East Bay Jewish Community Study - Jewish Federation of the ...

General Involvement
More than 40 percent of East Bay Jews report that being Jewish is very important to them and
two-thirds of East Bay Jewish residents agree that they have a strong sense of belonging to the
Jewish people, including 45 percent who strongly agree. And yet, only 15 percent describe their
involvement as a lot and only 21 percent say they want to be more involved in the Jewish
community (6 percent much more involved).
Figure 35: Most Do Not Consider Themselves Involved
To what extent do you feel that you are involved in the Jewish community
60
50
66
40
30
34
29
37
20
10
15
18
0
A lot Some Only a little Not at all
Only 26 percent of those who have a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people feel that
they are involved a lot in the Jewish community, demonstrating the disconnect between
belonging and participation.
Interfaith couples are much less affiliated with the Jewish community than couples in which both
partners are Jewish —81 percent report that they do not feel very involved in the East Bay
Jewish community, as compared with only 40 percent of same faith couples who say that they
feel the same way.
The most involved Jewish residents are more likely than the less involved to be married (62
percent, compared to 53 percent), have a Jewish spouse (70 percent, compared to 23 percent),
and have a partner that always participates in Jewish life with them (58 percent, compared to 14
percent). A full 72 percent of involved Jewish residents say they are providing their children
with a formal Jewish education. More than 80 percent of these highly involved residents are
dues paying members of a synagogue, and 42 percent attend services more than weekly.
Sixty-one percent also belong to other Jewish organizations, and a majority holds leadership
positions. They report frequently attending events in the East Bay Jewish community.
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