Reb Avram shared this with us this article from Jerusalem Post. Michal Lando, JP NYC correspondent writes:
More US Jews today are "uncoupled" in two senses of the term -unmarried and unconnected to organized Jewry – according to the latest study by researchers Steven Cohen and Ari Kelman, who call this data "disturbing," though not for the reasons one might expect.
In 1990, 33 percent of non-Orthodox Jews aged 25-39 were single. By 2000-01, the number had grown to 50%. In fact "never in Jewish demographic history have we seen so many young adults unmarried, or ‘uncoupled,’" the study says. That in itself is not surprising, because Americans as a whole are getting married much later.
The good news is that single Jews are as interested as ever in connecting Jewishly. The bad news is that they shy away from available Jewish institutions in part because synagogues, Jewish community centers and federations "remain geared to the conventional family unit," the study claims.
As many as 67 percent of non-Orthodox singles say they are "proud to be a Jew," slightly surpassing the 66% of in-married (Jews married to Jews) who agree.
Given the high level of Jewish interest and low rate of communal and ritual involvement among young adult, single Jews, this uncoupled population represents the "greatest opportunity and the greatest risk" of Judaism in the United States, the study claims. "Single Jews are akin to ’swing voters’- they can go either way," the two sociologists suggest. "How they ‘vote,’ how they make Jewish (or non-Jewish) choices, will determine the future of Jews, Judaism and Jewishness in the United States."
One of the quintessential things of being Jewish is to continue study of the Holy Texts, and we would like to invite everyone who is “thirsty” to join us here at Wisdom Heart in doing so. I just left an invitation at the Comments section of the JP on line.
