Detroit Demographics

ON

HE (- OVER

Hand in Hand from page 19

Types of Marriage

In-married
(2 Born/Raised Jews)
76%

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Intermarried
16%

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Conversionary
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20

June 8 • 2006

upward shift among those Detroit
Jews who identify as Orthodox, rising
from 7 percent in 1989 to 11 percent
now, a fourth-place ranking among
•
the surveyed cities.
But Rabbi Reuven Spolter of the
Orthodox Young Israel of Oak Park
said, "The increase in the relative
Orthodox population in our commu-
nity is nothing to celebrate because
when we look at the numbers criti-
cally, there's a deeper message that's
very alarming."
He cites the dramatic drop of Jews
living in Detroit."When you do the
math, 7 percent of 95,000 is about
6,700 Jews, while 11 percent of 72,000
is about 7,900 Jews. That represents
an increase over a 15-year period of
approximately 1,300 Orthodox Jews,
about 17 percent of the Orthodox
population — or an increase of little
more than 1 percent each year.
"Given what we know about
Orthodox birth rates averaging more
than four children per family, where
are those people going? Our increases
should be far greatet"
His deep concern is that the
Orthodox community is leaving.
"While some people do make aliyah
to Israel and we also have an older
population, we are no less immune to
economic forces than other parts of
the Jewish community. Our children
also move out of state, either to attend
yeshivah or college or both, and when
they marry, more often than not, they
do not return," Rabbi Spolter said.
"As a rabbi — of any denomination
— what's clear from the study is the

direct relationship between Jewish
education and religious affiliation. At
least from a spiritual perspective, the
Orthodox community is holding its
own. Despite difficult economic fac-
tors, Orthodox families understand
the need to send their children to full-
time Jewish education, and they make
great sacrifices to do so," he said.
Shifting more slightly are the num-
bers of those identifying as Reform,
with percentages rising from34 to 36,
and those who call themselves "just
Jewish:' falling from 21. to 18 percent.
"I think it was John F. Kennedy
who said that 'a rising tide raises all
ships," said Rabbi Paul Yedwab of
Temple Israel. "That is how we feel
about it. It is good for Temple Israel
when Shaarey Zedek and Adat Shalom
and (the Conservative Congregation)
Beth Shalom, and so on, are strong.
When going to shul is the 'thing to do'
on Shabbat for Jews of one movement,
that helps all of us attract our mem-
bers as well!'
Stressing inter-denominational
projects, he said,"We are on the same
team. It is our overall, community-
wide 'score' that really matters; how
many people do we collectively bring
closer to Judaism; how strong, how
observant, how generous is the Detroit
Jewish community? To that end, each
movement; each rabbi, each cantor
and each congregation does have the
obligation to attract and engage as
many Jews as possible in a positive
way, not for the sake of its own sur-
vival, but for the survival of the Jewish
people."

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