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The Community Study samples were generated from households throughout the Federation’s service area. (The San Jose and the East Bay federations did not participate in the 2004 study.) Samples included 1016 Jewish households (out of 3,800 calls made, defined as one with a Jewish adult as a primary resident) randomly selected from the Federation’s list, 500 Jewish households found from 18,000 randomly generated phone numbers, and 100 Russian-speaking households randomly selected from Federation and JCC lists. Up to six call-backs were made to every phone number at different times during the day and on weekends, except on Friday night or Saturday day in observance of Shabbat.

The response rate, 33 percent for random calls and 36 percent for Federation list calls, is comparable to the highest standards one could hope for in this type of research. The study was managed by Dr. Bruce Phillips of Hebrew Union College and the University of Southern California.

Significant outcomes of the study seen in the first findings include changes in the number of Jewish households in the Bay Area; the geographic areas where the largest growth has been; and a portrait of a diverse Jewish community, both religiously and by definition of family, as follows:

Growth

The number of households that include at least one member who identifies as Jewish increased from 54,000 in 1986 to 125,000 in 2004, a 131 percent increase.

The largest population growth has been in the South Peninsula, which added 24,000 new households since 1986.

San Francisco added about 15,000 new households.

The North Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma each added as many as 10,000 households. This increase was most dramatic in Sonoma, which quadrupled the number of households located there.

The overall population increased dramatically, from 128,000 in 1986 to 217,000 in 2004. This number includes some overlap into the San Jose area, specifically Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Los Gatos. These areas were part of the San Jose region in the 1986 study, which also included Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

One in five households identifying as Jewish consist of a single parent family, a figure higher than the national average.

Household composition is diverse, with only 21 percent married with children compared to 39 percent single with no children.

The smallest Jewish population of the study was Sonoma at 8 percent, which is still ahead of the national average of 2 percent.

Religious Composition

There are 74,000 non-Jews living in a household where at least one member identifies as Jewish.

The majority of married couples (53 percent vs. 47 percent) are inter-faith; these figures are only slightly higher than the national average.

Only 54 percent of adults were born Jewish and practice Judaism; 17percent were born Jewish and identify as secular Jews, while 9 percent were born and identify as Jewish but are practicing Christianity or an Eastern religion.

Social Services

About 33 percent of households used at least one social service in the past year, including counseling, career assistance, help for children with problems, emergency financial assistance and assistance with alcohol or drug abuse.

Single-parent households demonstrated the highest percentage of social service need at 63 percent, and are also the group least likely to receive needed services.

Single Jews with no children made up the next highest group at 37 percent.

The top five social services needed were counseling, career assistance, help for children with problems, emergency financial assistance and assistance with alcohol or drug abuse.

Religious Services

22 percent of households belong to a synagogue

This is lower than the national average of 32 percent but the same as the West overall, and is comparable to affiliation statistics in the general community.

Synagogue membership is highest in the South Peninsula – 36 percent of households.

Households where one spouse has converted are much more likely to belong to a synagogue (72 percent).

Inter-faith married couples in the Federation’s service area identify as more Jewishly oriented than inter-faith married couples in the United States as a whole.

In reviewing these findings, Sharon Fried, Acting Director of Planning and Agency Support for the Federation was excited about the implications of this study. “Meticulous care went into the development of the Study questionnaire in order to capture the diversity, complexity and nuances of the Jewish community. Having an accurate pulse with respect to changing household structures, social service and educational needs, and barriers to connection to the Jewish community will be invaluable for local Jewish communal organizations.”

Funding for this study was made possible through a grant from the Jewish Community Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties.

The Jewish Community Federation is the central organization for fundraising, planning, outreach and leadership development for Jewish communities in San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. In FY 2003-04, the Federation’s annual campaign allocated $16.2 million to some 60 of agencies providing social services, educational and cultural programs in the Bay Area, in the U.S., Israel and elsewhere in the world. In 2003, the Federation’s Endowment Fund, with assets exceeding $745 million, provided more than $207 million for a variety of grants, seed projects and emergency needs. For information, call 415.777.0411 or visit www.sfjcf.org.

Beth Rifkin - Written for the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties