Transformimg Jewish Lives
Jewish Identity
Home and away: Jewish journeys towards independence; Key findings from the 2011 National Jewish Student Survey Featured
The National Jewish Students Survey (NJSS) provides a comprehensive portrait of Jewish student identity in England. Carried out in February and March 2011, the survey examines a wide range of issues including what and where Jewish students are studying, the nature of their Jewish beliefs and behaviors at university and at home, and the Jewish paths they have taken during their upbringing. It found that Jewish students are comfortable being openly Jewish at British universities, despite having concerns about attitudes to Israel on campus. Their commitment to Israel and the Jewish People is robust, but their appreciation of their personal social responsibility lacks muscle.
- Research Reports and Studies
Jewish Outdoor Adventure Education: An Exemplar of Successful Experiential Jewish Education Featured
This thesis examines four case studies of previously existing Jewish outdoor adventure programs: TorahTrek, Outdoor Jewish Adventures, Shalom Institute, and the Adventure Rabbi program. The founders of each of these programs were interviewed to ascertain their reasons for founding these organizations, their desired impacts for the populations served, and their vision of the broader Jewish community. Each program promotes Jewish outdoor adventures as a way to allow the individual to experience Judaism in a new way, strengthen his/her Jewish identity and participate in the Jewish community. Attesting to the success of these programs, a questionnaire of more than 50 participants of Jewish outdoor adventures from these four organizations showed a 30% increase in participation in Jewish communal and cultural activities and a heightened personal spirituality as a result of participation ...
- Research Reports and Studies
Journal of Jewish Communal Service: Digital Archive Featured
The Journal of Jewish Communal Service was established in 1902 by the National Conference of Jewish Charities, forerunner of the Jewish Communal Service Association. Over the years there have been various name changes for both the Journal and its publisher. The Journal covers topics from all of the professional sectors of Jewish communal service. Particular issues focus on specialized fields or challenges, such as vocational services or innovation. The Journal covers topics from all of the professional sectors of Jewish communal service. Particular issues focus on specialized fields or challenges, such as vocational services or innovation.
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- Reference
"Four Up" The High School Years: The Jewish Identity Development of the B'nai Mitzvah Class of 5755, 1995-1999
A study by Ariela Keysar and Barry A. Kosmin examining teens who are educated by the Conservative movement. The study tracks religious, social and cultural attitudes and behavior of nearly fifteen hundred adolescents four years after they celebrated their b'nai mitzvah.
'Four Up' The College Years: 1995-1999 (Link)
- Research Reports and Studies
"Grande Soy Vanilla Latte with Cinnamon, No Foam..." Jewish Identity and Community in a Time of Unlimited Choices
This study builds on a national report published by Reboot in 2005, called "OMG! How Generation Y is Redefining Faith in the iPod Era." OMG! looked at religious identity, practice and civic engagement among 18-25 year-old Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and Jews, as well as among African Americans, Latino Americans and Asian Americans. OMG! reported that the Jewish cohort was very much a symbol of their generation. The vast majority of them fell under a category called the "Undecided;" they were largely positive about their Jewish identities but were unsure as to how their religious identities played out in their daily lives. This second study was commissioned to delve more deeply and to listen more carefully to this Jewish cohort, not with the idea of looking for absolute answers but rather to have a chance to glimpse the seeds of the future.
"How Can We Make Our Grandson More Jewish?" An Open Letter Response
Shulamith Elster was among the Jewish educators asked to respond to the question: "How can we make our grandson Jessie more Jewish?" This article is her response in an open letter to Jessie.
- Articles
Allah is the Light: Prayer in Ramadan and Elul
A reflection by Rabbinical student Rachel Barenblat on the first Retreat for Emerging Jewish and Muslim Religious Leaders, organized by the office of multifaith initiatives at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
- Articles
- Journals
American Jewish Religious Denominations
Report 10 in the UJC Series on the National Jewish Population Survey 2000-01. This report examines denominational identity in two ways: self-identification (including those who call themselves "just Jewish") and synagogue membership. Overall denominational population estimates and percentages are provided, as are trends involving switching into and out of the various movements. Detailed comparisons between denominational categories are then given, as are selected comparisons between self-identified and synagogue Jews by denominational category. The final section consists of analytic conclusions and selected policy questions raised by the denominational findings in the preceding sections.
Beyond "Continuity" Taking the Next Steps: A Handbook for Jewish Renaissance and Renewal
The fifth in a series of "continuity" handbooks published by JESNA. Like its predecessors, it offers a theoretical framework and practical suggestions to guide and inform the work of Jewish communal leaders. This handbook is a follow-up to the January 1999 conference on "Jewish Continuity: Taking the Next Steps," which brought together nearly 100 professional and volunteer leaders to enable communities to take the Jewish Continuity agenda to the next level of planning and programming. The key elements of the conference were adapted and reformatted in this handbook format to be used by communities to stimulate new thinking and action about how communities of Jews can be compelling centers for Jewish life in the coming century. Though our technology has evolved dramatically ...
- Handbooks and Guides
Beyond Distancing: Young Adult American Jews and Their Alienation from Israel
This study explores the connection 21-35 year olds have to Israel. It may have important implications for Jewish education and the way we teach about Israel.
- Research Reports and Studies
Building MASA: An Analysis of the U.S. Market for Long-Term Programs in Israel
A report commissioned by MASA, a program that aims to encourage Diaspora young adults to spend a semester or year in Israel as part of an Israel experience program. The report focuses on the views of young adults and their parents regarding long-term study in Israel and specific preferences regarding Israel experience programs. Views regarding MASA’s marketing strategy, as well as its incentives to encourage participation in its affiliated programs, are also examined.
Building MASA: An Analysis of the U.S. Market for Long-Term Programs in Israel (Link)
- Research Reports and Studies
Community Update: Jewish Renaissance and Renewal
A JESNA report from Spring 2000 providing a snap shot of Renaissance initiatives from various communities in North America. Current and future programs are examined by initiative, size, and community.
Community Update: Jewish Renaissance and Renewal (117.39 kB)
- Research Reports and Studies
Encountering the Other, Finding Oneself: The Taglit-Birthright Israel Mifgash
Israel Experience trips-and Taglit-Birthright Israel trips in particular- increasingly include a substantial mifgash-an "encounter" between the Diaspora Jewish visitors and Israeli peers. The aim of the present report is to improve understanding of the formal and informal components of the mifgash, as well as the significance of the experience for North American and Israeli participants. The report and accompanying survey frequencies are available in Hebrew and English. Encountering the Other (Link)
- Research Reports and Studies
Engaging the Intellect: Jewish Studies on the College Campus
This article is based on data from our national study of Jewish Life on the American college campus. Recent years have seen a burgeoning of Jewish studies programs. Our research shows that significant numbers of Jewish students take one or more Jewish studies courses during their undergraduate careers and that these courses manage to reach students who are otherwise untouched by formal Jewish life on campus. The courses, however, are part of the university's academic mission and, as such, are mainly concerned with scholarship and not with identity building.
Engaging the Intellect: Jewish Studies on the College Campus (Link< ...
- Articles
- Research Reports and Studies
Experimenting with Jewish Education: Towards a Science of Understanding
Despite their central role in other areas, true experiments are rare in Jewish education. Much research on Jewish education is conducted without systematic assessment. Typically, investigations examine changes solely in the treatment group - examining only those exposed to the intervention. Such study designs, however, make it difficult to separate the effects of the intervention from maturation and other natural changes. The evaluation of Taglit-birthright israel is an exception to the typical studies of Jewish education. Since the program's inception in early 2000, more than 100,000 participants aged 18-26 have taken part in its ten-day educational experiences in Israel. The evaluation of program impact, conducted by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, examines changes in the attitudes and behaviors of participants regarding their Jewish identity, sense o ...
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- Research Reports and Studies
- Reviews
- Programs and Initiatives
Geographic Differences American Jews
Report 8 in the UJC Series on the National Jewish Population Survey 2000-01. This report examines differences among American Jews based on geography. Two geographic measures are used: the four U.S. Census regions and four levels of Jewish population density. The report analyzes how Jews who live in different regions and different sectors of Jewish population density vary in terms of key demographic factors and Jewish connections. The report draws implications from the findings for communal planning and policy making, especially in areas outside traditional Jewish residence. Geographic Differences American Jews (Link) ...
- Research Reports and Studies
Hear & Now: Jewish Downloads to go
A project of The Partnership for Jewish Life & Learning, Hear & Now is a series of podcasts on a variety of Jewish topics, including Art, History, Education, College Life, Holidays, Jewish Peoplehood, and more.
- Databases and Resource Centers
- Audio
How Goodly Are Thy Tents: Summer Camps as Jewish Socializing Experiences
An entertaining ethnographic study of how Jewish summer camps foster Jewish sensibilities and education.
In the summer of 2000, social psychologists Amy L. Sales and Leonard Saxe spent several days at each of twenty Jewish summer camps located throughout the United States. They spoke to camp directors, counselors, and staff members, and they closely observed daily life, including Sabbath rituals. In addition to the ethnographic material gleaned from their participant-observation field study, the authors offer a national census of Jewish residential camps, organizational analyzes of camps, and social psychological surveys of the attitudes and motivations of the your adults who work at camps. Jewish camps are often divided into two classes, those that are considered "educational camps" and others that are presumably non-educational. However, the authors believe tha ...
Influences on the Religious Identity of Jewish Adolescents
As Western society evolves to become almost “boundary-less”, with race and gender not standing in the way of even presidential candidates, religious identification has become less clear. Tolerance and openness brings with it the risk of losing one's uniqueness and the ability to distinguish between different groups. Multiculturalism proposes dissolving national identity into whatever groups are present in a society. The identifying features which help each individual distinguish himself as a member of a religious group – especially in Judaism – have proven elusive. Whatever criteria are used to determine Jewish identity, it is prudent to consider the external factors that influence and shape a person’s religious identity. In doing so, we can help ensure that during the important early years, when teens (and pre-teens) form their religious identity, the stimuli and influencers which play ...
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- Research Reports and Studies
Israel in Jewish Community Centers (Israel in Our Lives)
A volume from the series Israel in Our Lives. The goal of these guides is to:
Israel in Jewish Community Centers (192.72 kB)
- Handbooks and Guides