Brandeis University. Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina: The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel

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1 Brandeis University Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina: The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel Michelle Shain Shahar Hecht Leonard Saxe with ZIGLA Consultores December 2012

2 Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina 2012 Brandeis University Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies Additional copies of this publication are available from: Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies Brandeis University Mailstop 014 Waltham, MA The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, founded in 1980, is dedicated to providing independent, high quality research on issues related to contemporary Jewish life. The Cohen Center is also the home of the Steinhardt Social Research Institute (SSRI). Established in 2005, SSRI uses innovative research methods to collect and analyze socio-demographic data on the Jewish community.

3 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel ii Acknowledgments We gratefully acknowledge support for this study from Taglit-Birthright Israel, along with funding from the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and the Steinhardt Social Research Institute. The research on Jewish young adults both within and outside North America is made possible because Taglit, as an educational organization, is committed to being a sophisticated knowledge developer and user. Taglit s support has allowed us to function as independent scholars and researchers. We are particularly grateful to Prof. Ada Spitzer (Vice-president) who encouraged us to study South American participants and facilitated this project. We would also like to thank our collaborators in Argentina, ZIGLA Consultores and in particular Agustina Budani, who carried out the field work and advised us on cultural context in the interpretation of our findings. Joshua Davidson and Deborah Grant turned our words and charts into a physical report, Judith Filc translated the report into Spanish and Raquel Magidin de Kramer advised on the Spanish translation. And none of this work would be possible without the support of our colleagues, Masha Lokshin and Gloria Tessler, who manage day-to-day operations. Finally, we express appreciation to our academic and policy colleagues who reviewed this report and commented on presentations of the preliminary data. Their feedback was extremely useful. Our appreciation notwithstanding, the authors take full responsibility for the design and conduct of the study.

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5 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel ii Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures... iii Introduction... 1 Methods... 1 Findings... 3 Jewish Background of Taglit Participants... 3 Current Demographics... 5 Current Jewish Identity and Practice... 6 Trip Experience... 7 Trip Impact... 8 Conclusions References Appendix... 15

6 iii Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina List of Tables and Figures Table 1. Survey Frame by Participant Status and Taglit Eligibility... 1 Table 2. Survey Response by Eligibility Status and Taglit Participation... 2 Figure 1. Denomination Raised - Taglit Participants... 3 Figure 2. Family Religious Observance - Taglit Participants... 3 Figure 3. High School Ritual Practice - Taglit Participants... 4 Figure 4. Most Intensive Form of Jewish Education - Taglit Participants... 4 Figure 5. Organized Jewish Youth Activities - Taglit Participants... 4 Figure 6. Region of Residence - Taglit Participants... 5 Figure 7. Importance of Creating a Jewish Family - Taglit Participants... 5 Figure 8. Highest Educational Attainment - Taglit Participants... 5 Figure 9. Current Denomination - Taglit Participants... 6 Figure 10. Religious Observance - Taglit Participants and their Families... 6 Figure 11. Religious Service Attendance and Confidence in Ability to Follow Along - Taglit Participants... 6 Figure 12. Shabbat Activities Last Friday Night - Taglit Participants... 7 Figure 13. Participation in Events, Activities or Programs Coordinated by a Jewish Organization in Past 12 Months - Taglit Participants... 7 Figure 14. Perceived Impact of Trip - Taglit Participants... 8 Figure 15. Trip Extension Purpose - Taglit Participants... 8 Figure 16. Connection to Israel by Taglit Participation... 9 Figure 17. Feeling Part of a Worldwide Jewish Community by Taglit Participation Figure 18. Connection to Jewish Peers by Taglit Participation Figure 19. Proportion of Friends who are Jewish by Taglit Participation... 10

7 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 1 Introduction Argentina is home to the largest population of Jews in Latin America, about 180,000 individuals (Tal, 2010). In recent years, Argentinian Jewry has faced multiple challenges. Argentina s economic collapse ( ) forced many formerly middleclass Jews into poverty, leading some of them to withdraw from Jewish communal life (Kliksberg, 2002). Decreasing rates of affiliation with Jewish institutions exist alongside increasing rates of intermarriage (Tal, 2010). Taglit-Birthright Israel is one of the most important initiatives that has sought to strengthen Jewish identity among Jewish young adults in Argentina. Of the more than 300,000 diaspora young adults who have participated in Taglit since 1999, more than 10,000 participants have come from Argentina. This report summarizes findings from a survey of Taglit participants and nonparticipants in the Winter and Spring-Summer 2010 trips from Argentina. The report begins by describing a portrait of those who participated in the trip examining their Jewish backgrounds, demographic characteristics, and current Jewish identity and practices. It then focuses on participants thoughts and feelings about Taglit. Lastly, the current report explores the impact of the Taglit trip on participants by comparing them to nonparticipant applicants. Methods Frame The study focused on the Argentinian Jewish young adults who applied to go on Taglit trips in Winter and Spring- Summer Those who applied for these trips and did not go and then applied to a later trip were not included. The total number of individuals considered for this study was 1,922, 1 including 937 individuals identified as participants and 985 individuals identified as nonparticipants. Of the nonparticipants, 45% (n=442) were either ineligible or of uncertain eligibility for the program (Table 1). 2 Table 1. Survey Frame by Participant Status and Taglit Eligibility. Nonparticipant Eligible Ineligible Uncertain Total Participant Total 1, ,922

8 2 Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina Survey Instrument The survey instrument was developed by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University. Based on previously tested survey instruments designed for North American participants, the survey instrument for Argentina was translated into Spanish and adjusted for cultural relevance. It contained questions on respondents upbringing, friends and family, education and work life, attitudes toward Israel and being Jewish, involvement in the Jewish community, travel to Israel and, for Taglit participants, the Taglit trip experience. Field Work The survey was administered by ZIGLA Consultores, a survey research firm based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The survey was in the field from November 24 to December 23, All interviews were conducted over the phone by professional interviewers who were trained specifically for this study. Up to five attempts were made to contact each individual. Response Rates and Bias 641 total surveys were completed, yielding an overall response rate of 33%. 3 The respondents include 319 participants 4 (34%) and 304 nonparticipants 5 (Table 2). Information provided by Taglit applicants at the time of registration was used to check whether survey respondents were systematically different from nonrespondents. Age, gender, family synagogue membership while growing up, parental intermarriage, bar/bat mitzvah celebration, participation in Jewish organizations at time of registration, Taglit participation, and Taglit eligibility were examined. Only age was significantly associated with nonresponse, with survey respondents being slightly more than one year older than nonrespondents. This report is therefore slightly biased toward the characteristics and experiences of older Taglit participants and nonparticipants. Table 2. Survey Response by Eligibility Status and Taglit Participation Nonparticipant Participant Grand Total Nonrespondent 663 (69%) 618 (66%) 1,281 (67%) Respondent 304 (31%) 319 (34%) 641 (33%) Total 967 (100%) 937 (100%) 1,922 (100%)

9 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 3 Findings Jewish Background of Taglit Participants Reflecting the majority Ashkenazi ethnic makeup of Argentinian Jewry (Avni, 1995), 62% of Taglit participants come from Ashkenazi families, 21% from Sephardic families and the rest from mixed or other families. Argentinian Jewry has a decidedly secular bent, confirmed most recently in a study of the Jewish population of Buenos Aires, in which heritage outstripped religion in respondents definitions of Jewishness (Jmelnizky & Erdei, 2005). Figure 1. Denomination Raised - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) Taglit participants were raised by inmarried parents. About half of Taglit participants report that when they were growing up, their families were somewhat religiously observant, and another 36% were a little religiously observant (Figure 2). 6 The higher level of Jewish engagement of participants families compared to the general Jewish population in Argentina is also reflected in their reports about ritual observance. 7 When they were in high school, 51% of Taglit participants celebrated Hanukkah, 47% regularly lit Shabbat candles, 30% regularly had a special Shabbat meal, and 13% kept kosher at home (Figure 3). Orthodox 2% Conservative 18% No religion 9% Other 1% Secular/ culturally Jewish 38% Figure 2. Family Religious Observance - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) Not at all observant 9% Very observant 7% Reform 12% Just Jewish 20% A little observant 36% Somewhat observant 48% While Taglit participants reflect this secular tradition, their reports about their Jewish background indicate that they originate from families that are more Jewishly engaged than the Jewish population as a whole. The majority of participants were raised either secular/culturally Jewish (38%) or just Jewish (20%) (Figure 1). Seventy percent of

10 4 Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina Figure 3. High School Ritual Practice - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) Figure 4. Most Intensive Form of Jewish Education - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) 100% 80% 60% 40% Jewish day school 42% None 39% 20% 0% 51% 47% Celebrate Hanukkah 30% 13% Regularly light Regularly have a Keep kosher at Shabbat candles special Shabbat home meal Jewish supplementary school 16% Majón 3% Jewish day schools have been a mainstay of communal Jewish life in Argentina since the 1970s, attracting approximately half of the children in the community. In addition to a Judaic curriculum, these schools provide a higher quality secular education than the public schools, a key reason for the high levels of enrollment (Avni, 1995; Levy, 1987). Forty two percent of Taglit participants went to a Jewish day school, while a much smaller proportion attended either a supplementary school that met 5 days per week or a less intensive majón, and 39% had no formal Jewish education (Figure 4). The rate of Taglit participants participation in Jewish day schools is similar to the one reported for the Jewish population of Buenos Aires as a whole (Jmelnizky & Erdei, 2005). In addition, 68% of Taglit participants attended a seminario or Jewish camp, and 61% were involved in some other type of Jewish youth activity, be it a club or country club (sports activities), Zionist youth movement, religious youth group, or other youth organization (Figure 5). Figure 5. Organized Jewish Youth Activities (Estimated Proportions) 100% 80% 60% 40% 68% 20% 0% 43% 20% 15% 26% Jewish seminario or camp Club or country club (sports) Zionist youth movement Religious youth group Other youth organization

11 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 5 Current Demographics At the time of the survey, the mean age of Taglit participants is 23 and 55% of the participants are female. The majority live in Capital Federal, the city of Buenos Aires, with another 20% living in Greater Buenos Aires (Figure 6). Figure 6. Region of Residence - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) Córdoba 10% Santa Fe 5% Other 9% Greater Buenos Aires 20% Capital Federal 56% Fifty two percent of Talglit participants are single and report not being in a relationship. Forty one percent have a boyfriend or girlfriend and 7% are in a long-term, committed relationship (engaged, married, living with a life partner, or in a civil union). Of those who are in a long-term, committed relationship or have a boyfriend or girlfriend, 53% have Jewish partners. This figure echoes the overall 45% intermarriage rate among contemporary Argentinian Jewry (Tal, 2010). There was a relatively even split in the responses of unmarried participants about the importance of marrying someone Jewish, with about one-quarter thinking it is not at all important and one-quarter indicating it is very important to marry someone Jewish. Very few participants (n=4) had children. Of all those without children, 34% think that having Jewish children is very important, compared to only Figure 7. Importance of Creating a Jewish Family - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 24% 28% 22% 26% Marry someone Jewish 22% 37% 34% 8% who think it is not at all important (Figure 7). The majority of Taglit participants (62%) have not yet completed post-secondary education. This is not surprising given that 45% are age 22 or younger. Twelve percent have tertiary degrees, 25% have university degrees and 1% has post-graduate degrees (Figure 8). 8 Seventy two percent of participants are currently enrolled in higher education programs. 8% Raise your children Jewish Figure 8. Highest Educational Attainment - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) University 25% Tertiary 12% Post-graduate 1% High school or less 62% Not at all important A little important Somewhat important Very important

12 6 Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina Current Jewish Identity and Practice Currently, two-thirds of Taglit participants identify themselves as secular/culturally Jewish or just Jewish (Figure 9). Figure 9. Current Denomination - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) Conservative 18% Orthodox 2% Reform 11% Other 2% Secular/cultu rally Jewish 41% Taglit participants had not gone to Jewish religious services in the month preceding the survey, and 52% feel not at all or only a little confident in their ability to follow along at a Jewish religious service (Figure 11). Figure 11. Religious Service Attendance and Confidence in Ability to Follow Along - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) Not at all Just Jewish 26% Never A little This configuration is similar to how participants were raised. In addition, the majority of Taglit participants identify themselves as a little observant. Compared to their families religious observance, they are more likely to be not at all or a little observant and less likely to be somewhat or very observant (Figure 10). Thus, Argentinian Jewry s secular bent remains apparent among Taglit participants. Supporting the idea that Taglit participants are relatively secular as a group, half of Figure 10. Religious Observance - Taglit Participants and their Families (Estimated Proportions) 100% 80% 10% 36% 18% Once A few times Weekly Religious Service Attendance in Past Month Somewhat Very much Confidence Following Religious Service On the Friday night preceding the survey, less than a third (29%) of Taglit participants had done one of the following: lit Shabbat candles, had a special Shabbat meal, or attended services. Lighting candles was the most popular of these three observances, followed by having a special meal (Figure 12). 60% 54% Not at all observant A little observant 40% 20% 48% 24% Somewhat observant Very observant 0% 7% 4% Participants' families Participants

13 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 7 Figure 12. Shabbat Activities Last Friday Night - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) 100% Figure 13. Participation in Events, Activities or Programs Coordinated by a Jewish Organization in Past 12 Months - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 18% 17% Lit Shabbat candles Had a special Shabbat meal 13% Attended services Never 43% Three times or more 24% Twice 13% Taglit participants are moderately engaged in non-religious Jewish life. In the 12 months preceding the survey, 57% of Taglit participants had participated in at least one event, activity, or program coordinated by a Jewish organization, excluding religious services (Figure 13). Participation in these types of events, activities, or programs is strongly correlated with religiosity as measured by religious service attendance, with the more religiously engaged also more involved in Jewish organizational life χ2(12, N = 335) = 70.61, p <.001. However, there are some individuals who are involved in Jewish organizational life and not religious life and vice versa. Among those who did not attend religious services in the previous month, 40% participated at least once in an event coordinated by a Jewish organization. Trip experience Once 20% Taglit participants were asked to assess the trip s impact on them. Most participants have a very positive view of the program and report that their trip very much or somewhat made them feel closer to Israel, to their Jewish heritage, and to the Jewish people. Most also found the trip to be very much or somewhat a life-changing experience, and most were not at all disappointed (Figure 14).

14 8 Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina Figure 14. Perceived Impact of Trip - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) 100% 80% 3% 5% 5% 7% 15% 19% 18% 26% 60% 40% 42% 38% 43% 43% 87% Not at all A little Somewhat Very much 20% 0% 41% 38% Made you feel closer to Israel Made you feel closer to your Jewish heritage For most Taglit participants from Argentina, the trip is not confined to 10 days. Eighty nine percent of participants extended their trips, compared to only 27% of U.S. participants from the same cohort. Overall, 75% of participants from Argentina spent more time in Israel, either to travel around, visit family, or visit friends. Fifty four percent of participants traveled to Europe after their Taglit trip. Most of the participants who travelled to Europe also spent some additional time in Israel (Figure 15). Figure 15. Trip Extension Purpose - Taglit Participants (Estimated Proportions) 35% Made you feel closer to the Jewish people 25% Was a life-changing experience Trip impact 10% 2% 1% Was a disappointment Research about the Taglit experience of North American Jewish young adults has consistently demonstrated that Taglit has a strong, positive, lasting impact on participants feelings of connection to Israel and the Jewish people, as well as their commitment to creating Jewish families (Saxe et al., 2009; Saxe, Phillips, et al., 2011; Saxe, Sasson, et al., 2011). Trip impact is measured by comparing participants to non-participants while statistically controlling for any systematic differences between the groups that cannot be explained by the trip (e.g. demographics and Jewish background). Travel to Europe 12% Other 2% Neither 11% Stay in Israel and travel to Europe 42% Stay in Israel 33% In Argentina, nonparticipant applicants are systematically different from participants on some measures. They have lower educational attainment, are more likely to have attended a seminario or Jewish camp, come from less religiously observant families, and kept kosher in high school at a lower rate (Table 3 in Appendix). Therefore, the analysis below presents predicted values for regression models holding these four factors constant (Table 4 Table 8 in

15 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 9 Appendix). In this analysis, Taglit is shown to have significant impact on measures of connection to Israel and the Jewish people. Historically, the Jewish community of Argentina has been characterized by a strong sense of solidarity with Israel (Avni, 1995). This trend has held in recent years. A survey of Jews in Greater Buenos Aires revealed that 86% say the State of Israel is very much or quite important to them, and 84% are very much or quite concerned about Israel s situaion (Jmelnizky & Erdei, 2005). In the present study, the majority of nonparticipant applicants to Taglit report feeling close to Israel. Still, compared to nonparticipant applicants, Taglit participants are 86% more likely to feel very much connected to Israel and 46% more likely to feel very close to Israel (Figure 16). These findings are a testament to the impact of Taglit even among a population with high baseline levels of connection to Israel. Although the Taglit trip increases participants positive feelings toward Israel, it does not impact their opinions on contentious Israeli political issues. Asked whether Israel should be willing to compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israel jurisdiction, participants and nonparticipants give the same responses: about 10% unsure and the rest evenly divided between yes and no. Similarly, among both participants and nonparticipants, about 15% are unsure whether Israel should dismantle settlements in the West Bank; 10% believe Israel should dismantle all of the settlements; and the rest are evenly divided between dismantling some and none of the settlements. In terms of their relationship with other Jews, compared to nonparticipant applicants, Taglit participants in Argentina are 48% more likely to feel very much part of a worldwide Jewish community (Figure 17). Figure 16. Connection to Israel by Taglit Participation (Predicted Probabilities) Not at all Very Distant A Little Fairly Distant Somewhat Quite Close Very Much Very Close

16 10 Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina Figure 17. Feeling Part of a Worldwide Jewish Community by Taglit Participation (Predicted Probabilities) Figure 19. Proportion of Friends who are Jewish by Taglit Participation (Predicted Probabilities) 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 6% 4% 33% 42% 47% 41% Not at all A little Somewhat Very much 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 4% 3% 18% 23% 38% 39% 34% 28% None A few Half Most All 0% 11% Nonparticipants 16% Participants 0% 5% 7% Nonparticipants Participants They are also 28% more likley to feel very much connected to their Jewish peers (Figure 18). Taglit participants are even slightly more likely to have Jewish friends (Figure 19). This finding remains at the 90% confidence level even when controlling for proportion of Jewish friends in high school. Figure 18. Connection to Jewish Peers by Taglit Participation (Predicted Probabilities) 100% 6% 5% 80% 31% 25% 60% Not at all 40% 43% 45% A little Somewhat Very much 20% 20% 25% 0% Nonparticipants Participants

17 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 11 Conclusions Taglit-Birthright Israel endeavors to strengthen participants Jewish identity, connection to Israel, and commitment to Jewish peoplehood. Its target audience is Jewish young adults who have not had an opportunity to participate in a peer educational experience in Israel. For the most part, Argentinian participants in Taglit represent the diversity of their community. Many have received formal Jewish education, but some have not; some are religious, but most are not; and levels of engagement with the organized Jewish community vary. The results of the present evaluation study indicate that Argentinian Taglit trips, like those from North America and other countries, result in significantly stronger feelings of connection to Israel and the Jewish people. The trips seem to work for participants and lead to changes in their attitudes and their views of themselves with respect to the Jewish community. The Argentinian case also presents some unique challenges and opportunities. Data from Argentina do not indicate any increase in Taglit participants desire to raise their children Jewish, an item on which research on U.S. participants has shown consistent, positive program impact. On the other hand, participants from Argentina display increases in feelings of connection to their Jewish peers and proportion of Jewish friends, an area in which Taglit has not demonstrated impact among U.S. participants. The long-term impact of these stronger ties is unknown but potentially large. Such ties could potentially be leveraged into greater Jewish communal involvement in Argentina after the trip. A potentially key finding is that almost all Taglit participants from Argentina (89%) extend their trip. Even among those who travel to Europe after Taglit, the majority spend at least some additional time in Israel, travelling around and visiting friends and family. Could this time be used more deliberately to deliver additional educational content or to encourage strong social connections with other young Jews? Building upon the powerful work of the Taglit trip, there are many opportunities to support and nurture the Jewish identities of young adult Jews in Argentina.

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19 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 13 Notes 1 The file included 2009 records, some of which were duplicates. 2 Ineligible applicants were included in the frame since they weren t initially identified as such by the field work team. Analysis revealed that ineligible applicants were less likely to respond to the survey than eligible nonparticipants (χ 2 (1, N = 322) = 7.72, p <.01). However, among survey respondents there were no systematic differences between ineligible applicants and eligible nonparticipants on age (t(320) = -0.09, p =.93), gender (χ 2 (1, N = 322) = 0.98, p =.32), student status (χ 2 (2, N = 322) = 1.95, p =.16), parental intermarriage (χ 2 (1, N = 322) = 0.22, p =.64), family religious observance (χ 2 (3, N = 321) = 1.63, p =.65), current religious observance (χ 2 (1, N = 322) = 4.10, p =.25). Additionally, in regression models of various measures of Jewish identity and engagement, ineligible applicants and eligible nonparticipants displayed the same relationship to participants. Therefore, ineligible applicants and eligible nonparticipants were treated as one group in the analysis. 3 Two additional individuals surveyed by ZIGLA Consultores could not be matched to the appropriate record in the frame. Their survey responses are therefore not included in this analysis. 4 Six survey respondents who were identified as eligible nonparticipants in the frame reported in the survey that they were, in fact, Taglit participants. An additional 12 survey respondents who were identified as ineligible nonparticipants in the frame also reported in the survey that they were Taglit participants. These individuals are considered participants for the remainder of this report. 5 Note that 126 nonparticipant respondents were either ineligible for Taglit or of uncertain eligibility. 6 Jmelnizky & Erdei (2005) report that of the self reported Jews 57% are inmarried. As for religious observance 31% reported being not at all observant, 36% a little observant, 20% quite observant and 9% very observant (4% did not answer). 7 Jmelnizky & Erdei (2005) report that of self identified Jews 20% regularly lit Shabbat candels and 13% had a special Shabbat meal. 8 In Argentina, tertiary degrees are 1- to 3-year degrees related to education or technical professions, while university degrees are 4- to 6-year degrees focusing on professions such as law and medicine.

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21 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 15 References Avni, Haim. (1995). The Spanish-speaking world and the Jews: The last half-century. In R. S. Wistrich (Ed.), Terms of Survival: The Jewish world since London, England: Routeledge. Jmelnizky, Adrián, & Erdei, Ezequiel. (2005). The Jewish population in Buenos Aires: Sociodemographic survey. Buenos Aires, Argentina: AMIA. Kliksberg, Bernardo. (2002). Jewish communities in distress: The Jews of Argentina and Latin American face an uncertain future. Jerusalem, Israel: Institute of the World Jewish Congress. Levy, Daniel C. (1987). Jewish Education in Latin America. In J. L. Elkin & G. W. Merkx (Eds.), The Jewish presence in Latin America. Boston, MA: Allen & Unwin. Saxe, Leonard, Phillips, Benjamin, Sasson, Theodore, Hecht, Shahar, Shain, Michelle, Wright, Graham, & Kadushin, Charles. (2009). Generation Birthright Israel: The impact of an Israel experience on Jewish identity and choices. Waltham, MA: Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, Brandeis University. Saxe, Leonard, Phillips, Benjamin, Sasson, Theodore, Hecht, Shahar, Shain, Michelle, Wright, Graham, & Kadushin, Charles. (2011). Intermarriage: The impact and lessons of Taglit- Birthright Israel. Contemporary Jewry, 31(2), doi: /s z Saxe, Leonard, Sasson, Theodore, Hecht, Shahar, Phillips, Benjamin, Shain, Michelle, Wright, Graham, & Kadushin, Charle. (2011). The impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel: 2010 Update. Waltham, MA: Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, Brandeis University. Tal, Rami (Ed.). (2010). Annual assessment Jerusalem, Israel: The Jewish People Policy Institute.

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23 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 17 Appendix Table 3. Logistic regression of Taglit participation. Logistic regression Number of obs = 635 LR chi2(5) = Prob > chi2 = Log likelihood = Pseudo R2 = participant Odds Ratio Std. Err. z P> z [95% Conf. Interval] highed revraisedobs attndcamp hskosher _cons Table 4. Ordered logistic regression of connection to Israel. Ordered logistic regression Number of obs = 637 LR chi2(5) = Prob > chi2 = Log likelihood = Pseudo R2 = conisr Odds Ratio Std. Err. z P> z [95% Conf. Interval] participant highed revraisedobs attndcamp hskosher /cut /cut /cut

24 18 Focus on Jewish Young Adults in Argentina Table 5. Ordered logistic regression of closeness to Israel. Ordered logistic regression Number of obs = 632 LR chi2(5) = Prob > chi2 = Log likelihood = Pseudo R2 = closeisr Odds Ratio Std. Err. z P> z [95% Conf. Interval] participant highed revraisedobs attndcamp hskosher /cut /cut /cut Table 6. Ordered logistic regression of part of a worldwide Jewish community. Ordered logistic regression Number of obs = 637 LR chi2(5) = Prob > chi2 = Log likelihood = Pseudo R2 = conwrldjcomm Odds Ratio Std. Err. z P> z [95% Conf. Interval] participant highed revraisedobs attndcamp hskosher /cut /cut /cut

25 The Impact of Taglit-Birthright Israel 19 Table 7. Ordered logistic regression of connection to Jewish peers. Ordered logistic regression Number of obs = 637 LR chi2(5) = Prob > chi2 = Log likelihood = Pseudo R2 = conjpeers Odds Ratio Std. Err. z P> z [95% Conf. Interval] participant highed revraisedobs attndcamp hskosher /cut /cut /cut Table 8. Ordered logistic regression of proportion of close friends who are Jewish. Ordered logistic regression Number of obs = 636 LR chi2(5) = Prob > chi2 = Log likelihood = Pseudo R2 = jwfrnd Odds Ratio Std. Err. z P> z [95% Conf. Interval] participant highed revraisedobs attndcamp hskosher /cut /cut /cut /cut

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28 The Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University is a multi-disciplinary research institute dedicated to the study of American Jewry and religious and cultural identity. The Steinhardt Social Research Institute, hosted at CMJS, is committed to the development and application of innovative approaches to socio-demographic research for the study of Jewish, religious, and cultural identity. Brandeis University