The Distancing of the Jewish Community from its Institutions: The Case of Jewish Schools

Publication Date: January 1995

Publisher: Jewish Communal Service Association of North America

Author(s): Uzi Rebhun

Research Area: Education

Keywords: Demography; Education; Youth

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The research reported in this article explores the linkage between the Jewish community's increased geographic dispersion in recent years and its usage of community institutions, namely Jewish schools. Using data from Boston and San Francisco, this study found that a disproportionately large number of day schools are located in the older areas of settlement in the center and that fewer day schools are found in the suburban rings that are favored by families with young children. In contrast, the geographical distribution of supplementary schools closely resembles the residential distribution of school-aged children in each community. The spatial distance between home and day school may be an intervening obstacle in the parental decision to send children to day schools.