A stunning survey from Baltimore
This is not directly related to Israel, but it's too important not to discuss. How many of you remember this chart and this post?
There's a new survey out in Baltimore - one of America's largest Jewish communities - that's confirming the chart above:
Some of the study’s more dramatic finds show a community that has surged from being 21 percent to 32 percent Orthodox, has seen those “just managing” economically or worse shoot from one in five to one in three, and has witnessed people ages 85 and older climb from 9 percent of the senior population (65 and older) to 20 percent.Read the whole thing.
Other statistics are equally stunning: When it comes to marriage, 87 percent of the Orthodox young adults ages 18 to 34 are married; 91 percent of non-Orthodox Jews in that group remain single. Equally sure to causes gasps is how only 30 percent of children of intermarriages are being raised Jewish.
“Overall, if you ask me are there a lot of big surprises, I’d say that in most areas the directions are not surprising. But in some cases the rates of change or non-change are surprising,” said Dr. Jack Ukeles, whose Ukeles Associates Inc. did both this and the 1999 Baltimore community study. “If you had asked me would the Orthodox community continue to grow, I would say probably. If you would ask would it be 32 percent as opposed to 21 percent, that’s a huge increase and has huge implications for the community.”
Labels: Baltimore, demography, Jewish grandchildren
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:25 PM
5 Comments:
This assumes that all Orthodox stay Orthodox. It's probably not the case and that an appreciable number of Orthodox leave it or their children do.
Some leave, some join, and birthrates that far exceed 2.1 is a recipe for growth
Empress, statistics are a darned thing. I understand it to mean that regardless of the known fact that there are those who leave the Orthodox community, the community is nevertheless increasing in size and representation.
Carl, did I misunderstand something in this report?
In any case, this is not about bragging, it's about what's right. We're not called "Ivrim" for nothing.
Trudy, my guess is a good number of secular and Reform Jews will become Orthodox so I think the numbers in the long run favor Orthodoxy... Back in the 1960s every one assumed that Orthodox was a curious 18th Century sect that would gradually die out... that didn't happen - instead its liberal Judaism that is on its demographic deathbed.
What a difference a generation makes.
Any similar study comparing Israeli rightists versus leftists?
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