09 February 2007
The American Jewish population is about 20 per cent higher than previously reported, according to a study released by the Brandeis University Steinhardt Social Research Institute. The institute estimates that there are 6 – 6.4 million Jews living in the United States, along with another million people with Jewish ancestry, by analyzing survey data collected by a range of government, academic and private foundations. This report disputes the 2000/01 National Jewish Population Study, which identified only 5.2 million American Jews. The telephone-based survey had underestimated non-Orthodox Jews and those under age 55, the new study concludes. A larger American Jewish population means that a lower percentage currently attends religious schools or participates in cultural activities like Birthright Israel, which offers free trips to Israel for Jews ages 18 to 26. The survey can encourage such programs to reach out to a more diverse population, said Michael Steinhardt, a philanthropist who endowed SSRI and funds other Jewish programs. "The good news, however, is that we can use this new information to reinvigorate our efforts towards causing a renaissance in Jewish life," he said.
