Poll: American Jews identifying as more cultural, less religious

[cbayer]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/poll-american-jews-identifying-as-more-cultural-less-religious/2013/09/30/249ce2f4-29db-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html


By Michelle Boorstein, Published: September 30




What primarily makes someone Jewish — a sense of humor and an emphasis on justice work, or following Jewish law and believing in God? A new poll out Tuesday shows the first qualities are — for the moment — dominating American Judaism.

The percentage of Jews who identify as Jewish solely by culture or ancestry rather than religion has jumped from 7 percent to 22 percent since 2000, according to the poll, the first comprehensive survey of American Jews in more than a decade.

It means different things to religious and non-religious U.S. Jews, according to a new poll. Percentage of respondents who said each of these is an essential part of what being Jewish means to them:

The Pew Research poll also found a large increase in the number of interfaith marriages, which the study shows are more likely to produce children and grandchildren who are not raised as Jews.

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