Director's Letter
July 1, 2021
Dear Friends,
Last month the Pew Research Center released the results of its 2020 survey of American Jewry. I worked with Pew as an advisor on the study for several years and recently participated in a series of webinars about the report, including several that CMJS sponsored for our philanthropic and communal partners. For those who were not able to attend and are interested, we have posted one of the briefings on our website.
An initial focus of our briefing concerned the size of the US Jewish population. Contrary to what some expected, Pew found that the US Jewish population (7.5M) has actually expanded. Our American Jewish Population Project produced a similar estimate. Using data synthesis techniques, which enable us to analyze individual data from hundreds of high-quality surveys and nearly 1.5 million respondents, we estimated the 2020 US Jewish population at 7.6 million. (The higher estimate, in part, reflects our use of more recent census data.) These numbers represent stability in terms of the share of the US population.
In part, the continued growth of the US Jewish population is attributable to intermarriage and the increased number of intermarried couples raising Jewish children. Compared to earlier generations, more Jews appear to be retaining their Jewish identity when they marry a non-Jew, and an increasing number of intermarried couples (more than half) are raising their children Jewish in some way.
Other findings concern perceptions of antisemitism and the community’s engagement with Jewish institutions and practices. Most Pew respondents say that antisemitism has increased, but few have stopped participating in Jewish activities as a result. The rate of synagogues membership has actually remained stable since 2013, with no age differences in synagogue membership.
The survey also confirms our research about the continuing strong relationship between US Jewry and Israel. More than 80% of American Jews say that caring about Israel is either essential or important to what it means to be Jewish. Travel to Israel, another indicator of attachment, remains robust. One quarter of US Jews have lived in Israel or have visited more than once. Among Pew respondents who were 18-45 and were therefore in the age bracket of those eligible to go on Birthright, 20% have participated in the program. This represents half of all Israel travel among this age group. In collaboration with Pew, we are analyzing the data comparing Birthright alumni and other respondents. The findings mirror our research on Birthright’s impact and underscore the critical role of on-the-ground Israel education.
Pew’s findings confirm that what we see on the local level with our Jewish community studies, also applies to the national level. First, the diversity of the community and its means of expressing Jewish identity continue to grow and develop. Second, the high level of attachment to Israel and the critical role of direct engagement of people with one another, suggest that, rather than distancing, the communities will continue to foster meaningful individual and organizational relationships.
We look forward to developing additional briefings and commentaries over the summer. Best wishes for the July 4th weekend.
B’shalom,
Len
Leonard Saxe, PhD
Klutznick Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Social Policy
Director, Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University