Religious Diversity and Religious Participation in U.S. Jewish Communities

Abstract

This article examines variations in Jewish denominational identification (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Just Jewish) among fifty-five U.S. Jewish communities completing local Jewish community studies from 1993 through 2011. We relate these variations to levels of religious and ethnic participation, contributing to the literature on how and whether religious pluralism relates to religious and ethnic participation. First, five denominational clusters are created via k-means cluster analysis (high Orthodox; equal, except Orthodox; high Reform; high Reform/low Just Jewish; and high Just Jewish). We then examine differences in geographic and demographic factors and in levels of religious participation among these denominational clusters. Second, various indexes of Jewish denominational diversity (index of dissimilarity, Shannon Index, Simpson Index, and largest group) are developed. The relationship of the level of Jewish denominational diversity to religious and ethnic participation is explored. The basic finding is that more Jewish denominational diversity does result in higher levels of religious participation but not ethnic participation.

本文检视自 1993 年至 2011 年间完成在地犹太社群研究的美国五十五个犹太社群中的犹太教派指认变异 (正统、保守、改革与仅只是犹太人)。我们将这些变异, 连结至宗教与族裔的参与程度, 对于宗教多元主义如何以及是否关乎宗教及族裔参与的文献做出贡献。我们首先运用 K 系数集群分析创造五大教派集群 (高度正统; 正统之外各自平等; 高度改革; 高度改革/低度 “仅只是犹太人”; 以及高度 “仅只是犹太人”)。我们接着检视地理与人口因素, 以及这些教派集群的宗教参与程度之差异。再者, 我们建立犹太教派多样性的各种指标 (不相似性指标、夏农多样性指标、辛普森指标, 以及最大群体)。我们探讨犹太教派多样性的程度之于宗教和族裔参与的关系。基本研究发现, 更多的犹太教派多样性, 的确导致较高程度的宗教参与, 但却不会引发更多的族裔参与。

Este artículo examina las variaciones de la identificación confesional judía (Ortodoxa, Conservadora, Reforma y del Judío Justo) dentro de cincuenta y cinco comunidades judías estadounidenses, completando los estudios de comunidad judía local, desde 1993 hasta 2011. Relacionamos estas variaciones con los niveles de participación religiosa y étnica, contribuyendo a la literatura sobre si el pluralismo religioso se relaciona con la participación religiosa y étnica, y cómo lo hace. Primero, se crearon cinco agrupamientos confesionales vía análisis de agrupamiento k-means (alto Ortodoxo; igual, excepto Ortodoxo; alto Reforma; alto Reforma/bajo Judío Justo; y alto Judío Justo). Luego examinamos las diferencias en factores geográficos y demográficos, y en niveles de participación religiosa entre estos agrupamientos confesionales. Segundo, se desarrollaron varios índices de diversidad confesional judía (índice de disimilitud, Índice Shannon, Índice Simpson, y del grupo más grande). Se exploró la relación del nivel de diversidad confesional judía con la participación religiosa y étnica. El descubrimiento básico es que más diversidad confesional judía da lugar a niveles más altos de participación religiosa, mas no de participación étnica.

Key Words:

• community context
• Jewish communities
• religious diversity
• religious participation

关键词:

• 社区脉络, 犹太社群, 宗教多样性, 宗教参与。

Palabras clave:

• comunidades judías, contexto comunitario, diversidad religiosa, participación religiosa

Notes

¹ Orthodox Jews maintain the most traditional beliefs and practices, following Jewish law (halacha) to the greatest extent. Reform Jews historically rejected as outdated many of the practices that the Orthodox follow and instead emphasized the ethical dimensions of Judaism. With regard to halacha, the Reform left practices to a large extent up to the individual to determine which practices that individual felt had personal meaning. Conservative Jews traditionally maintained that halacha was binding on individuals but could be reinterpreted given current society. The Just Jewish are those who might or might not be involved with Jewish community in a significant way and who generally view being Jewish in a cultural, ancestral, or secular sense.

² Note that because of higher average household sizes, Orthodox Jews are a higher percentage of all Jews than they are of all Jewish households.

³ Note that in a few communities, in the earlier study the question asked was “Do you consider yourself Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, or something else?” whereas in most of the studies the question was “Do you consider yourself Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, or Just Jewish?” The former question yields a higher percentage Reform and a lower percentage Just Jewish. Four tables showing these changes are available from the authors on request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ira M. Sheskin

IRA M. SHESKIN is Professor and Chair of Geography and Director of the Jewish Demography Project, Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124. E-mail: [email protected]. His main research interest is in the geography and demography of U.S. Jews and he is an editor of the American Jewish Year Book.

Harriet J. Hartman

HARRIET J. HARTMAN is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028. E-mail: [email protected]. Her main research interests are gender and family among contemporary Jews, Jewish identity, and denominational and geographical variations. She is the editor-in-chief of the journal Contemporary Jewry.