“What Chabad has achieved in the last 15 years is quite remarkable,” said Mark Rosen, noting the movement’s explosive growth on U.S. college campuses from 35 in 2000 to 187 today.
By Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman
eJewish Philanthropy
Gregg Gilbert, a graduate of the University at Albany (SUNY ‘99) said Chabad on Campus introduced him to Judaism.
“The fact that I live in Israel now, keep kosher and try to lead a Torah life – this is a testament to the impact of Chabad,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert’s story is more common than one might have thought, according to a new study, released this morning by the Hertog Foundation. The 132-page report defines for the first time who comes to Chabad on Campus, what it is that Chabad actually does with college students, and what impact Chabad involvement has on the post-college lives of young Jewish adults.
Written by Brandeis University Professor Mark Rosen in conjunction with Steven Cohen, Arielle Levites and Ezra Kopelowitz, the report is based on qualitative research at 22 campus Chabad centers and surveys from over 2,400 alumni under the age of 30, which analyze 1,898 measures of Jewish engagement.
“What Chabad has achieved in the last 15 years is quite remarkable,” said Rosen, noting the movement’s explosive growth on U.S. college campuses from 35 in 2000 to 187 today.
“Anyone interested in understanding Jewish innovation should take a look at Chabad,” he said.
Rosen and his team have been working on the report for three years; the study was commissioned by Hertog in 2013. They spent the first six months identifying participating schools, one year conducting surveys and interviews, and a year-and-a-half analyzing the data and writing the report.
“I kept rewriting and revising as I gained a deeper understanding of what was going on,” said Rosen. “It took a while to tell Chabad’s cohesive story.”
WHO AND WHAT
Chabad attracts students from all Jewish backgrounds, including Orthodox (11%), Conservative (39%), Reform (32%), non-denominational (10%), and other (7%). The majority (80%) of student participants have had no previous experience with Chabad.
The Chabad curriculum varies greatly from campus to campus and could include classes ranging from Judaism 101 to Talmud study. Chabad rabbis and rebbetzins discuss the performance of mitzvahs and Chassidism to questions about life, God, love and marriage.
“We offer value and substance,” explained Rabbi Hershey Novack, who with wife, Chana, runs the Rohr Center for Jewish Life at Washington University in St. Louis. “We offer … meaning and purpose, and that’s why students choose to come back.”
Novak said that beyond formal classes, Chabad on Campus tries to role model “Jewish family” for students, striving to be a home away from home. According to the study, this generally includes the rebbetzin demonstrating how to bake challah and run a kitchen, practical skills many of the female students interviewed appreciate.
“It is hoped that warm memories of Shabbat meals will inspire Shabbat observance and keeping kosher years later when students have their own homes and families,” wrote the authors.
David Weinstein, a student at St. Louis University (SLU) said he spends at least seven hours a week at Chabad. He described the curriculum as, “You just sit down and talk, there is not much too it.” But he noted the informal environment has taught him how to interact with people he doesn’t know and to start/maintain conversations with diverse individuals.
JEWISH ENGAGEMENT
The students who gain the most in terms of increased Jewish engagement are those students who were raised Reform or without a denomination. The survey looked at 18 measures of post-college Jewish engagement and involvement including religious beliefs, practices and affiliation (frequency of lighting Shabbat candles, synagogue membership); friendships, community involvement and learning (volunteering for a Jewish organization, donating to a Jewish organization); dating and marriage (importance of dating Jewish, choosing a Jewish spouse); Israel (emotional attachment); and being Jewish (importance), among others.
“Participation at Chabad during college fosters a greater involvement with mainstream Jewish life [after college],” according to the researchers.
Among Reform Jews who showed a high level of participation with Chabad (16%), the surveyors saw improvement in engagement across all 18 measures. Among non-denominational Jews with a high level of Chabad participation (24%), surveyors saw improvement in engagement across 16 of 18 measures. Conservative Jews with high participation levels also saw improvement across all 18 measures, but to a lesser degree than their Reform counterparts.
Dating and marriage: Among those with high involvement with Chabad, 73% of Orthodox, 63% of Conservative, 37% of Reform and 61% of those raised with no denomination said “dating Jews is very important.” Some 75% of Orthodox, 69% of Conservative, 51% of Reform and 53% of non-denominational reported that “most or all the people dated in the past year were Jewish.”
While only 16% of those interviewed were married, they were more likely (82% of students with one Jewish parent and 92% of students with two Jewish parents) to have married someone Jewish if they were more frequent participants at Chabad during college.
Attachment to Israel: Students who frequented Chabad are also more attached to Israel, with 63% of Orthodox, 67% of Conservative, 51% of Reform and 61% of those raised without a denomination reporting being “very attached” to the Jewish state.
According to Novack, while Chabad tends not to outwardly promote a pro-Israel agenda – such as through the media – Chabad on Campus “supports, gives knowledge and resources” to students with a pro-Israel agenda. He said the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has led many students to search out “safe, secure and powerful Jewish supports” on campus, which they find “consistently through their local Chabad houses.”
“We support Israel through our students,” Novack said.
Rosen noted that the study did not compare the impact of Birthright Israel on a student’s attachment to Israel with that of Chabad’s because one “cannot compare a 10-day trip with four years of engagement.” However, he noted that Chabad takes thousands of students to Israel each year; since Novack started at Washington U. 14 years ago, he said he has taken an average of almost 100 students to Israel per year.
Philanthropy: Students who frequent Chabad are more inclined to make a donation to a Jewish organization. Of those interviewed, 76% of Orthodox, 75% of Conservative, 63% of Reform and 61% of those raised with no denomination reported making such a donation within the past 12 months. Those Reform Jews who did not or who rarely participated with Chabad were 29% less likely to make such a donation.
While students’ contributions increase, the authors note there is no central funding model for Chabad on Campus, which means Chabad on Campus staff spends a significant portion of their time cultivating donors, especially during the summer.
“While Jewish federations support Hillel on campus both locally and at the national level, federations either do not fund Chabad centers at all or only provide small grants,” according to the report. Chabad International also does not provide a central pool of funding.
SECRET SAUCE?
Chabad on Campus’ methodology is rooted in the teachings of the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902 to 1994). These teachings include the idea of rebuilding the Jewish people through education, serving as role models and decreasing divisions among the Jewish people, explained Novack.
As such, he said he and other emissaries see their jobs “not as jobs, but as missions.”
“An employee can go home at the end of the day,” Novack said. “A person who has a sense of purpose and a mission is worried about all the things and people whose lives he is touching all the time. We cannot stop focusing on what we want to accomplish.”
Novack said that Chabad tries to create a culture of inclusiveness and a space where every student who chooses to participate feels welcomed, validated and encompassed.
When comments about Chabad provided by more than 1,200 alumni were analyzed by researchers, they found the single most frequently mentioned word used to describe Chabad was “welcoming.”
“All Jewish students, regardless of background and upbringing, attend the same events and are welcomed regardless of their beliefs or practices,” according to the authors.
“They are so nice, warm and welcoming,” said Maia Lamdany, a recent graduate of Washington University.
“What stands out about Chabad?” asks SLU’s Weinstein. “We can come together as Jews. It doesn’t matter how Jewish you are.”
The study also found this non-judgmental attitude leads to deep interpersonal relationships that outlast the college years. Students who are frequent participants at Chabad maintain their relationships with the rabbi and rebbetzin.
When asked if they had any contact with their campus rabbi or rebbetzin after college, 60% of highly involved and 18% of moderately involved students said they had contact. The study found that even seven years after graduation, 50% of respondents in the high participation category during college had contact with the rabbi or rebbetzin in the past 12 months.
Novack said social media has helped Chabad couples maintain relationships post-graduation. Chabad is active on new media and “friends” its students on Facebook. Further, he said couples are willing to travel to meet and support their alumni.
“We heard from every rabbi interviewed about weddings they had conducted for former students, sometimes flying across the country or even overseas,” wrote the researchers.
HILLEL vs. CHABAD
In order to conduct the study, Rosen said that the researchers did gather information on Hillel and other campus Jewish life participation. However, they made a policy decision not to report any of those findings, “since that was not the purpose of the study and we did not collaborate with Hillel.”
Rosen noted many respondents reported attending both Hillel and Chabad.
“There are not very many that exclusive to one or another,” he said.
Novack said the study has given him further motivation to do his job well. While the Chabad philosophy is to focus on each student as an individual and to view his/her growth in comparison only to his/herself, he said the Hertog study, which measured success on a broad level, showed that Chabad on Campus “has a direct impact on the future of the Jewish people.”
“For those of us who are older, we went to school when there was no Chabad and therefore we have a different vision of what Jewish life on campus is like,” said Rosen. “But for modern students, there is no question: Chabad is a major and important presence.”
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One of the distressing features of Jewish life is the shrinking Jewish middle — those who while not Orthodox are still moderately to highly engaged in Jewish life. They’re shrinking in number while Orthodox Jews are growing, as are unengaged / partially / episodically / nominally Jewish.
But one of the heartening features of Jewish life is that Chabad on campus is one of several major educational ventures with significant long-term impact. Chabad needs to be recognized as part of a family of extraordinary educational achievements undertaken in just the last two decades.
So, we (collectively) know how to build and re-build the shrinking Jewish middle, and maybe stabilize it, if not expand it in years to come. The question is whether we have the passion, conviction, capacity and motivation to invest in Chabad and other very worthwhile ventures in Jewish education for children, adolescents and young adults.
This study amplifies the findings from a study a few years ago by Barry Chazan and David Bryfman (which makes the “first-ever” claim a bit overstated). That study is available online:
http://www.bjpa.org/publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=3623
Much more interesting would be the findings on Hillel–Chabad relations and interactions. As with adult congregations, many complain that Chabad’s “making Shabbos for itself” approach, duplicating and competing with existing community-wide institutions promoting Jewish life and learning, is a misdirection of the wider Jewish community’s resources. I live in a community with several dozen synagogues, and yet Chabad too is trying to establish two of its own in our midst.
Shalom All,
The study quotes: “We offer value and substance,” explained Rabbi Hershey Novack, who with wife, Chana, runs the Rohr Center for Jewish Life at Washington University in St. Louis. “We offer … meaning and purpose, and that’s why students choose to come back.”
Not programs, but value and substance, meaning and purpose. In fact the word
“program(s)” does not appear even once in the article. How refreshing this is when in contradistinction, most all of what one hears about in among non Orthodox leaders is programs. The study continued:
“As such, he said he and other emissaries see their jobs “not as jobs, but as missions. An employee can go home at the end of the day,” Novack said. “A person who has a sense of purpose and a mission is worried about all the things and people whose lives he is touching all the time. We cannot stop focusing on what we want to accomplish.”
Once a again the power of a kishke embedded mission (ahavat Yisroel as it was put in another recent post herein) born of kishke level convictions about the Truth of their brand of Judaism is evident. There is no analogue to this in the institutions of non Orthodox Judaism. Heck, there isn’t even an agreed upon definition for the adjective “Jewish!?!?!” Dr. Steve wrote above:
“But one of the heartening features of Jewish life is that Chabad on campus is one of several major educational ventures with significant long-term impact.”
From the study highlighted in this post we know how the impact of Chabad was measured. How was “significant long term impact” measured in the other “major educational venture” to which you allude Dr. Steve? You continued:
“So, we (collectively) know how to build and re-build the shrinking Jewish middle, and maybe stabilize it, if not expand it in years to come.”
We (collectively) know how to build…????? If we knew, wouldn’t we be actindg on what we know? I really don’t understand what you mean.
The Jewish middle will continue to shrink and the unengaged will continue to grow and the Orthodox will continue to grow, because there is no non Orthodox Judasim that has the power to inspire the kishke level convictions that are evident in Chabad and other brands of Orthodox Judaism.
Biv’racha,
Jordan
Stop misleading people by using the term “shrinking middle” – it is misleading people to think there are two safe zones- Orthodox and Reform/Unaffiliated.
There is no “shrinking middle”! There are just two groups- Orthodox which is growing and the non-Orthodox which is on it’s way out.
PEW 2013, documented half million Jews who grew up Conservative – intermarried – moved on to Reform- but once the middle moves out there is nothing left for Reform/Unaffiliated to maintain their numbers as they are becoming Christian over time.
According to PEW intermarriage rate for Reform is 80%- children of intermarry marry non-Jews 84% of the time, means over time they will mostly have only one Jewish grandparent – Bruce Phillips study showed only 4% of those with one Jewish grandparent identified themselves as a Jew (96% didn’t!) and another study said only 7%. The writing is on the wall. There is no shrinking middle.
Orthodox is growing and the middle is on it’s way out and it only appears Reform and Unaffiliated are growing since the Conservative Jews have moved to the left. Christian is the status their grandchildren will have as they continue to move to the left and out.
Use of the “shrinking middle” term is a misnomer.
Shalom Dave,
I used the term only in response to its use by Dr. Steve. Reform is declining. Unaffiliated is growing and is the largest demographic of Jews in North America.
Biv’racha,
Jordan
The success of Chabad is unique in that it based on the teachings of the philosophy of Chassidus. A beautiful teaching that penetrates the soul and arouses the heart, and expands the mind. A single evening at Chabad House has changed lives, many times. The heart and soul of the Chabad Philosophy is that we are all souls sent to this physical world on a mission with a purpose. At Chabad House you can find out just who you really are.
Re Alan:
The hypocrisy of your words are incredible. Immediately after acknowledging the existence of dozens of synogagues in your community, you complain that Chabad has two locations in your town. Are they not entitled to exist like the rest?
And regarding the point in the article that Chabad doesn’t receive major portions of their budget, if any, from their local federations. I’m glad they pointed it out because the non orthodox institutions receive much heavier funding and then they cry foul when the Chabad Rabbi does aggressive marketing just to survive such as offering free membership etc. it’s incredible how despite being oberwhelmingly the underdog and in most cases succeeding despite all odds, Chabad gets castigated for disrupting. As if the poor establishment must be protected from the Chabad Rabbi that in many cases lacks basic provisions for elementary survival.
What an interesting article. I am very interested in that photo of the Star of David structure. Where did you get this from? Do you know where I can find the print?
The photo is from the cover of the report mentioned.
Yes Chabad young people who go out on campus go out with a mission, to reach and teach the unaffiliated and for the most part uneducated in Judaism, youth. Because as was pointed out they do it wholeheartedly without financial means in many cases, they succeed. As stated by the sages,
words that come from the heart enter the heart. That is not to say that others don’t do it sincerely, just that the young Chabad emissaries do it 24/7 not just working week or weekend hours.
Regarding the point about Chabad opening where there are other synagogues present to, competition is a healthy thing as it makes others also become more active. Maimonides clearly states that one is permitted to open another, school etc even next door to an existing one if it offers something better or desirable to service the community. May all succeed in their goals on behalf of strengthening Judaism and the community.
Wishing all a Ketiva vChatima Tova.