Poor Jews: An Analysis of Low Income in the American Jewish Population

Abstract

This article examines low income in the American Jewish population. It situates the study of the Jewish poor within a broader sociological framework by utilizing general sources on poverty among Americans to identify and test a range of predictors of low income among American Jews. Using data from the National Jewish Population Survey 2000–2001, it finds six major predictors of low income: age, education, employment status, family-household type and its interaction with gender, citizenship status and Jewish denomination. Importantly, it shows that the simultaneous presence of several predictors is necessary to raise the probability of having low income above the Jewish population’s mean rate, and it builds on this finding to examine the factors that contribute to low income among Orthodox, immigrant and elderly Jews. The article also investigates social correlates and communal consequences of low income, demonstrating a pattern of poorer health, increased social service needs and diminished communal participation among the Jewish poor. It concludes with a discussion of a research agenda on economic vulnerability among American Jews.