This Week
Insight
n.
Remember
When
46,,,,,AAM4:144kM4M044%:4:,.
Count Us In
Finishing touches are being put on a long-awaited population study.
JULIE WIENER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Sponsored by the United Jewish
Communities, the new national fund-
raising and social service umbrella
New York
organization, the approximately $5
f you get a phone call in the
million study plans to survey 5,000
next few months from a
U.S. Jews, more than twice the num-
stranger with lots of questions,
ber reached in 1990.
don't assume it's a telemarketer.
Reflecting the changing priorities
Theperson on the other end of the
of the American Jewish community,
line may be more interested in hearing
the survey will focus more heavily on
about your Jewish identity than telling questions of Jewish education, identity
you about the latest credit card deal.
formation and philanthropy and less
Researchers for the long-awaited
extensively on questions concerning
National Jewish Population Survey
social service needs than the 1990
2000 — the first
study did.
large-scale national
Originally
study of American
scheduled to start
Jews in 10 years
interviewing in
— will start ring-
January, the study
ing phones in
was postponed
mid-May. If all
until May, ostensi-
goes according to
bly so that UJC's
schedule, field
newly appointed
work will be com-
leaders could have
pleted by
time to review the
November and
process and add
findings released
input.
by mid-2001.
"One of the
The 1990 pop-
greatest failures of
ulation survey
the vast majority
grabbed headlines,
of studies in the
primarily for find-
Jewish community
ing that 52 per-
is that research gets
cent of respon-
done and sits on
dents who wed
the shelf," said
between 1985 and
Don Kent, UJC's
1990 had married
vice president of
Nationwide, Jews, like these on the
non-Jews.
development
and
1999 Walk for Israel in Oak Park, are
Although the
marketing.
But
survey candidates. Not everyone will be
statistic was subse- called.
because UJC lead-
quently critiqued
ers helped to pre-
by various sociolo-
pare the survey,
gists who felt the study over-counted
they will have a vested interest in see-
Jews on the fringes of communal life,
ing the results used in developing new
"52 percent" became a battle cry in a
programs, he said.
decade of soul-searching and "Jewish
The survey has snagged its share of
continuity" initiatives.
controversy, mostly stemming from
Like its predecessor, this decade's
dissatisfaction with what happened in
study is charged with providing data
1990.
on topics including intermarriage
Several Orthodox leaders have
rates, levels of Jewish identity and
claimed their community was under-
philanthropic habits. It is expected to
counted in 1990 due to methodology
shape the priorities of Jewish organiza-
that may have disproportionately
tions and scholars for the coming
emphasized Jews living in areas where
decade.
Orthodox Jews are less likely to cluster.
I
Five Jewish social scientists —
some of whom were involved in the
1990 study but not in the 2000 one
— sent a memo last summer urging
the UJC to, among other things, add
focus group research, change the
staffing and determine the intermar-
riage rate in a different way.
In addition to methodology dis-
putes, the logistics of devising a study
that will pack a decade's worth of
information into 30 minutes of ques-
tioning — the estimated attention-
span limit for phone interviews —
poses a challenge.
"How much can I ask about how
many subjects before the person at the
other end says 'Dayeinu' [enough] and
hangs up?" said Egon Mayer, director
of the Center for Jewish Studies of the
Graduate School of the City
University of New York and one of
the volunteers serving on the study's
National Technical Advisory
Committee.
Stephen Solender, UJC's president
and CEO, recently announced that,
given the study's limitations, it will be
followed up with a series of smaller
national surveys addressing specific
issues. However, no budget or
timetable for the future studies has
been determined.
One factor that may affect the
study's effectiveness, however, may
have little to do with budgets, research
techniques or length of survey.
"There have been so many phone
scams and so many people using the
phone to try to sell things that lots of
people are wary of answering ques-
tions on the telephone," said Ira
Sheskin, a geography professor at the
University of Miami who is also a
member of the advisory committee.
"On my local studies, we get
between 80 to 95 percent of people to
cooperate, even if it means calling
them back after they hang up on
you," he said.
Jim Schwartz, UJC's research direc-
tor, said the study's planners "know
we won't get 100 percent" but are
"doing everything we can do to maxi-
mize the cooperation rate."
❑
From the pages of the Jewish News
for this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50
years ago.
Faith Tam became the new director
of the Jewish Community Center's
Teen Connection program.
Marta Rosenthal was installed as
president of the Sinai Hospital
Guild.
Howard Gerenraich bowled a
Passover-night perfect game.
Renarawiggpmew,
0Aommamomeavo
The Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit wrote to
President Jimmy Carter to express
its support for the boycott of the
1980 Moscow Olympics.
Jehan Sadat, wife of Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat, said he did
not pick up the 1978 Nobel Prize
because he felt that he should have
been the sole recipient.
.
Marilyn Waratt Rosenthal of
Livonia won a University of
Michigan Hopwood Writing award
and a national Danforth Graduate
Fellowship for Women.
Daniel M. Clark was appointed
chairman of Law Day for the
Detroit Bar Association.
\kt4;N‘hA'a
In London, the Rothschild family
acted in a bid to recover part of a
$20 million ransom given to Adolf
Hitler in 1939 for the release of
Baron Louis de Rothschild.
Albert Schiff was elected presi-
dent of the Jewish National Fund
of America.
Temple Beth El marked its
110th anniversary.
Ititte4WV:VN
4.4„:WWA
Z'
The Italian minister of education
agreed to a request from the Union
of Jewish Communities of Italy not
to hold university-qualifying exami-
nations on Saturdays.
Benjamin M. Laikin was elected
president of the Jewish National
Fund Council.
— Compiled by Sy Manello,
editorial assistant
5/5
2000
35