Las Vegas Notes: More Jews, but no more Judaism

1. Look for signs of Jewishness in Las Vegas and you'll have no trouble concluding that it is not an easy think to do. Nevertheless, this is the "fastest growing Jewish community in North America" as a new study (subscription needed) not exactly proved (it's actually growing on a slower pace than thought). It's a lengthy report, but I found it worth reading. Bottom line: More Jews don't necessarily mean more Judaism.

2. According to the study, there are 89,000 persons who live in 42,000 Jewish households in Las Vegas. However, of the 89,000 only 67,500 (76%) are actually Jewish. In the press release you might read that the number of Jewish people living in Las Vegas has increased 21% in the last 10 years. But in the study itself there's a warning: the methodology of the previous study (1995) was different, and this will impact any comparison. For example: "it is highly unlikely that levels of Jewish connectivity have decreased as sharply as implied by the comparisons with 1995 shown in this report."

3. And Jewish connectivity is a huge problem in Vegas. The level of Jewish religious practice is lower than in almost every other Jewish community. Only 14% of households report synagogue membership, the lowest percentage of all American Jewish communities. Las Vegas also has the lowest percentage of households that participate in a Passover seder (50%). They don't keep kosher, they don't light Chanukah or Shabbat candles. What makes them Jewish? They identify themselves as such. But note this interesting phenomenon: 47% of Las Vegas Jews describe themselves as "Just Jewish" (not Orthodox, Conservative or Reform) - compared to 30% of Jews nationally who say they are Just Jewish. This is "the highest of about 55 comparison Jewish communities and compares to 32% in San Diego, 31% in Miami, and 28% in Phoenix."

4. The scholar who wrote this study, Ira Sheskin, was my guest a week ago. "I agree that there are more important questions about the quality of the community as well as about whether the number of Jews is increasing or decreasing," he said, and Vegas in definitely a case in point. "It is clear that the Las Vegas Jewish community needs to be particularly concerned with issues of Jewish continuity."

5. The most telling number: 48% of all married Jews in Vegas are intermarried; 71% of couples ages 35-49 are intermarried; only 42% of children in intermarried Jewish households are being raised as Jews. Are intermarried couples hopeless, I asked a couple of weeks ago? Steven Cohen's study concluded that convincing young Jews to marry within the tribe is crucial. "Only conversion substantially improves the chances that today's intermarried couples will have Jewish grandchildren in two generations," writes Cohen. But there's a "long-term decline in conversion rates, lasting over half a century" that "is smooth and steady."

6. So, are Vegas Jews hopeless? The study contains some recommendations as to help the organized community better the situation. Sheskin recommends having more programs for singles, an effort to increase synagogue membership, have more accessible facilities. "The type of Jewish Community Campus which exists in all Jewish communities the size of Las Vegas. Such a campus will provide a geographic focus for the community." Can it help? The findings show that most Jews in Vegas aren't really interested, but one can probably expect some success if money allocations are well spent. The question, though, remains: does it worth all the effort, or maybe there are other places for more beneficial investments.

7. The money will probably be there: According to the Jewish Federation Survey, the annual Campaign of the Jewish federation "increased by 91% from $1,578,000 in 1995 (adjusted for inflation) to $3,016,000 in 2005." The study itself was funded by one of the most significant Jewish philanthropists of this generation, Sheldon Adelson, a Vegas mogul. There are fewer donors, but more money, meaning that a small number of interested people will carry the community, as long as they want to or as long as the community doesn't change in nature. Those interested people have more than enough if they want to support a movement for change.

8. Identification with Israel as an indicator for Jewish identity is in play in Vegas. "The 36% extremely/very attached to Israel is the third lowest of about 30 comparison Jewish communities and compares to 62% in Miami. The 24% not attached to Israel is the second highest of the comparison Jewish communities and compares to 10% in Miami". Many readers responded angrily when I argued in the past that "those who don't support Israel are more likely not to stay Jewish. Hence, enhancing the love for Israel will make people not only more pro-Israelis but also more Jewish." But what can I do - it is still true, around America and also in Vegas. "This study shows that having visited Israel, particularly on a Jewish trip, has a significant positive correlation with levels of religious practice, membership, philanthropy, and other measures of 'Jewishness.'"