The erstwhile mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, either because of insecurity or a genuine desire to know, would ubiquitously inquire “How’m I doin’?” We are consumers of local Jewish education, as well as living in a community with the highest national percentage of parents who are themselves day school graduates. We too are entitled to know how we are doing in terms of the success of the Jewish educational enterprise in creating Jewish families who embody the full range of Jewish values and practices. Based on the Avi Chai Foundation’s census of day schools, there are over 12,000 yeshiva high school students in North America with an average annual tuition of $25,000. This translates into an industry worth at least $300 million a year. The average day school parents (excluding those on financial aid who still pay a lot based on their income) pay close to $200,000 per child over 12-14 years in a day school. It would seem obvious that we should have data about its efficacy and impact. Parents and those who fund day schools have a right to know how their investment is paying off.
There have been many surveys in the last few years addressing the state of Jewish commitment. Starting in 2007, Shalom Berger studied the Israel gap-year phenomenon known as “flipping out.” In 2013, the Pew study of “Religious Beliefs and Practices of American Jews” generated some distress. A study specifically about the Jewish practices of yeshiva high school graduates was analyzed in The Jewish Link—“Survey: This Is Not Your Father’s Orthodoxy,” on January 18, 2018. The latest survey to come out is the “Nishma Research Profile of American Modern Orthodox Jews” sponsored by the Micah Foundation. The full report, replete with the survey questions, target participants, charts, graphs, observations and conclusion is 96 pages long. The summary is 15 pages long (http://nishmaresearch.com/social-research.html).
The survey’s results, including issues from the high cost of day school education, to acceptance of LGBTQ Jews, to the emerging roles and status of women, detailed the gaps between left, centrist and right-wing elements of Orthodoxy’s followers. “Thirty-nine percent of respondents reported becoming more observant over the last decade, while 23 percent of respondents reported becoming less so, pointing towards a rightward shift of 16 percent.” (The survey defined observance by keeping Shabbat, kashrut, putting on tefillin daily among men and observing the laws of family purity among married couples.)
Diminished levels of observance were found among Orthodoxy’s more liberal groups, such as the “open” Orthodox. Those to the right—identified as “right centrist,” “centrist” and “modern” Orthodox—reported increasing levels of observance. The more liberal members of this community also reported a much higher percentage of their children becoming less observant. The data may indicate a growing split in the Orthodox community. This deviation increases the multiple varieties under the Orthodox umbrella according to sociologist Prof. Steven Cohen. The study shows “greater diversity than the image of the Orthodox appears.” Dr. Sylvia Barack Fishman, professor of contemporary Jewish life at Brandeis University observed, “Rather than harming Modern Orthodoxy, the drop-off in observance among the more liberal Orthodox might be viewed as encouraging. The presence of children who are less observant is very positive. For most of the 20th century, those who did not fit into Orthodoxy would simply defect. Rates of retention are ‘infinitely better’ than they used to be, thanks in great part to liberal strains of Orthodoxy giving younger people ‘a religious home.’”
The survey also quantifies views on women clergy, women’s higher Jewish education and other related issues, concluding that even the feelings of the strictly Orthodox have shifted of late. One of the study’s most disconcerting findings is a decrease in traditional ardent connection and support of Israel, given the widespread practice among the Modern Orthodox to send high school graduates to Israel for a gap year before beginning college. “While 87 percent of those 55 and older report feeling emotionally connected to Israel, only 65 percent of those ages 18 to 34 feel that way. While 71 percent of those 55 and older actively support the Jewish state, less than half—43 percent—of Jews 18 to 34 do the same.”
In terms of personal observance, 41 percent of men age 55 and older reported attending shul on a weekday morning, while only 18 percent of men ages 18 to 34 reported doing so. “While 50 percent of those 55 and older found prayer to be meaningful, only 32 percent of those under age 45 found prayer to be meaningful.” It’s a challenge and an opportunity to determine how to best engage young people who have spent so much time in school davening twice a day. Even more so to make the Shabbat and Yom Tov synagogue service more attractive and inspirational.
The findings on issues fundamental to Orthodox dogma are also disturbing. “While 64 percent of respondents believe the Torah was given at Sinai, 36 percent of respondents only ‘tend’ to believe this or have doubts. While 51 percent of respondents believe God is involved in their lives, 49 percent only tend to believe this or have serious doubts.”
The top problem faced by the Orthodox Jewish community is the cost of Jewish education. The high tuition cost of a day school education is driving 17 percent of respondents to consider other schooling alternatives. Ninety-seven percent of respondents consider it a problem. The second most significant issue is agunot.
Despite some challenges and disagreements over major issues, the survey validates Modern Orthodoxy as thriving, and that it will remain vigorous for the foreseeable future. The challenge we face is how to keep our high school graduates in the fold and diminish barriers. There must be measureable accountability from the schools, but we cannot ignore the shared responsibility of the home in this endeavor. Parents must be role models of what Orthodoxy stands for. They need to embody Orthodox beliefs and practices. Children despise hypocrisy. Consistency is essential. Parents who are Orthodox-light, or just basically Orthoprax, or just socially Orthodox, cannot expect their children to maintain adherence to a system that is only given lip service. If we want the next generation to embody Orthodox values, beliefs and practices then we must walk the walk, not just talk the talk. A similar survey specifically for the Bergen County Orthodox community is a desideratum.
By Rabbi Dr. Wallace Greene
Rabbi Dr. Wallace Greene has had a distinguished career as a Jewish educator.
