don’t feel welcome or because they cannot afford
the dues, the most common reason — given by
two-thirds of the Jews surveyed — was “I’m not
religious,” and more than half said they are “just not
interested” or they have alternate ways to express
their Jewishness.

“Part of what Pew is helping us as a commu-
nity to see is that the problem is apathy,” said
Michelle Shain, assistant director of the Center for
Communal Research at the Orthodox Union in a
call with media. “It’s not that people see a closed
door. They see an open door and they aren’t inter-
ested in walking through it.”
“Being Jewish is important to
American Jews. Three-quarters
of American Jews are telling
us that being Jewish is
important, but religion is
not important for them.”
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www.baldwinschool.org ARIELLE LEVITES
The lack of synagogue attendance may indicate
“religion is not central to the lives of most U.S.

Jews,” but Jewish Americans are not, on the whole,
apathetic, countered Arielle Levites, managing
director of the Collaborative for Applied Studies in
Jewish Education at George Washington University
and a Philadelphia resident.

“Being Jewish is important to American Jews,”
Levites said. “Three-quarters of American Jews are
telling us that being Jewish is important, but religion
is not important for them.”
Levites, who was on the Pew study’s advisory
panel, said one number not in the report was
important: Only 2% of Jews never participated in
any religious or cultural activities.

“That reflects the durability of the American
Jewish story,” she said.

Levites also noted that while various numbers
catch the eye, they don’t tell the whole story. And
a big chunk of that story is that Jews more than the
population at large are happy with their families,
health and social lives.

“We would see American Jews as a whole are
generally satisfied with the contours of their lives,
The Shipley
School THE GUIDE 2021/2022
19