THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Singles, Single Parents a Crisis
LA Federation Study Discovers
By BEN GALLOB
(Copyright 1980, JTA, Inc.)
_ Problems among Jewish
singles and Jewish single-
parent families in Los
Angeles have reached crisis
levels and the first step re-
quired of the organized
Jewish community toward
solutions is recognition that
those problems exist, ac-
cording to the findings of a
two-year survey of ttiis
growing segment of the
- Jewish community.
The findings were out-
lined by Dr. David Kuris,
chairman of the Los
Angeles Jewish
Federation-Council's Task
Force on Jewish Single Par-
ent Families and Single In-
dividuals. Details of the
survey and comments by
Kuris were reported by J. J.
Kaplan in the federation's
"Jewish Community Bulle-
tin."
The study found that
Jewish singles in Los
Angeles comprise 42 per-
cent of the Jewish commu-
nity and that 60 percent of
the single Jews are between
18 and 35. Almost four per-
cent are single-parent
families. Their children,
however, make up about 25
percent of all Jewish chil-
dren in Los Angles, but only
one of three is getting any
kind of Jewish education,
the study found. According
to the 1980 American
Jewish Yearbook, there are
about 455,000 Jews living
in Los Angeles.
"Both the Jewish
Federation-Council and
the synagogue must rec-
ognize that it is their
problem, not the problem
of the single or the single
Islamic-Jewish
Links Subject
of Agency Guide
parent," Kuris declared.
He added that the com-
munity has paid "very lit-
tle attention to this grow-
ing group."
Kuris said the singles
population is "sadly under-
represented" on boards of
Jewish federations, in
Jewish agencies and
synagogues. He said these
agencies and their leader-
ship groups "have tradi-
tionally consisted of the
two-parent family, a
husband-and-wife team,
while the other elements of
the community rarely found
themselves in positions of
leadership where they could
express their needs."
The report stressed the
rapid deterioration and at-
trition in the Jewish com-
munity, asserting this could
not be halted or reversed
without a profound change
in the thinking and actions
of the community's leader-
ship, both at federation and
synagogue levels.
Kaplan wrote that the re-
port found that one of the
reasons for the high rate of
mixed marriages among
Jews is the lack of a "proper
environment" where single
Jews could meet. The Task
Force found that the vast
majority of singles avoid
dances, seeking instead so-
cial contacts, educational
stimulation and challenges.
recommendation was
development of such
services as Jewish day
care centers, baby-sitting
services and car pools —
all necessary for single
parents. Also recom-
mended was inclusion of
singles in leadership
positions in which they
could advocate their
cause.
Kuris declared "we must
do everything possible to
integrate the Jewish single
and single-parent family
into our community. If we
do not, we can expect more
of our young to intermarry,
to lose any sense of being
Jewish. If we do not give
them encouragement to
come to us, they will go
elsewhere."
Friday, October 24, 1980 13
NOVEMBER 4
RE-ELECT
'CONGRESSMAN
JOHN. D.
INGELL
16th DISTRICT
DEMOCRAT
A FIGHTER FOR HIS PEOPLE IN CONGRESS AND AN
INFLUENTIAL AND EXPERIENCED VOICE IN THE
SHAPING OF NATIONAL POLICY
VOTE DEMOCRATIC
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The Task Force also
found that attitudes
toward singles in the
Jewish community are
often negative and that
there is great pressure on
young Jews to get mar-
ried. Kuris said this was
"an old. story" which re-
flected "the prevailing
attitude in the Jewish
community."
The Task Force said there
are some relatively easy
solutions to some of the
NEW YORK — The im- problems it found. The fed-
pact of the resurgence of eration has made a start
Islam on the Jews still liv- with creation of a Young
ing in the Middle East and Adults Division for singles
North Africa is the subject between 18 and 25, Kaplan
of a comprehensive guide reported. Another positive
just issued by the American step has been the creation of
the JASSLINE, a telephone
Jewish Committee.
Included in the guide are referral source for events for
original material written singles throughout the
for the guide by Dr. Harold area.
Roz Lawson, director of
Rhode, Dr. George E.
Gruen, Abraham S. Kar- the new division, said that
likow; background mate- "a single can call the
rial; an introduction and JASSLINE and, in one call,
guide to materials by find out what programs are
Gruen; selected questions being offered" in Los
on Judaisma nd Islam; a list Angeles for singles.
The survey report urged a
of source materials; and ar-
ticles by Bernard Lewish, referral program for singles
Martin A. Cohen, Albert between 35 and 60 for whom
there are now no support
Memmi and Gruen.
systems in the Jewish com-
munity. Kuris said Federa-
Education Gain
tions and synagogues "must
JERUSALEM (ZINS) — form a partnership.
Israel has begun to narrow Synagogues have the
the gap in education be- facilities and federations
tween Israelis of Western have the professionals to
origin and those of Oriental create programming."
origin.
Kaplan wrote that the
Children with five years Task Force proposed ex-
of schooling rose from 81
pansion of the federa-
percent 10 years ago to 99 tion's Young Adult Di-
percent. Children with nine vision into a Single Adult
Department to serve the
years of schooling has risen
from 86 percent to 90 per- complete age range —
cent.
from 18 to 60. Another
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