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From the pages of the Jewish News for
this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50
years ago.
Jewish Census Lags
Population survey facing hurdles
in efforts to interview willing Jews.
JULIE WIENER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York
A
large-scale national study of
American Jewry is expected to
take longer and cost more
than had originally been antic-
ipated, according to the United Jewish
Communities, sponsor of the study.
The UJC is also making two key
changes: offering financial incentives to
encourage people to participate and hir-
ing a consultant, Steven Cohen, who
has long been critical of the project.
The National Jewish Population
Survey 2000 is an effort to get a broad
snapshot of American Jews, seeking
information ranging from economic
status to intermarriage rates to religious
attitudes and observances.
The study, under the auspices
of the federation umbrella
organization, is expected to
influence funding and policy
decisions of Jewish organizations
for the next decade.
That means there are fewer zip codes
where researchers can count on finding
large numbers of Jewish households, so
that one must make significantly more
phone calls before reaching a Jew, Stoll
said.
Initially scheduled to complete
data-gathering by the end of
December, the survey is now not
expected to be completed until late
spring 2001. Some 1,400 people have
been interviewed so far.
reported that 52 percent of Jews who
wed between 1985 and 1990 married
non-Jews.
The finding also provoked contro-
versy among some sociologists and
journalists who asserted that the inter-
marriage rate reported was misleading-
ly high, with the real number closer to
40 percent. One of those sociologists,
Cohen, has now been invited to assist
with interpreting the current study.
Data Overseer
Cohen, a professor at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem and director of
the Jewish Community Centers
Association of North America's research
center, has been highly critical of the
Buying Cooperation
2000 study in the past. In 1999, he and
Stoll said it is not yet clear how much
four other professors sent UJC officials a
more expensive the study, initially budget- memo that expressed concern that the
ed at approximately $5 million, will be.
study might be conducted "improperly."
To increase the Odds of finding sur-
Much of the project has been
vey subjects who are Jewish and willing planned by a volunteer group of aca-
to answer roughly 40 minutes of ques-
demics, called the National Technical
Advisory Committee,
which Cohen was not
invited to join.
Asked about his cur-
rent appointment,
Cohen said he will be
working to ensure that
— Louise Stoll, the data on intermarriage
is accurate. He will also
UJC chief operating o zcer be assisting various
Jewish policy-makers to
interpret the findings.
Regardless of the precise rates, there
tions, the UJC has added a financial
is no question that intermarriage is
incentive — a check for $25.
prevalent among American Jews and
Financial incentives had been consid- that, in all but the most traditional cir-
ered earlier, and many researchers say
cles, it is no longer a taboo.
they save money in the long term.
According to a recent survey by the
In August, Ira Sheskin, a University
American Jewish Committee, 50 per-
of Miami professor and member of the
cent of U.S. Jews believe it is "racist" to
committee of researchers overseeing the oppose a marriage between a Jew and
study, told JTA that "if a person hangs
gentile and 78 percent favor rabbinic
up and refuses to participate, it might
officiation at Jewish-gentile marriages.
take another $10 to $15 to find anoth-
Such findings have led to widespread
er cooperative Jew."
concern that the American Jewish pop-
The survey's results, particularly con-
ulation will dramatically decrease in
cerning intermarriage, will likely be
size in the coming decades, since chil-
closely compared to the 1990 version
dren of intermarried parents are far less
of the study, which provoked much
likely to identify as Jewish than are
communal soul-searching when it
children with two Jewish parents.
"The slamdown rate was
higher than anticipated."
Fighting Hang-ups
With its goal of reaching 4,500
Jews, the study is far more
ambitious than its predecessor, a
1990 survey that reached less
than half that number of people.
But since beginning phone calls in
August, researchers have faced an
uphill battle to identify willing partici-
pants, said Louise Stoll, the UJC's chief
operating officer.
That difficulty is triggering delays
and higher costs, she said.
"The slamdown rate was higher than
anticipated," Stoll said, noting that
NJPS callers have been competing with
a large number of political pollsters
and telemarketers.
Another difficulty, she said, is that
American Jews are moving out of tradi-
tionally Jewish neighborhoods and into
areas with lower Jewish populations.
❑
Anne R. Lehmann was among a
group from Michigan that traveled
to Crown Heights, N.Y., for an
encounter weekend involving a
meeting with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Richard Grossman of Southfield
bowled a 300 game in the Monday
Night Men's League at Plum
Hollow Lanes.
Vicki Goldbaum, Southfield
councilwoman, was elected to the
national board of directors of the
National League of Cities.
1980
Simone Veil, president of the
European Parliament, received an
honorary doctorate of philosophy
from Hebrew University.
About 30,000 Jews were reported
living in West Germany and West
Berlin, five percent of the number
before 1933.
Former Detroiter Jan. B. Miller
published a volume titled Amphoto
Guide to Framing and Display.
1
The 92nd Congress, convening in
January, will include 14 Jews.
A U.S. Housing and Urban
Development grant will restore
Adas Israel, the oldest synagogue in
Washington, D.C.
David Sklar of Southfield is the
new president of the Furniture
Club of Detroit.
West Germany offered another
$9,600 to complete the restoration of
Anne Frank's home in Amsterdam.
Richard Baer, the last command-
er of Auschwitz, was arrested in
Hamburg, Germany.
1900 s,
L.J. Blume of Detroit was elected
president of the Halevy Choral Society.
Henry Meyers of Detroit com-
pleted his term as president of the
Detroit Library Commission and
was reappointed a member of the
commission for a six-year term.
— Compiled by Sy Manello,
editorial assistant