Applicants in any department or college are eligible to apply for one of the Mandell L. Berman Research Fellowships to be awarded by the North American Jewish Data Bank for the summer of 2011. The fellowship pays a stipend of $1,800.

The North American Jewish Data Bank is the central repository of social scientific studies of North American Jewry (including the United States and Canada). The Data Bank’s primary functions are to (1) acquire, archive, and disseminate quantitative data sets and reports, both contemporary and historical, and (2) encourage utilization of the archive through training and providing information about methods for studying Jewish communities. They archive the National Jewish Population Surveys of 1971, 1990 and 2000-01, along with several other national data sets from the United States and Canada, as well as over 200 local Jewish community studies. The Data Bank is the sole distributor of the NJPS 2000-01 dataset and has a large collection of related material. The North American Jewish Data Bank is a collaborative project of the Jewish Federations of North American (formerly United Jewish Communities) and the University of Connecticut’s Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life and Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.

To apply:

• Applicants should submit a brief proposal (two pages strongly recommended) describing an original research project that they will carry out utilizing and/or expanding upon the data files in the Berman Institute – North American Jewish Data Bank. The use of Data Bank data is central to the proposed research and the delineation of policy implications from the analysis is essential, but other data sources may be brought to bear on the topic of research.
• As part of the application, applicants should also submit at least one letter of reference (two paragraphs are strongly recommended).
• Preference will be given to projects that likely will result in a report for the new Data Bank sponsored series, Current Jewish Population Reports, or be appropriate for submission to Contemporary Jewry or a similar scholarly journal.
• Send the proposal, curriculum vitae and letter of recommendation to: Arnold Dashefsky, Director, Berman Institute – North American Jewish Data Bank, University of Connecticut, 405 Babbidge Road Unit 1205, Storrs, CT 06269-1205

Target date for receipt of completed applications is March 15, 2011. Award notification date is June 2011. Recipients are expected to submit a research report on or before August 31, 2011, which can be archived and posted (subject to review) on the Data Bank website. The $1,800 stipend will be awarded upon receipt of that report. For more information, contact the Data Bank: (860) 486-2271.