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

The biggest barriers for those who want to be more involved are distance and cost. They are
slightly more likely to say that events are too far and they are more likely to want to attend
events in the East Bay. Geographically, however, there is little difference between those who
want to be more involved and those who want to keep their level of involvement the same or the
East Bay Jewish population overall. It is possible those who want to be more involved use
distance as an excuse, especially since 61 percent report no difficulty finding information about
local events. They are also more likely than others to think it is expensive to belong to
synagogue or to provide their children with a Jewish education, unsurprising given their
somewhat lower incomes.
They are not challenged by feelings of discomfort or a sense that the community is not
welcoming. Half would prefer non-Jewish events with Jews, but only 13 percent think that
events currently offered by East Bay Jewish community are boring or uninteresting, though 23
percent were unable to answer the question.
Figure 75: Jews Who Want to be More Involved are More Comfortable than Overall,
but Hindered by Cost
Now, please tell me whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. (Ranked by percent total agree)
100
Total
More Involved
80
60
40
46
62
43
50
66
83
20
23
13
0
Sometimes it just seems so
expensive to be part of the Jewish
community, with the cost of
synagogue memberships,
summer camp, and day school for
the kids.
I would prefer that East Bay
Jewish organizations provide
activities that connect me with
other Jewish people, but that are
not Jewish-themed or based
around faith in any way.
I feel comfortable attending
organized Jewish events,
committees, or events sponsored
by East Bay Jewish organizations
Too many Jewish-themed events
in the East Bay turn out to be
boring or uninteresting to me.
80