Regular Jews, New Jews and Non-Jews: Some Methodological Reflections and New Data on Diversity Within the Jewish Population in the United States

Publication Date: January 1989

Publisher: Institute of Contemporary Jewry

Author(s): Egon Mayer

Research Area: Population and demographics

Keywords: American Jews; Jewish identification

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

In Jewish Population Studies 19 (Papers in Jewish Demography, 1985), 337-343. In response to deficiencies of existing local Jewish population studies, the author conducted a study between 1984-5 that was administered simultaneously to born Jews, converts and non-Jews who were married to born-Jews with the same questions concerning different aspects of Jewish identification. The samples for this survey were obtained from 12 communities across the United States. The purpose is to illustrate the potentials for gaining new insight into the nature of Jewishness in America by including non-Jews and former non-Jews in the study of Jewish population.