2023-24 Milwaukee Jewish Community Study
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation is launching a demographic study of the Milwaukee Jewish community. The study will provide us with the tools that enable organizations and donors to effectively meet the needs and continue building a vibrant Jewish future. This is one of the most significant undertakings for MJF. Agencies, synagogues, other community organizations, our donors, and our staff need demographic information to help make funding, staffing, and programmatic decisions. The study’s results will inform the next decade of MJF’s and the community’s priorities. Through the study, we will learn more about our community, from the number of children who could attend Jewish schools in the future, to local trends in older adults needs, and everything in between.
MJF has partnered with Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct the study. This team has experience conducting over 30 Jewish community studies throughout the country.
We expect data collection to take place from November through February. During this time, you may get contacted by the Cohen Center or NORC with an invitation to complete the survey. This may include letter, phone calls, and/or emails from either team. Households will be selected at random, and survey responses will be confidential.
The goals of the 2023-2024 Milwaukee Jewish Community Study are as follows:
- Collect data to support planning throughout the Milwaukee Jewish Community
- Estimate the size of the Jewish population (individuals and households) in our region
- Describe the demographic characteristics and geographic distribution of the Jewish population in our region
- Understand how specific groups are or are not engaging in and relating to Judaism and the Milwaukee Jewish community and what drives those behaviors and attitudes
- Identify unmet social service and Jewish engagement needs in the Milwaukee Jewish community
- Learn about our community’s philanthropic behaviors
- Compare data to past local community studies and relevant national studies
Results
We anticipate collecting data in fall 2023 and releasing the study findings in 2024.
Questions?
At Milwaukee Jewish Federation
Darla Flemming
Director of Community Planning
Milwaukee Jewish Federation
414-390-5769
DarlaF@MilwaukeeJewish.org
At Brandeis University Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies
Matthew Boxer
Assistant Research Professor
Brandeis University Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies
781-736-3968
MBoxer@Brandeis.edu