ON THE COVER

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Hand

Harry Kirsbaum
Staff Writer

2005 population
study shows us to
be close-knit,
generous,
emotionally tied to
Israel, aging,
affiliated — and
fewer in number
than we thought.

14

June 8 • 2006

Project of the Sue and Leonard
Miller Center for Contemporary
Judaic Studies and as associate
professor in the Department of
he numbers are
Geography and Regional Studies
both expected
at the University of Miami.
and startling.
Though he can't say how over-
Detroit Jews
inflated the 1989 figure of 96,000
belong to a small is, he believes it would have been
community that gives in large
lower if today's methodology
numbers. We're well established
could have
and religious; we love Israel, and
been applied
we're rapidly aging.
16 years ago.
Our community hasn't taken
Another
a long hard look at itself in 16
demogra-
years, but preliminary figures
pher con-
from a wide-ranging Jewish
ducted the
population survey conducted in
1989 study.
November and December 2005
Sheskin
offer a current snapshot.
clearly was
Sheskin
Although the 1,000-page report pleased
and 150-page summary will
with his
come out this fall, the hard num-
2005 survey, which included a
bers can provide a template for
cutting-edge combination of ran-
the future, a way for the Jewish
dom digit dialing and distinctive
Federation of Metropolitan
Jewish name telephone surveys.
Detroit and its agencies to care
The combination led to 1,274
for the 72,000 people who make
interviews in the three-county
up the community.
Detroit metropolitan area, an
Yes, 72,000 is accurate, and has "enormous" sample size, Sheskin
emerged as one of those startling said.
new facts. The 96,000 population
"Gallup told you, based on
figure lingering from the 1989
1,200 interviews.out of 105 mil-
study is believed to have been
lion people who voted [in 2004],
over-estimated.
that George W. Bush would win
The reality is we are an older,
the popular vote and they were
shrinking community that ranks
right:' he said, adding that "1,274
as the 21st largest Jewish com-
out of the 30,000 households we
munity in the country, dropping
found in Detroit is a very large
from llth place in 1989.
sample."
That fact may have been the
Because of the survey method-
most talked about after Dr. Ira
ology, Sheskin is able to compare
M. Sheskin, who led this study,
Detroit numbers to the 36 Jewish
briefed Federation staff mem-
surveys he has conducted around
bers, agency heads, religious
the country as well as those done
leaders and the Jewish News in
similarly by others. So we get
May.
to see how we stack up against
Sheskin serves as the direc-
nearly 50 other North American
tor of the Jewish Demography
Jewish communities.

