviors; their health and financial well-being; and other measures of their engagement in Jewish life.
May 2025
In summer 2024, Birthright sent over 4,500 young American Jews to Israel on 10-day, peer-educational trips, just as it had been doing since 2000. Unlike at any other period, these young Jews chose to go to Israel while multiple military conflicts were ongoing, and when a spike in antisemitic hostility related to criticism of Israel was occurring at many of the college campuses they attended. The unprecedented context of summer 2024 trips raises important new questions about the Birthright program and US Jewish young adults in general. This report explores the kinds of young Jews who chose to apply to Birthright during this challenging summer and participants' beliefs when they arrived in Israel. The report also examines whether the quality of the experience was disrupted by the war, the extent to which the Birthright trip influenced participants' relationship to Israel, and the trip's effect on their responses to hostile discourse surrounding Israel after returning to the United States.