Despite economic, ideological and geographical barriers, modern Jewish families with young children are increasingly seeking inclusive communities, a new study by Rosov Consulting has found. 

The study, conducted with support from Crown Family Philanthropies, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Jim Joseph Foundation, aimed to assess the experiences of less-engaged Jewish families. The research team conducted focus groups followed by one-on-one interviews with members of 40 families (187 people in all) from over 30 states, seeking diverse perspectives — including same-sex couples, interfaith families, those living outside of centers of Jewish life, economically challenged and multiracial families.

“There is a popular perception that young Jews today have less interest in forming Jewish community than their predecessors,” Alex Pomson, principal and managing director of Rosov Consulting, told eJewishPhilanthropy. “Against the backdrop of a broader sense of fragmenting community, we found that parents with young children really do want their children to be part of something larger.”

While in some ways Jewish families are more divided than ever — torn over issues surrounding Israel’s wars, national politics and geography — there is also a deep desire to find and create inclusive Jewish communities, according to Pomson. But while many young families might aspire to be a part of legacy institutions, issues spanning politics, high cost of living and travel time might still get in the way of that, he said.

“When looking for community, some of those institutions that were previously seen as less relevant than in the past, such as synagogues or Jewish early childhood centers often provide what it is that families are looking for,” Pomson told eJP. “One shouldn’t write those institutions off as having potential to offer something to young Jewish families today. But having said that, many families simply can’t access those institutions.”

High membership costs and long travel times were regularly cited as reasons why families are not as engaged as they would like to be in Jewish communal life. In some cases — particularly among interfaith families or households with at least one member who is LGBT or a person of color — there are also concerns about not being accepted.

While many families want their children to have strong Jewish identities,the researchers found that “relatively few parents expressed a desire that their children develop strong Jewish literacy (for example, familiarity with Jewish texts, ritual and liturgy).” 

For families that carry multiple cultural or religious identities, electing which aspects of Jewish community to engage with can be a trade-off, Pomson said. That is to say: They don’t want their Jewish knowledge to come at the expense of a broader cultural competency and are seeking environments that can embrace it all. 

“Parents want their children to feel positive about all of those identities. Investing time and really becoming familiar with and knowledgeable about one of those identities can come at the cost of some of the others,” Pomson said. “What we saw quite vividly was how in many cases, committing to Jewish education comes with a price — and that price may be less familiarity with other aspects of people’s identities.”