This report focuses on Jewish attitudes and behaviors among Jewish adults in New York. It finds that being Jewish is broadly important, even for those who are not particularly religious. Yet, the ways in which Jewish identity is expressed vary widely. Some components of Jewish identity have broad resonance across generations, while others do not. In the sections that follow, we compare Jewish attitudes and behaviors in the eight-county area to that of Jewish adults nationally, showing the strength of the New York area across key measures of Jewish connection.
| Being Jewish... | Not much/at all | Some | A great deal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helps me cope in times of crisis | 46% | 31% | 23% | 100% |
| Informs big decisions | 42% | 33% | 26% | 100% |
| Is important to me | 16% | 32% | 53% | 100% |
Jewish Americans overwhelmingly feel that being Jewish is important to them. Nationally, about three-quarters of Jewish adults report that being Jewish is at least somewhat important in their lives.1 In New York, that number is even higher: 85% of Jewish adults report that being Jewish is at least somewhat important to them. Fifty-three percent of Jewish adults in New York report particularly strong attachments to being Jewish, indicating that being Jewish is important to them “a great deal.”
Even though Jewish adults broadly report that being Jewish is important to them, they do not report that it holds great sway over different life outcomes. The survey found that a little more than half of Jewish adults in the eight-county area report that being Jewish at least somewhat helps them cope in times of crisis (54%) and only 23% report that it helps a great deal. Additionally, about a quarter report that being Jewish informs big life decision a great deal, although almost six in ten indicated that being Jewish at least somewhat informs big decisions in their lives (59%).
| 8-County Jewish Adults* | U.S. Jewish Adults2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| How important is it that your grandkids... | Not at all/ Not too | Somewhat/Very [% Very] | Somewhat/Very [% Very] |
| Be Jewish | 27% | 73% [46%] | 63% [34%] |
| Marry Someone Who Is Jewish | 44% | 56% [34%] | 44% [26%] |
| Share Your Political Convictions | 26% | 74% [32%] | 65% [22%] |
| Be Orthodox† | 9% | 91% [71%] | N/A |
| Carry on Sephardic/Mizrachi Traditions‡ | 23% | 77% [37%] | N/A |
We asked Jewish respondents a series of hypothetical questions about how important it would be for their grandchildren to maintain certain identities and practices, regardless of whether the respondents had grandchildren: to be Jewish, marry someone who is Jewish, share their political convictions, be Orthodox, and carry on Sephardic or Mizrahi traditions.
Compared with Jewish adults nationally, Jewish adults in the eight-county area more frequently report that it would be important that their grandchildren be Jewish and marry someone who is Jewish. We found that Jewish New Yorkers broadly feel that Jewish continuity is important. About three-quarters of Jewish adults in the eight-county area report that it is important that their grandchildren are Jewish (73%), compared with 62% nationally. Just under half of Jewish adults (46%) also report that it would be very important that their grandchildren be Jewish (46%), and about a third (34%) report that it would be very important that their grandchildren marry someone who is Jewish.
| Not at all/Not too | Somewhat/Very | |
|---|---|---|
| In-married | 21% | 79% |
| Intermarried | 83% | 17% |
| Overall | 43% | 56% |
The importance of having grandchildren who marry someone Jewish varies substantially between intermarried and non-intermarried households. Among Jewish adults who are in-married, 79% find it important that their grandchildren marry Jewish, but among those who are intermarried, only 17% consider it important that their grandchildren marry someone Jewish. Intermarried Jewish adults are also less than half as likely to report that it would be important that their grandchildren be Jewish, at 42%, compared with 89% for in-married Jewish adults.
| Somewhat or Very Important | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2020 US | 2023 NY | |
| 18–29 | 36% | 37% |
| 30–49 | 34% | 32% |
| 50–64 | 49% | 57% |
| 65+ | 56% | 55% |
| Overall | 44% | 56% |
When broken down by age, the only question that showed a pattern of significant variance by generation was the question of Jewish marriage. Less than half of Jewish adults under fifty (43%) report that it would be important for their grandchildren to marry Jewish, compared with 65% and 59% among those aged 50–64 and over 65, respectively. The age pattern mirrors a generational divide among Jews nationally, in which marrying Jewishly is more important to older Jewish Americans than it is to younger ones.3
Among Orthodox Jewish adults in the eight-county area, over 90% report that it is important that their children be Orthodox, and 71% report that it is very important that their children be Orthodox. Over three-quarters of Sephardic or Mizrachi Jewish adults report that it is important that their grandchildren carry on Sephardic or Mizrachi traditions, while 37% of Sephardic or Mizrachi Jewish adults report that it is very important that their grandchildren carry on Sephardic or Mizrachi traditions. Among those who identify with one of the five specific subgroups within the Sephardic/Mizrachi community (Syrian, Persian, Bukharian, Iraqi, and North African Jews), this number was even higher, with 85% of these adults agreeing that it would be important for their grandchildren to carry on their Sephardic or Mizrachi traditions.
To understand the importance of Jewish identity relative to other identities, this study also asked about the importance of passing down political convictions. Both nationally and in New York, similar shares of Jewish adults consider it at least somewhat important that their grandchildren share their political convictions (74%) as it would be for them to be Jewish (73%). However, the share of adults who say it would be very important that their grandchildren be Jewish is higher than those who feel the same for political convictions.
| How many of your closest friends are Jewish? | 2023 NY |
|---|---|
| Few or none | 12% |
| Some | 24% |
| About half | 21% |
| Most | 29% |
| All or almost all | 14% |
| Total | 100% |
Jewish adults in the eight-county area report that many of their closest friends are also Jewish. In 2023, 64% of Jewish adults report that at least half of their closest friends were Jewish, and 43% indicated that most or all of their friends were Jewish. Nationally, the percentage of Jewish adults who report that all or most of their friends are Jewish is 29%. A greater percentage of Jewish adults nationally report having hardly any or no Jewish friends (25%) than the percent in New York who say they have few or none (12%).
| 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Few/Some/Half | 75% | 77% | 65% | 55% |
| Most/All or almost all | 25% | 23% | 35% | 45% |
Among non-Orthodox respondents, having Jewish friends is correlated with older age: adults over 65 report having more Jewish friends than every other age group, while those aged 50–64 have more Jewish friends than those under fifty.4
| To what extent do you feel part of a New York Jewish community? | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Not at all | 15% |
| Only a little | 24% |
| Some | 26% |
| A lot | 36% |
| Total | 100% |
In 2023, Jewish adults in the eight-county area report varied levels of connection to the New York Jewish community. More than half (62%) report that they feel connected, at least some part or more, to the New York Jewish community, including one in three who indicated “a lot” in response to the question. The percentage of Jewish adults who feel some or more part of a New York Jewish community is higher than the share who responded similarly in recent studies of other communities such as Los Angeles (54%) or Chicago (42%).5
| Close Friends who are Jewish | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connection to Jewish community in NY | Few or none | Some | About half | Most | All or almost all |
| Not at all | 45% | 28% | 12% | 5% | 2% |
| Only a little | 37% | 38% | 34% | 18% | 5% |
| Some | 16% | 27% | 36% | 34% | 20% |
| A lot | 2% | 7% | 18% | 44% | 73% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Connection to Jewish community in New York is also closely related to having Jewish friends. Among those with the fewest Jewish friends, under a fifth report feeling at least somewhat connected to the Jewish community in New York. Differently, among those for whom all or almost all of their friends are Jewish, over 90% feel at least somewhat connected to the New York Jewish community.
| 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not at all/Only a little | 61% | 60% | 42% | 43% |
| Some/A lot | 39% | 40% | 58% | 57% |
Among the non-Orthodox, older adults are more likely to feel connected to the New York Jewish community than younger adults: those 50 and over are about one and a half times as likely to agree that they feel at least somewhat a part of the New York Jewish community than those under 50. Other factors that relate to high levels of connection to the New York Jewish community include being born in the New York area and a longer length of time living at one’s current address.
| 2020 US | 2023 NY | |
|---|---|---|
| Hanukkah | N/A | 85% |
| Passover Seder | 62% | 83% |
| Yom Kippur | N/A | 78% |
Jewish adults in the eight-county area widely celebrate or observe Hanukkah, Passover, and Yom Kippur. The majority of Jewish adults in the eight-county area celebrate Hanukkah (85%), attend a Passover seder (83%), and observe Yom Kippur (78%) in some way during a typical year. Jewish adults in the eight-county area attend Passover seder at a higher rate than Jewish adults nationally (62%).
| 2020 US | 2023 NY | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, every week | 39% | 31% |
| Yes, sometimes | 17% | |
| No | 61% | 52% |
| Total | 100% | 100% |
About half of Jewish adults in the eight-county area mark Shabbat in a way different from other days, compared with 39% of Jewish adults nationally. In 2023, 31% of Jewish adults in the eight-county area report marking Shabbat every week.
| 2020 US | 2023 NY | |
|---|---|---|
| Completely | 17% | 21% |
| Partially | 10% | |
| No | 83% | 69% |
| Total | 100% | 100% |
In 2023, 31% of Jewish adults report that they keep a home that is at least partially kosher, compared with 17% of Jewish adults nationally. In the eight-county area, about one in five Jewish adults keep a completely kosher home in 2023.
| 2020 US | 2023 NY | |
|---|---|---|
| Never | 52% | 38% |
| A few times a year | 27% | 28% |
| Every few months | 6% | |
| Once or twice a month | 8% | 5% |
| At least once a week | 12% | 22% |
| Total | 100% | 100% |
Frequency of attending Jewish prayer service varies considerably among Jewish adults in the eight-county area. Nearly 40% of Jewish adults indicate that they never attend services and an additional 34% report that they attend every few months or just a few times a year. In 2023, about 27% of Jewish adults in the eight-county area attended services at least once a month compared with 20% of Jewish adults nationally.
| Orthodox | Conservative | Reform | Nondenominational/Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanukkah | 100% | 97% | 93% | 70% |
| Seder | 99% | 93% | 92% | 67% |
| Yom Kippur | 99% | 95% | 91% | 55% |
| Shabbat (Weekly) | 97% | 35% | 7% | 6% |
| Kosher (At least partially) | 98% | 51% | 10% | 11% |
| Services (At least monthly) | 89% | 28% | 10% | 4% |
As expected, Jewish ritual and holiday observance varies significantly by denomination. Orthodox Jewish adults participate report higher levels of Jewish observance compared with every other denominational group. Conservative Jewish adults, in turn, participate at higher rates than nondenominational/other Jewish adults along every dimension of Jewish observance.
Conservative and Reform Jewish adults celebrate Hanukkah, attend Passover seders, and observe Yom Kippur at similar rates, but Conservative Jewish adults mark Shabbat weekly, keep kosher, and attend services at least monthly at significantly higher rates than Reform Jewish adults. Reform Jewish adults participate in Jewish observance at significantly higher rates than nondenominational/other Jewish adults on all dimensions of Jewish observance except for marking Shabbat weekly and keeping kosher.
| 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chanukah | 88% | 88% | 85% | 80% |
| Seder | 83% | 83% | 83% | 80% |
| Yom Kippur | 79% | 75% | 83% | 76% |
| Shabbat (Weekly) | 41% | 33% | 30% | 23% |
| Kosher (At least partially) | 47% | 37% | 35% | 26% |
| Services (At least monthly) | 41% | 26% | 26% | 22% |
| 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chanukah | 80% | 85% | 82% | 77% |
| Seder | 75% | 78% | 79% | 78% |
| Yom Kippur | 68% | 67% | 78% | 73% |
| Shabbat (Weekly) | 9% | 13% | 14% | 12% |
| Kosher (At least partially) | 18% | 19% | 20% | 15% |
| Services (At least monthly) | 11% | 7% | 11% | 12% |
Many Jewish behaviors are remarkably consistent across all ages of Jewish adults in the New York area, despite the once popular view that younger Jews are not as engaged as their older counterparts.6 The majority of Jewish adults in every age group report celebrating Hanukkah, attending Passover seders, and observing Yom Kippur. The shares of those marking Shabbat, keeping kosher, and attending services are higher among younger adults because Orthodox respondents are disproportionately represented among younger adults than among the older adults. After excluding Orthodox adults, the shares of those marking Shabbat, keeping kosher, and attending services are broadly consistent across age cohorts as well.
| 2023 NY | |
|---|---|
| Never | 48% |
| Every few months | 32% |
| One to three times a month | 10% |
| Once a week or more | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
| 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than monthly | 83% | 92% | 86% | 87% |
| At least monthly | 17% | 8% | 14% | 13% |
Over half of Jewish adults attended a Jewish program (not including prayer services) in the past year, and about a fifth attend a Jewish program at least once a month. Among non-Orthodox Jewish adults, who are generally less likely to attend Jewish programs than the Orthodox, a quarter of those under 50 attend Jewish programs at least monthly. Jewish adults aged 30–49 report the least regular program participation, with only 8% attending Jewish programs at least once a month.
| 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Not interested | 47% |
| Haven't found programs that appeal | 32% |
| Can't afford to participate | 7% |
| Other | 6% |
Among Jewish adults who never participate in Jewish programs, about half report not participating because they are not interested in Jewish programs. One third indicate that they don’t participate because they haven’t found programs that appeal to them and about seven percent cite financial barriers to participation.
| 2023 NY | |
|---|---|
| None | 32% |
| A little | 29% |
| About half | 11% |
| Most | 14% |
| All or almost all | 14% |
| Total | 100% |
Among those households that made charitable donations, nearly 70% contribute to Jewish causes at least in part.7 More Jewish New Yorkers give to Jewish causes than Jewish Americans nationally. As of the 2020 Pew Study, 48% of Jewish adults in the U.S. gave to a Jewish cause in the past year.8
In the sections above, we explored various facets of Jewish engagement such as holiday observance or attending prayer services by denominational identification to demonstrate engagement patterns in New York. To move beyond denominational affiliation as our central explanatory mechanism, however, we combined individual Jewish attitudes and behaviors into a composite measure that captures the variegated spectrum of Jewish engagement in the New York area. This composite measure combines data from ten variables that cover holiday, ritual, organizational, and individual dimensions of Jewish engagement.
Based on values of this measure, we identified three distinct groups who fall on a continuum of Jewish engagement — from the most minimally engaged Jewish adults to the highly engaged.9 In the remainder of this section, we present a portrait of each of these three groups, from their demographic profiles to the patterns of Jewish engagement within each respective group. Our goal in presenting these three groups is to encourage the view of Jewish engagement in New York as a spectrum defined by a large and engaged middle rather than by two ever-distancing poles, with Orthodox Jews on one end and nondenominational Jews on the other.
| Minimally Engaged | Moderately Engaged | Highly Engaged | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % of Jewish Adults | 24% | 45% | 31% |
| Holiday | |||
| Hanukkah | 43% | 98% | 100% |
| Seder | 36% | 96% | 100% |
| Yom Kippur | 18% | 95% | 100% |
| Ritual | |||
| Shabbat (Weekly) | 1% | 8% | 88% |
| Kosher (At least partially) | 2% | 17% | 89% |
| Prayer Services (At least monthly) | 0% | 2% | 86% |
| Organization | |||
| Synagogue | 1% | 24% | 98% |
| Jewish Programs | 10% | 54% | 94% |
| Jewish Donations | 31% | 75% | 100% |
| Individual | |||
| Follows Israel News (Very closely) | 8% | 19% | 46% |
The first group, the minimally engaged, represents about one in four Jewish adults in the eight-county area. Nearly seven in eight are in households without children, and more than half of these Jewish adults are not married. However, among those who are married, they are intermarried by a ratio of nearly two to one.
The minimally engaged have the highest share of non-white, LGBT, and Ashkenazi Jewish adults of the three groups. They are also the most politically liberal, with over 60% who identify as liberal and only 11% who report being politically conservative. The minimally engaged also overwhelmingly do not identify with any of the three major denominations, with 84% reporting no affiliation with these denominations. With regard to Jewish education, over a third have participated in some form of formal Jewish education program (such as Hebrew school or Sunday school) while 5% have attended day school.
The minimally engaged have the lowest levels of Jewish engagement, but a significant minority participate in Jewish holidays. More than 40% of the Jewish adults in the minimally engaged group celebrate Hanukkah, and about one-third attend a Passover seder in a typical year. The minimally engaged group, however, does not mark Shabbat weekly, keep kosher, attend Jewish services at least monthly, and are not members of a synagogue. However, nearly a third of minimally engaged Jewish adults who give charitably donate to Jewish causes. While the minimally engaged are the group the least attached to Israel (with only a third of this group reporting being somewhat or very attached to Israel), nearly half of this group still report that caring about Israel is an essential part of their Jewish identity.
The second group, the moderately engaged, is the largest group and represents 45% of Jewish adults in the eight-county area. Different from the minimally engaged, a quarter of the adults in this group have children in their household. Nearly half of this group are not married. Among those who are married, just about two-thirds are married to a Jewish partner.
The moderately engaged are the most highly educated of the three groups, with 37% of this group reporting holding a graduate degree. This group also contains the greatest share of high-earning households in the New York area: 44% of Jewish adults in the moderately engaged group have incomes of $150,000 or more. Half of Jewish adults in this group are liberal, but nearly a third identify politically as moderate.
Only 9% of moderately engaged Jewish adults have attended day school, but a majority of adults in this group have attended Jewish supplemental school or another formal Jewish education program. About half are Conservative or Reform, and about half non-denominational. Only a small fraction — 3% — are Orthodox.
The moderately engaged group celebrates Jewish holidays but does not regularly keep kosher or attend services. And, fewer than one in ten marks Shabbat weekly. About 17% keep at least partially kosher and 20% have a member of a synagogue in their household. About half of the Jewish adults in this group participate in Jewish programs, while nearly 75% of those who give charitably donate to Jewish causes.
This group is highly attached to Israel, with 65% reporting that they feel at least somewhat emotionally attached to Israel and 75% reporting that caring about Israel is an essential part of their Jewish identity.
The third group, the highly engaged, are younger than the other two groups and more likely to have children in the household. The majority of Jewish adults in this group are under 50, and half of Jewish adults in this group have children in their home. Intermarriage is also very low within this group. This group is home to nearly all Orthodox Jewish adults, who make up two thirds of the cohort. Among the remaining third, 18% are Conservative, and 7% are Reform. Seven percent do not identify with any of the three branches.
Approximately two-thirds of the highly engaged have attended day school, and over 90% have had some form of formal Jewish education. Four in ten have attended or worked at a summer camp with Jewish content. Among the three groups, the highly engaged has the highest share of Jewish adults who are Sephardic or Mizrachi, at about one in eight, or 13%. The group also has the highest share of adults in households at the lowest income levels, even though more than a third have incomes of $150,000 or more. This is also the only one of the three groups in which more than half of Jewish adults identify as politically conservative.
Jewish adults in this group universally celebrate Jewish holidays, routinely mark Shabbat, largely keep kosher, attend services at least monthly, are synagogue members, participate in Jewish programs, and donate to Jewish causes. Nearly all find being Jewish important, and 90% say that being Jewish is very important to them. This group is also distinguished for how closely it is connected to Israel, with nearly half reporting that they follow news regarding Israel very closely, and 87% who say they are somewhat or very attached to Israel.
| Minimally Engaged | Moderately Engaged | Highly Engaged | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||
| 18–29 | 16% | 15% | 24% |
| 30–49 | 28% | 30% | 28% |
| 50–64 | 21% | 24% | 23% |
| 65+ | 35% | 32% | 24% |
| Race | |||
| White | 92% | 95% | 97% |
| Non-white | 8% | 5% | 3% |
| Education | |||
| High school or less | 14% | 14% | 29% |
| Associate degree | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 35% | 34% | 25% |
| Graduate degree | 34% | 37% | 33% |
| Household Income | |||
| Under $50,000 | 21% | 15% | 27% |
| $50,000 to under $100,000 | 27% | 24% | 24% |
| $100,000 to under $150,000 | 19% | 17% | 13% |
| $150,000 or more | 34% | 44% | 36% |
| LGBTQ Status | |||
| LGBTQ | 15% | 8% | 4% |
| Non-LGBTQ | 85% | 92% | 96% |
| Intermarriage | |||
| Non-Intermarried | 17% | 43% | 75% |
| Intermarried | 31% | 12% | 2% |
| Not Married | 52% | 44% | 23% |
| Family Status | |||
| HH with Children | 16% | 26% | 47% |
| HH without Children | 84% | 74% | 53% |
| Jewish Tradition | |||
| Ashkenazi | 96% | 90% | 87% |
| Sephardic or Mizrachi | 4% | 10% | 13% |
| Denomination | |||
| Orthodox | 1% | 3% | 69% |
| Conservative | 4% | 18% | 19% |
| Reform | 11% | 33% | 7% |
| Other | 84% | 46% | 6% |
| Political Affiliation | |||
| Liberal | 62% | 54% | 18% |
| Moderate | 27% | 31% | 31% |
| Conservative | 11% | 15% | 51% |