Jewish Identification Differentials in Israel and in the United States: Similarity Structure Analysis

Abstract

Because of the complex nature of Jewish identification and its reliance on a variety of measurable concepts, studies of identification patterns and trends should rely on an assessment of several aspects simultaneously rather than a single aspect at a time. This paper demonstrates the use of Similarity Structure Analysis (SSA) in developing an integrated approach to the study of Jewish identification. Rather than relying on reported frequencies of behaviors and attitudes, SSA focuses on the underlying structure and meaning of the several variables simultaneously involved in a given phenomenology. In this study 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 conducted in 2013 and Israel’s Religiously Divided Society conducted in 2015. Identical sets of questions were selected and compared for the two countries – comprising together nearly 85% of world Jewry – and for five age groups within each country SSA maps synthesize and compress huge amounts of information – which would not be possible with conventional techniques. By demonstrating similarities and dissimilarities by country of residence and generation, we unveil rich and unexpected textures and tensions in contemporary Jewish identification nationally and transnationally.