Cultural Events and Jewish Identities - Young Adult Jews in New York

The Story

Advocates of Jewish cultural endeavor claim that Jewish cultural participation strengthens Jewish identities among young adults. More broadly, the argument goes, Jewish cultural programming is especially effective for reaching relatively under-engaged Jewish populations, including the intermarried, the unaffiliated, and the non-observant. Culture, they claim, has an appeal that other forms of Jewish involvement lack. To test these claims, this multi-phase study proceeded along twin tracks. First, we explored the patterns of Jewish cultural consumption among American Jews at large based upon data from the 2000-01 National Jewish Population survey. Our focus was on how consumption of Jewish culture - specifically books, movies, and music - varies along several axes of social differentiation among American Jews. Second, we explored the cultural participation of young Jewish adults by examining in detail 13 Jewish cultural events in New York that were held in places other than synagogues, JCCs, and other communal organizations. Based on this field research, we report here on the events and on the people who engage in these events.