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Behind the Aegis

(53,833 posts)
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 12:59 AM Oct 2013

Jewish essentials: For most American Jews, ancestry and culture matter more than religion

What does it mean to be Jewish? There are few more fundamental and difficult questions for Jews — indeed, figuring out one’s place within Judaism’s 3,000+ years of tradition, 620 commandments (plus a library’s worth of commentary), worldwide diaspora and multiple religious movements is itself key to many Jews’ self-identity.

Jews tend to be less religious than the U.S. public as a whole, with fewer saying they attend religious services weekly, believe in God with absolute certainty, or that religion is very important in their lives. The Pew Research Center’s landmark new survey of American Jews found that overall, about six-in-ten (62%) say being Jewish is mainly a matter of ancestry and/or culture, while just 15% say it’s mainly a matter of religion. (The rest cited some combination of religion, ancestry and/or culture.)

Those views varied considerably by religious movement, or lack thereof: While fully two-thirds of Reform Jews (and 80% of Jews who didn’t identify with any movement) say being Jewish is mainly a matter of ancestry and/or culture, only 15% of Orthodox Jews do. Nearly half (46%) of Orthodox Jews say being Jewish is mainly a matter of religion, while more than a third (38%) cite religion in combination with ancestry and/or culture. (In general, Orthodox Jews are the strictest about observing traditional Jewish law and Reform Jews are the least strict, with Conservative Jews in between.)

When we asked Jews about what is and is not essential to their own sense of Jewishness, 73% say remembering the Holocaust is essential (including 76% of Jews by religion and 60% of Jews of no religion). Almost as many Jews, 69%, say leading an ethical and moral life is essential, and 56% cite working for social justice and equality; only 19% say observing Jewish law is essential.





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Jewish essentials: For most American Jews, ancestry and culture matter more than religion (Original Post) Behind the Aegis Oct 2013 OP
there are some odd results Mosby Oct 2013 #1
We (Jews) are a "tribe". meti57b Oct 2013 #2

Mosby

(16,168 posts)
1. there are some odd results
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 02:58 PM
Oct 2013

I'm not saying that the survey results are invalid, Pew does good work but there is a section where the responses are inexplicable.

There is a section that asks whether the respondent ever attends a non Jewish religious service, the questions specifically excluded things like weddings and funerals. The results show that 16% of orthodox, 23% conservative and 14% reform went several times to a church or mosque in the past year to pray.

That is absurd, especially with the orthodox so either the respondents did not understand the question or people were pretending to be orthodox and conservative Jews.

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