Social Equality: The Most Jewish Value of All?

Advertisement

Day in and day out, community engagement is my job. Specifically, working here in the South, my mandate is to pursue social justice in partnership not only with schools and nonprofits but also, very specifically, with Jewish communities.

So of course, this statistic caught my eye:

“When asked which qualities are most important to their Jewish identity, nearly half of American Jews cite a commitment to social equality—twice as many as cite support for Israel (20%) or religious observance (17%)[1].”

In fact, according to
The Jewish Values Survey
, 46% of Jews listed “a commitment to social equality” as most important to Jewish identity. Other qualities include cultural heritage and tradition (6%) and a general set of values (3%).

That should mean good news for the work that I’m doing. What does it mean to you?

Do these numbers surprise you? Do they resonate with you? Which of these qualities are most important to your Jewish identity?


[1] Cox D., and Robert P. Jones, Ph.D. The 2012 Jewish Values Survey, Public Religion Research Institute, (2012).

 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Discover More

Back to School: Help Bring Social Justice & LGBTQ Equality to the Classroom

September is just around the corner, which means a new academic year is approaching. But schools aren’t always the ideal ...

The Whipping Man

By Education Fellow Reva FrankelTomorrow brings the end of Black History Month. Most often when we discuss the Jewish connection ...

Bowling with Jews

As I was researching the Jewish history of Tulsa, Oklahoma, I came upon a wonderful photograph in the 50th anniversary ...

Advertisement