Jewish Identification Differentials in the United States and in Israel: A Structural Analysis

Because of the complex nature of Jewish identification and its reliance on a variety of measurable concepts, studies of identification patterns and trends better rely on an assessment of several aspects simultaneously and not of a single aspect at a time. This chapter demonstrates the use of Similarity Structure Analysis (SSA) in developing an integrated approach to the study of Jewish identification. The analysis illustrates the underlying structure and meaning of the several variables involved in the multi-dimensional complex of Jewish identification. We address 28 Jewish identification variables in the US and Israel using a unified database specially created from two Pew Research Center surveys: Portrait of Jewish Americans (2013a) and Israel's Religiously Divided Society (2016). Identical sets of questions were selected and compared for the two countries – comprising together nearly 85% of world Jewry – and for five broad age groups within each country. A huge amount of information is synthetized and compressed, outlining complex trends, which would not be easy with conventional data processing techniques. Similarities and dissimilarities, by country of residence and by generation, unveil rich and unexpected textures and tensions in contemporary Jewish identification nationally and transnationally.