A Portrait of Jewish Columbus

Transcription

1 A Portrait of Jewish Columbus EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2013

2 March 2014 Counting Jews has been going on since Biblical times. Having a proper census has helped us understand our strengths, needs and potential. That is why three partners, the Jewish Federation of Columbus, The Wexner Foundation and the Columbus Jewish Foundation chose to pursue this study: to help measure how we are achieving our vision of being a thriving Jewish community at the forefront of the next renaissance in Jewish life. Some of the data may surprise and some may be more intuitive. A key finding is that our numbers have grown from 22,000 a decade ago to over 25,000 now. And we are a young community compared to some peer cities, which bodes well for us. Of concern, you will find that many households in our community are living near poverty, much more so than other Jewish communities such as Cleveland and Chicago. The findings will help us understand the makeup of our community, as well as the opportunities we have for improvement. We expect this report will be used by our community synagogues and agencies to prioritize services, to improve outreach efforts and to recalibrate organizational goals. As you read through the material, be assured that it was prepared by a highly experienced, well-trained and independent professional team from JPAR Jewish Policy & Action Research. JPAR has completed more than 25 studies in other local Jewish communities. The sampling methodology was also vetted by experienced volunteers who are themselves experts in their fields. In short, we are presenting as thorough and accurate a survey as can be done, again mindful that counting Jews is not for the faint of heart! The complete report, methodology and findings can be found at Please share any thoughts or reactions to the report with us at info@tcjf.org. 2

3 Columbus Jewish Population is YOUNG&GROWING Jewish households increased from 11,900 to 14,200 between 2001 and 2013 Jewish persons increased from 22,000 to 25,500 between 2001 and 2013 Total persons in Jewish households has reached 37,000, an increase of 16% over 2001 % of All Jewish Persons Ages Compared to our Neighbors 14% Cleveland 18% Chicago 20% Cincinnati 22% Columbus All Area Households All households in greater Columbus 448, % 581,572 Jewish Households Households that include at least 11, % 14,200 one self-identified Jewish adult Jewish Persons Adults 18+ who consider themselves Jewish, and children being raised Jewish 22, % 25,500 All Persons in Jewish Households Jewish people, and those who do not consider themselves Jewish (adults, as well as children who are not being raised as Jews) 32, % 37,000 Age of All Persons Living in Greater Columbus Jewish Households, % 13% 16% 14% 9% 14% 13% 5% 5% Percentage of the Population 3

4 Bexley* has a STABLE, highly ENGAGED population In % of area Jews lived in Bexley Today that number is 21% Other areas are GROWING, but significantly less engaged Perimeter North +34% % change from 1990 to 2013 East +106% Jewish Population Bexley East Perimeter North Downtown/ University 5,500 3,100 3,500 4,500 5,400 6,400 4,700 9,000 Jewish population changes reflect overall growth of greater Columbus Downtown/University +100% % of married couples that are in-married % donating to Jewish charities Bexley -2% % who say being Jewish is very important in their life Bexley 92% 94% 86% East 44% 35% 44% Perimeter North 45% 39% 38% Downtown/ University 24% 17% 28% 4 * Includes Berwick and Eastmoor

5 Nearly 1 in 3 Columbus Jews is best defined as Partially Jewish Partially Jewish means respondents described themselves as partly Jewish in the surveys or that they reported having both Christian (or other religion) and Jewish identities, but were not Messianic Jews In inter-married households, the religion of one of three children is undecided Jewish Only Partially Jewish All Jewish Persons Almost every child 96% - in an in-married Jewish household is being raised Jewish only Adults 14,900 71% 5,950 29% 20, % C h i l d r e n 2,500 54% 2,150 46% 4, % Total 17,400 68% 8,100 32% 25, % Where Children Live In-married 25% Unmarried 22% Inter-married 53% Most children are being raised by inter-married parents How Children are Raised No Religion 15% Jewish Only 34% Undecided 18% Another Religion 6% Partially Jewish 28% Only 1 in 3 children is being raised Jewish only Just 11% of children in inter-married households are being raised Jewish only, with another 28% being raised partially Jewish 5

6 There is significant economic vulnerability within the greater Columbus Jewish community 21% of all Jewish Households fall below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines * *based on income and household size The Columbus Jewish community has a higher proportion of low income households compared to other cities Most respondents from low income Jewish households are working or disabled The highest rates of low income Jewish households are found in the Downtown/University and Perimeter North regions Most respondents in low income Jewish households in greater Columbus are years old Where do Poor Jewish Households live? 4% 7% 10% Bexley East Perimeter North % of Jewish Households Below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines 12% 30% 32% Downtown University 21% / Age of Respondents in Poor Jewish Households % % % % In the study, 150% of the federal poverty guidelines means an income of less than $29,000 for a family of 3 persons. Less than $2,500/month for food, housing, etc. Households are classified as poor if they fall below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines based on income and household size, but not if the respondent in a household that would statistically qualify as under the 150% federal guideline reports that they are well off or have extra money Chicago 2010 Unemployed Student Self-employed Homemaker Retired Fulltime Worker Cleveland 2011 Poor Jewish Households 2% 3% 5% Columbus % 15% 17% 6 Part-time Worker (not student) Disabled 20% 29%

7 About the Study The JPAR research team has conducted studies in 25 communities over two decades. Results of the 2013 Portrait of Jewish Columbus study are based on a rigorous, state-of-the-art survey sampling methodology they developed during this time. In Columbus, more than 85,000 randomly selected telephone numbers were dialed, including more than 25,000 cell phone numbers. Approximately 6,000 households (Jewish and non-jewish) answered a two-to-three minute screener which determined whether there was an adult in the household who self-identified as Jewish; 762 extensive interviews were completed with Jewish households who were identified during the screening process. These interviews lasted about 15 to 30 minutes and covered a wider range of topics than presented in this report. This sampling design provides for an accurate estimate of the greater Columbus Jewish population by producing a representative sample of Jewish households. An expanded methodology report with complete sampling dispositions, statistical estimates of design effect and sampling error, plus the survey interview questionnaires and interviewer training materials will be available online at the Berman Jewish Study Goals Provide a database to inform policy and planning Describe characteristics, attitudes, behaviors and geographic distribution Estimate the number of Jews and Jewish households Compare the 2013 Jewish population to 2001 and 1990 Support for the Study Jewish Federation of Columbus Michael Canter, Executive Board Chair Gordon Hecker, President & Chief Executive Officer Mark Anzalone, Vice President, Marketing Columbus Jewish Foundation Steve Schottenstein, President Jackie Jacobs, CEO Meagan Buren, Director of Marketing and Communications The Wexner Foundation Abigail and Leslie Wexner, Co-Founders Rabbi Elka Abrahamson, President Larry Moses, Senior Philanthropic Advisor Ken Steinman, Research Consultant The JPAR Research Team Ukeles Associates, Inc. (UAI) Jacob B. Ukeles, President, UAI, Co-President, JPAR Ron Miller, Vice President, Research, UAI Steven M. Cohen, Senior Researcher, UAI Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS) Melissa Herrmann, President SSRS, Co-President, JPAR David Dutwin, Executive Vice President, SSRS and Chief Methodologist, JPAR Eran Ben-Porath, Vice-President, SSRS Bobbie Bregman, Senior Project Director, SSRS Brian Corvino, Project Director, SSRS 7

8 Columbus Jewish Households ALWAYS or USUALLY 62% Light Hanukkah Candles 61% Attend a Passover Seder 42% Fast on Yom Kippur 17% Light Shabbat Candles Study Design Steering Committee Task Force Robin Bernstein, Co-Chair Raymond Silverstein, Co-Chair Herb Asher Rick Barnett Rabbi Harold Berman Judy Brachman Michael Broidy Jennifer Byers Jennie Cammeyer Margey Cheses Abigail Wexner, Chair Steve Allen Robin Bernstein Eugenia Erlij Michael Glimcher Arnie Good Robin Judd Brad Kastan Al Dembe Don Feibel Joyce Garver Keller Brad Kastan Gary Liebesman Harlan Robins Gary Rosenstein Bruce Soll Ken Steinman Ruthie Warshenbrot O F CO LU M B U S 11% Keep Completely Kosher Home Brett Kaufman Shaul Kelner Gary Rosenstein Bob Schottenstein Bruce Soll Ken Steinman Audrey Tuckerman Rachel Weiss Berger