4$ Friday, February 28, 1975

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Latest Jewish Identity Figures Released by CJF;
Less Than Half Claim Synagogue Membership

NEW YORK — A total of 82 per cent of Jewish house-
hold heads identify with a specific religious "ideology":—
Orthodox, Conservative and Reform; household heads, at
the same time, in this group who have affiliations with con-
' gregations number less than half-46.3 percent.
These are among the latest in a series of findings of the
National Jewish Population Study issued this week by the
Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds in a re-
port entitled, Jewish Identity. The report focuses on prevail-
ing attitudes and affiliations among Jewish household
heads and members in the United States to questions of
religious ideology, practice, identification, and Jewish edu-
cation.
Other highlights of the wide-ranging survey are
"measures of Jewishness" in the home such as: both Pas-
sover and Hanuka are ranked high as holidays "frequently"
observed—exceeding 80 percent and 70 percent respectively;
Sabbath observance is noted in 36 percent of households in-
terviewed.
The document provides new assessments of the pro-
file of American Jewry. Previous reports in the survey
are: Intermarriage; Demographic Highlights; The Jew-
ish Aging; Mobility; and National and Regional Popula-
tion Counts.
Noting that an important aspect of Jewish identity is
that of "religious ideology" quite apart from any formal
congregational membership, the study reports identifica-
tion with Conservative Judaism at 40.5 percent; Reform Ju-
daism at 30 percent and 11.4 percent with Orthodox ident-
ity.
Rounding out the picture are 12.2 percent who identify

themselves as "just Jewish", and a total of 4.1 percent in the
categories either of "Atheist/Agnostic" or "Other".
The study sought to learn what the trends are at differ-
ent age levels. Among Jewish heads' of households under 30
years of age, 4.2 percent regard themselves as Orthodox;
35.2 percent. Conservative; 28.2 percent Reform; and 22 per-
cent "just Jewish".
In the next bracket, 30-49 years of age, six percent
identify as Orthodox; 39.1 percent as Reform; and 12.9
percent as "just Jewish".
In the 50-64-year age group, 11 percent referred to
themselves as Orthodox; 44.5 percent as Conservative; 27.6
percent as Reform; and 10.9 percent as "just Jewish".
The largest number identifying as Orthodox, 24.5 per-
cent, were in the 65-and-over age bracket. Within this
group, 39.1 percent identified as Conservative; 26.2 percent
as Reform; and 7.8 percent as "just Jewish".
Formal congregational membership is as follows: 46.5
percent of household heads belong to one or more congrega-
tions. The largest percentage, 50.7, is in the 30-49 age group.
They are followed closely by those in the 50-64 age bracket,
at 49.2 percent. A little more than 46 percent of the 65-and-
over group claim membership, while only 25.3 percent of
the under-30 bracket have congregational ties.
Commenting on the findings that only 25 percent of
the under-30 age group belong to a congregation, the
CJF report states that the "difference may _reflect in
part the results of occupational and mobility associa-
tions rather than attitudes. Included in this age group
would be individuals who may still be going to school, or
whc. are starting in professions and may have been a re-
cent resident of their community."

The findings on worship attendance reveal "Somewhat
more than one-half of all Jewish household heads either at-
lend no religious services at all, or attend less than four
times a year—these groups being split about even. A small
minority, about one in twelve, attends services very fre-
quently—once a week or more often. The remainder,
slightly more than one-third, falls in the middle range; with
religious service attendance reported at 10 to 49 times per
year."

In the matter of Sabbath observance, ranging ft
"the lighting of candles to simple recognition of the holiness
of the day", a little more than 36 percent claimed such ob-
servance. The Passover and Hanuka holidays were listed for
widespread observance, with a response of 83.4 and 75.2
percent respectively.
The CJF report was written by Dr. Fred Massarik of
the University of California at Los Angeles, director of the
National Jewish Population Study, and consultant to the
research bureau of the Jewish Federation-Council of Los
Angeles.

The data used in the report was based on a sample
scientifically chosen so as to be representative of the to-
tal U.S. Jewish population. Since 1970, when field work
for the study began, every section of the country, repre-
sented by 39 areas in the sample, has been covered.
Included in the sample are communities of all sizes,
with random samplings to include Jews not on any organi-
zational lists as well as those who were. Emphasis was
placed as well on obtaining data from both identified and
unidentified Jews.

Allied Jewish Campaign Gains Impetus at Division Meetings

The Metropolitan Division
of the 1975 Allied Jewish
Campaign-Israel Emer-
gency Fund will hold its
kick-off breakfast meeting
at 10 a.m. March 9 in Room
272 of the Jewish Commu-
nity Center.

SOL CICUREL
Mercantile division co-
chairman Sol Cicurel will
brief workers from various
Detroit organizations and

landsmanshaften on Cam-
paign needs, results to date
and prospects.
Cicurel is heading the
Campaign's mercantile divi-
sion for the second consecu-
tive year. A former division
associate chairman and a
past furniture section chair-
man, he is also a director of
the United Hebrew Schools.
Division chairmen Mor-
ris Asher and Morris
Friedman said they expect
a large turnout. Friedman
said workers will receive
their Campaign kits at the
morning meeting.
Assisting the division
chairmen are William
Greenberg and Harold S.
Jaffa, associate chairmen;
John Nemon, chairman, ex-
ecutive board; Jerome
Greenbaum, special gifts
chairman; Isadore Shro-
deck, treasury gifts chair-
man; 'Harold Zuker, tele-
thon co-chairman; Steven H.
Meyers, B'nai B'rith Section
chairman; and Arthur Gold-

berg, Bnai Brith Section co-
chairman.
Metropolitan division
board members are Alan
Nathan, Leo Baron, Mr. and
Mrs. Jack Boxer, David
Goodstein, Louis Konick,
David Levine, Bernard Lin-
derman, Mrs. Julius Ring
and Mrs. Bertha Brotman.

Shapiro and Arthur C. Un-
gerleider, co-chairmen; Drs.
Arnold H. Aaron, Henry
Gonte-, Sidney J. Katz and
Robert Moretsky, associate
chairmen.
Medical physicians will
hear Eliezer Rafaeli, presi-
dent of Haifa University in
Israel, at a meeting 8 p.m.
Thursday in the Birming-
ham home of Dr. and Mrs.
Marvin D. Siegel.
Rafaeli has been affi-
liated with Haifa University
since its inception in 1963. A
graduate of New York's
New School for Social Re-
search and Columbia Uni-
versity, Rafaeli served in the
Palmach and in Israel's War
of Independence.
Dr. Milford Wenokur is

chairman of the medical
physicia-ns section of the
Campaign's professional
division.
Other committee mem-
bers are Drs. Jules Altman,
Robert J. Baruch, Earl J.
Rudner and Marvin D. Sie-
gel, co-chairmen; Drs.
George L. Blum, Darryl T.
Goldberg, Joel I. Ham-
burger and Edward L. Klar-
man, associate chairmen;
and Drs. Ralph Coskey,
Murray G. Kling, James E.
Labes and Jay Victor, vice
chairmen.
Bruce E. Thal is chairman
of the professional division.
More than 150 Junior Di-
vision volunteers telephoned
more than 2,500 metropoli-
tan area residents, Feb.

9-13, for pledges to the AJC-
IEF which benefits nearly
50 local, national and over-
seas agencies.
"Our
volunteers
reached young Jewish
adults previously unfamil-
iar with the many services
provided to needy Jews
through Campaign contri-
butions," said Garry Ro-
senblum, telethon chair-
man. "Contributor re-
sponse was generous and
well ahead of the record-
breaking 1974 pledges,
demonstrating a sincere
concern for Jews around
the world."
A follow-up mailing and
telethon will be conducted
for persons not reached dur-
ing the phone campaign.

Newspaper Warned of Arab Control

DR. WILLIAM KOREY

Osteopathic physicians
will hear Dr. William Ko-
rey, director of the Bnai
Brith office at the United
Nations, 8 p.m. Tuesday at
the Birmingham home of
Dr. and Mrs. Donald Box-
man.
The former director of
the Anti-Defamation
League offices in Wash-
ington, D.C., Korey is a
leading authority on hu-
man rights and the prob-
lems of Soviet Jewry. A
graduate of Columbia Uni-
versity's Russian Insti-
tute, Korey is the author of
"The Soviet Cage: Anti-
Semitism in Russia," as
well as numerous essays
and articles on human
rights.
Dr. Harris W. Mainster
and Dr. Seymour S. Weiner
are chairmen for the osteo-
pathic physicians section.
Assisting the chairmen are
Drs. Leonard E. Aronovitz,
Joseph H. Langnas, Saul M.

by

Vic Cantone

,

Junior division members watched the indicator on
their success meter rise as the division conducted its an-
nual "telethon" for pledges from the young adult Jewish
community for the annual Allied Jewish Campaign-Is-
rael Emergency Fund. More than 150 division volunteers
telephoned 2,500 persons during the week-long telethon.
Shown are, from left: William Rubenfaer and Haven
King, telethon associate chairmen; Edward Lumberg,
Junior Division president; Jane Zukin, telethon vice
chairman; Gail Kerwin, telethon associate chairman;
and Garry Rosenblum, telethon chairman.

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"MR.COOPER, WHAT WOULD IT COST TO BUY THEM ALL? /'

A Cartoon From Editor and Publisher:

