The 2005 Boston Community Survey: Preliminary Findings

Publication Date: November 2006

Publisher: Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life; Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies

Author(s): Charles Kadushin; Daniel Parmer; Leonard Saxe; Benjamin Phillips; Graham Wright

Research Area: Culture and religion; Population and demographics

Keywords: Communal Organization; Jewish Identification; Demography

Type: Report

Coverage: Massachusetts United States

Abstract:

Every 10 years since 1965, Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) has sponsored scientific surveys of the Jewish population of the Greater Boston area. Like the four previous surveys, the 2005 study seeks to understand who the Jews of the Greater Boston area are, how those individuals participate in Jewish communal life, and what the community members' needs are for programs and services. The study provides a rich portrait of the Boston Jewish community that is intended to facilitate communal reflection and planning. The 2005 preliminary report begins by examining the scope of the Boston Jewish community and its size. Then, the report looks within the community to focus on demographic characteristics and challenges posed by several of those findings, particularly those concerning age and economic vulnerability. The report then turns to intermarriage and the upbringing of children in intermarried families. Finally, the report explores the many varied connections to Jewish life, through ritual practice, membership in Jewish organizations, education of Jewish children, philanthropy and volunteering, and ties to Israel.