Religious Participation and Family Values Among American Jewish Youth

Publication Date: January 1992

Publisher: Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry

Author(s): Adam Gamoran

Research Area: Culture and religion; Social conditions

Keywords: American Jews; Family; Identity formation

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

In Contemporary Jewry 13, 44-59. This paper explores the possibility of a link between religious involvement and family orientation among American Jewish teenagers. Using data from a national sample of high school students, the analyses show that students who are synagogue and youth group leaders tend to be more family-centered than non-participants. But this association cannot be attributed to the effects of participation per se, for it is found to exist before the reported involvement took place. The paper suggest that the relation between religiosity and family views results from acceptance of Jewish tradition in general, which places strong emphasis on the family.