A new report based on surveys commissioned by the Ruderman Family Foundation over the last two years (The American Jewish Community: Trends and Changes in Engagement and Perceptions) shows that 32% percent of respondents said that between work, family, and other obligations, they simply do not have time to be involved with Jewish organizations and institutions, and 28% said that Jewish organizations were simply not a high priority for them.
Among respondents who are unengaged with Jewish organizations, 36% said that being involved was not a priority, and 34% said they did not have the time. Lack of time was also the top obstacle (29%) to involvement for those respondents who do maintain some level of engagement with those organizations.
Respondents cited political partisanship “here and in Israel” as a very important reason for not being involved with Jewish organizations. A 60% majority of respondents in 2019 said that “Netanyahu’s support for President Trump and his policies” was a very important reason for feeling less connected to Israel. In 2021, with both Trump and Netanyahu having lost their reelection bids, the most important reasons for feeling less connected were the “right-wing or ultra-religious parties” (53% very important) followed by “settlement policies” (49%) and “treatment of the Palestinians” (46%).
A full 36% of those who are engaged with Jewish organizations, and 49% of the unengaged did not have any opinion about their local Jewish Federation, while 28% of the engaged and 39% of the unengaged had no impression of their local Jewish Community Center (JCC).
However, only 8% of American Jews reported that their charitable giving to those entities has decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. And 9% of all respondents, and nearly 20% of respondents who are engaged with Jewish organizations, gave more than they did before the pandemic. More than 66% said that there was no change in their scope or frequency of giving.
The Ruderman Family Foundation revealed in January that in this new survey, 93% of American Jews expressed concern with the levels of antisemitism in the US, and 42% reported experiencing antisemitism either directly or through family and friends over the past five years.
