Research Archives - Jim Joseph Foundation

Latin-Jewish Los Angeles: A Secondary Data Analysis of the 2021 Study of Jewish LA

In 2021, the Study of Jewish LA was conducted to provide a broad overview of diverse Jewish life in the Greater Los Angeles region, and reveal valuable preliminary information regarding the specific experiences of distinct Jewish sub-populations; including Latino/a Jews in Los Angeles. The research described in Latin-Jewish Los Angeles: A Secondary Data Analysis of the 2021 Study of Jewish LA seeks to build upon the 2021 study, by conducting an in-depth secondary analysis of the existing data, uncovering patterns and insights that can inform meaningful actions to support and uplift Latino/a Jews within the broader Jewish community. The report’s introduction notes:

Understanding the experiences of Latino/a Jews is crucial for fostering a more inclusive and equitable Jewish communal life. Many Jewish institutions operate within frameworks that primarily reflect white American Jewish cultural norms, inadvertently sidelining Jews from Latin American, Sephardic, and Mizrahi backgrounds. This study illuminates the specific experiences of Latino/a Jews in areas such as racial, ethnic, and cultural identity, household composition, and Jewish engagement. Latino/a Jewish identity is dynamic, shaped by a blend of linguistic, cultural, and historical influences. Bringing these narratives to the forefront, can help reshape communal perceptions of Jewish identity and expand the frameworks through which Jewish belonging is understood and nurtured.

Most importantly, this study is not just about gathering knowledge—it is about taking action. By examining these important facets of Latino/a-Jewish life in greater depth, we are able to provide Jewish organizations, leaders, and advocates with concrete, evidence-informed recommendations to better serve Latino/a Jews in Los Angeles. In the long term, the impact of this work will be measured by how effectively Jewish communal spaces adapt to become more inclusive and representative of all who identify as Jewish. By ensuring that Latino/a Jews feel seen, heard, and valued, we move closer to building a Jewish Los Angeles that truly embraces the richness of its diverse members.

Key Findings:

Community Snapshot: Latino/a Jewish households in LA are diverse, multigenerational, and geographically spread across the city; 40% speak Spanish at home and 30% are foreign-born.
Identity & Values: Judaism is deeply important (74%); core values include family, tradition, ethics, and social justice, with many households raising children Jewish.
Engagement Patterns: About half belong to synagogues or Jewish orgs; engagement is shaped by factors like friendships, intermarriage, converts, and experiences of antisemitism.
Lived Experiences: Focus groups revealed identity complexity, joy in connecting with other Latin Jews, but also challenges of racism, colorism, and access barriers in Jewish spaces.
Recommendations: Increase Latino/a Jewish cultural visibility, expand bias training and leadership opportunities, provide bilingual/affordable education, and adapt programming to interfaith and multigenerational families.

Latin-Jewish Los Angeles: A Secondary Data Analysis of the 2021 Study of Jewish LA, Final report by Jewtina y Co., Lead Investigator Dr. David McCarty-Caplan, March 2025

Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States: Identities, Experiences, and Communities

READ THE FULL REPORT

JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa commissioned the first-ever national demographic study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States, conducted at NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service under the direction of Dr. Mijal Bitton. As part of the research, scholars at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies (CMJS) at Brandeis University conducted a review of existing quantitative data from national and community studies on Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the U.S. Researchers also closely examined four distinct communities—the Syrian community in Brooklyn, NY, the Persian community in Los Angeles, the Bukharian community in Queens, NY, and the Latin Sephardic community of South Florida. Key findings from Sephardic & Mizrahi Jews in the United States: Identities, Experiences, and Communities:

An estimated 10% of Jewish Americans identify as Sephardic or Mizrahi.
27% of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews are considered economically vulnerable, compared to 18% of Ashkenazi Jews.
Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews tend to be younger, with a median age of 48, compared to 56 for Ashkenazi Jews.
88% of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews report that being Jewish is somewhat or very much a part of their daily life, and 69% donate to Jewish organizations.
Sephardic identity primarily originates in ancestry and religion.
31% of Mizrahi Jewish Americans hold Israeli citizenship, compared to 5% of Ashkenazi Jews.

“The research is more than just insights and data; there’s a roadmap here that we hope will be a catalyst for change,” said Sarah Levin, Executive Director of JIMENA. “Jewish communal leaders and educators can include Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews—and our history, traditions, and current customs—in meaningful, equal ways that reflect the diversity of the Jewish people.”

Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States: Identities, Experiences, and Communities, Dr. Mijal Bitton, August 2025

BREAKWEEK Impact Summary: Exploring the power of collective rest

R&R: The Rest of our Lives is a future-of-work nonprofit dedicated to fostering thriving work environments. In a new Impact Summary, R&R shares key findings and lessons learned from its BREAKWEEK grant pilot, a synchronous one-week break for organizations to disconnect from work to rest and recharge.

Key Data from the Survey:

99% of participants had a positive or very positive experience
92% reported reduced stress or burnout
91% want BREAKWEEK to return next year
71% said their productivity improved after returning to work

Qualitative stories behind these numbers:

I finally slept. For real. For the first time in months.
I came back with clarity and more creative ideas than I’ve had in a while.
Knowing everyone was off made it easier to truly disconnect — no guilt, no fear of missing out.

Access the full Impact Summary and a recoded presentation on key findings.

Communicating Across Differences: Resetting the Table’s Contributions to Strengthening Leaders and Communities

Read An Impact Evaluation: Communicating Across Differences – Resetting the Table’s Contributions to Strengthening Leaders and Communities, by Research Success Technologies

The training with Resetting the Table has been transformational for me. We were taught practical and impactful skills and given the space and tools to practice them. When we were first told to engage with people across difference, I realized that I had already anticipated the other person’s stance. But once we actually started, it turns out their opinion was as nuanced as mine and we grew not only in our understanding of the issue, but in our relationship to one another. – A Federation Executive

Resetting the Table (RTT) works to equip community leaders with tools and skills to enable “collaborative deliberation” in the face of strong differences on contentious issues. The goal is to transform ideological disagreement and conflict into an engine of strengthened relationships and problem-solving, ultimately to build healthier communities and a more cohesive, resilient society. For that purpose, RTT has developed a toolkit of processes, including communication skillbuilding workshops, facilitated community dialogues, narrative training for media makers, multi-perspective educational resources, 10-month intensive trainings, 4-6 session professional development and learning cohorts, and decision-making forums. RTT programs have directly reached more than 80,000 participants across the United States, including people who hold vastly different political views as well as professional roles, ranging from clergy from various faith traditions to TV writers to leaders of national and regional community organizations.

In 2023-24, Research Success Technologies conducted an in-depth evaluation focused on RTT’s work with leaders working within American Jewish organizations at the time of their participation. Researchers assessed the cumulative impact of RTT’s training programs and provided insights for the organization’s future development.

The Need for Communication Across Differences
Communication across differences, while challenging, is a vital component of communities, organizations, and pluralistic societies, and of Jewish life in particular. As shown in this report, communication across differences encompasses a wide range of contentious issues that, when not addressed, become the source of potentially destructive division. Common issues inspiring charged differences include political divides, such as the red/blue polarization affecting American society, and differing views on the role of Israel in Jewish life. They also involve generational gaps, where younger and older members may have contrasting attitudes toward politics, current events, tradition, and religion. Denominational differences, spanning Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and secular Jewish identities, require sensitive dialogue. Additionally, communication across differences is essential in addressing interfaith relations, racial diversity, and responses to antisemitism. Bridging these divides strengthens communal cohesion and resilience.

The contribution of RTT’s training for communication across differences came into sharp focus during the period in which this research was conducted. The project’s launch meeting occurred the week following October 7th. The fallout which continues, and its impact on alumni of RTT’s programs, have afforded deep insight into the critical need for communication across differences in this time of historic crisis. This research shows RTT alumni navigating the emotional and ideological reactions to post-October 7th fault-lines by promoting open, empathetic dialogue, particularly as individuals and organizations grapple with differing perspectives regarding the Israel-Gaza war itself as well as responses to the way the war has impacted college campuses, organizations, and communities.

In this time, many Jewish leaders fear directly addressing ideological divisions – both within Jewish life and between Jews and the society around them. This report tells the story of how skillsets and mindsets for communication across differences can transform ideological diversity from a potentially destructive force into a resource for building healthy, cohesive, and resilient organizations and communities. The report also grapples with the difficulties of reaching the ideal and maximizing the impact of communication across differences.

An Impact Evaluation: Communicating Across Differences – Resetting the Table’s Contributions to Strengthening Leaders and Communities, Ezra Kopelowitz Ph.D., Hadar Franco Galor Ph.D., Jack Gillis M.A. and Kristine Leduc, Research Success Technologies, February 2025

Impact Through Information Influence

This 2025 project by SubCulture Systems explores the impact of new media—including social media, podcasting, and online videos—on reaching and influencing key stakeholders by asking “How does new media influence stakeholders, particularly through reach and exposure frequency, and what are the resulting impacts on behavior and attitudes?” Key activities included a compilation of research on new media’s reach and effectiveness into a literature review, development of frameworks to assess investments, strategies proposed for real-world testing, and identification of potential New Media advisory group members.

“Impact Through Information Influence,” SubCulture Systems, January 2025

Jewish Educators Returning from Israel: Reconceiving Israel Education in the Midst of Seismic Events

Between February and June 2024, the Jim Joseph Foundation supported a partnership between The Jewish Education Project and The iCenter, aided by M² and the Jewish Agency for Israel, to bring 324 educators on short trips to Israel as part of 13 different groups. These trips were launched with the goal of helping educators and educational leaders connect with Israelis, see for themselves the ways in which Israel has changed since October 7, 2023, and engage in joint reflection on what these changes mean for their work and for their responsibilities as Jewish educators.

Findings
The findings from this study relate to two broad themes: first, those concerned with the contribution of the trip to the participants’ work as Israel educators and the ways in which they have incorporated their learnings in their educational practice. And second, what Israel education looks like today in the settings from which participants come, what the participants seek to accomplish, what has changed over the last 12 months and whether those changes have been informed by their trip experience. The report weaves back and forth between these two foci, considering what has changed in the field and what contribution these trips have made to the changes that educators note.

Impact of the Trip
A major part of the survey explored the extent to which the educators’ trips have shaped both the participants’ own practices and their organizations’ approaches to Israel education. While a majority (57%) reported having “incorporated what I learned into my practice,” 30% were still in a planning phase (“I have some ideas and am getting clear what it would take to actualize them”), and 13% are still in a contemplation phase (“I am thinking about how best to do this, but I don’t have concrete ideas yet”). This constitutes a marked change from the weeks immediately after the program when close to half of the participants were still in a planning phase and only a quarter had implemented their learning. Even so, these reactions still underline the extent to which educational change is a slow-moving process.

Interviews with camp educators suggest that their work was more immediately shaped by the trip than those in most other sectors. These educators returned to North America ahead of the summer camp season, needing to consider what, if anything, they would do differently during the coming months. Educators in other settings did not face such pressing deadlines. They are only now implementing changes in the early part of a new academic year.

Jewish Educators Returning from Israel. Reconceiving Israel Education in the Midst of Seismic Events, Rosov Consulting, November 2024

Responding to the Fallout From October 7th: From Crisis to Opportunity

Since the events of October 7th, 2023, Jewish educators have found themselves at the center of an unprecedented challenge, guiding learners through a landscape shaped by intense emotions and complex questions. The research findings show that Jewish educators are experiencing considerable emotional strain, with many expressing anxiety and despair as they navigate teaching in the post-October 7th environment. Educators also report their learners experiencing similar negative emotions including confusion, anger, and isolation in response to the unfolding events. Many feel unprepared for addressing the crisis within their existing frameworks, revealing gaps in training and resources to navigate these challenging topics.

This moment, while difficult, offers a unique opportunity for rethinking how Jewish education responds to crisis and challenge whether involving Israel, or other areas of life that involve emotional challenge and/or the need to address diversity of opinion and behavior. In such moments, individuals must respond to the world around them, and Jewish educators should see themselves as a resource and guide for doing so. Our focus here is the post-October 7th crisis, and the way Jewish educators are responding.

The power of the events playing out is such that educators realize they need to respond. Events include the war in Israel, the ideological prism through which the war is covered in the media and accompanying public discourse amplified by the 2024 Presidential election, the increased diplomatic isolation of Israel, and the sharp rise of antisemitism. The post-October 7th events are existential in nature, causing many Jews to assess their relationship to the Jewish People, to the society around them and to Israel.

As with any crisis or challenge there are diverse Jewish reactions as to how to understand and respond. Drawing on the survey data we show there are currently three approaches among Jewish educators to Israel.

Solidarity: A focus on nurturing a love for Israel, meaning positive emotional bonds.
Criticism: A mirror image of the solidarity approach with the emphasis on enabling criticism of Israel as
legitimate Jewish expression.
Complexity: A third approach, which works to strike a balance arguing that to educate a love of Israel, requires learners not only to form positive emotional bonds but also to formulate their opinion and ability to discuss with others Israel in all its social and political complexity.

The tendency of most educators is to embrace one of the solidarity, complexity or criticism approaches, which we argue is not productive for forging a constructive response to the post October 7th crisis, or any other emotional crisis or challenge. Either solidarity or criticism when taken alone cannot enable education to strengthen emotional bonds between Jews who hold different opinions in the face of crisis. Alternatively, complexity cannot stand as a goal unto itself, as the creation of positive bonds between Jews and Israel is a core goal of Jewish education.

Currently the dominant approach to Israel in Jewish education only emphasizes “solidarity,” educating for love of Israel. The result is that many Jewish educators are unprepared for responding to intensely negative events that require consideration of a complex social, moral and political reality and divisive Jewish communal environment. Many Jewish educators are expressing feelings of anxiety and uncertainty, unsure of how to tackle the negative intensity of their personal emotions and those of their learners.

We call for an integrative approach that emphasizes forging positive emotional bonds between Jews while recognizing the need to enable learners to grapple with both complexity and criticism. Our call is for educators to lead the integration of Israel into Jewish life as a positive force for Jewish belonging and identification. In a moment of crisis, can Jewish educators bring learning and engagement with Israel to serve as a source of constructive bonding between Jews, rather than a catalyst for division?

For this purpose, we draw on the research data to advocate for an integrative model of Jewish education in which Israel in integrated into all areas of the discipline. In so doing educators facilitate (1) Jewish bonding and (2) complex thinking. Educators nurture their learners’ consciousness of belonging to the Jewish People and enable each to develop a robust self-understanding of their desired Jewish life in relationship to other Jews, Israel and the society in which they live.

The Fallout from October 7th: From Crisis to Opportunity, Ezra Kopelowitz Ph.D., Shlomi Ravid Ph.D., Iris Posklinsky Ph.D.,
Jonathan Golden Ph.D. and Jake Gillis M.A., The Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education & Research Success Technologies, November 2024

View a presentation on the report’s key findings. View A Call for Action: Jewish Education on Israel – Post-October 7th.

Reimagining Hebrew School: Research Summary

This research by Sense Worldwide in late 2024 was phase one of a larger emergent strategy project designed to address how we might reinvent or supercharge the supplemental, elementary age Jewish learning experience so that it deeply resonates with and is widely adopted by “the 70%.” The 70% are defined as those North American, non-orthodox, self-identifying Jewish and Jewish+ families who currently choose not to affiliate with traditional Jewish institutions or enroll in traditional supplemental Jewish education. (Note: because this research phase is part of a larger project, the Strategic Hypothesis represents recommendations for applying the findings).

The comprehensive research phase involved several components: a literature review; Global Mind Expansion Sprint; interviews with seven category, cross-category and cultural experts and change-makers; identification of the foundational building blocks for meaningful childhood experiences, modern values and parenting principles; and ethnographic deep dives with 18 unaffiliated families.

The research revealed a diverse set of needs and pain points for the 70% which are distributed over the life cycle of a family unit.

“Reinventing Hebrew School: Research Summary,” Sense Worldwide, December 2024

How People Learn in Jewish Education

This 2024 framework by Dr. Ari Kelman shifts the focus from an approach to Jewish education that caters to learners to one guided by an understanding of learning. It offers a challenge, a charge, and a provocation to Jewish educators and supporters of Jewish education to imagine what might happen to the field if we shift its focus from what Jewish education teaches and instead explore how people learn. The paper begins with an overview of some basic approaches to general theories of learning to establish a framework for exploring their implications for the field of Jewish education. It serves as an invitation to consider what Jewish education might look like if it places the ways that people learn at the center.

Read the research: How People Learn in Jewish Education, Ari Y Kelman, Ph.D., November 2024

Read more insights in eJewish Philanthropy from the Foundation’s Stacie Cherner and Yonah Schiller

Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences: Mixing the Personal and Collective to Make Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences

The Jim Joseph Foundation has prioritized investment in Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences (PJLE) in its effort to enable “all Jews, their families, and their friends to lead connected, meaningful, purpose-filled lives and to make positive contributions to their communities and the world.” This commitment is advanced by signature grantees—BBYO, Foundation for Jewish Camp, Hillel, Birthright Israel, and Moishe House—that provide powerful educational experiences to young people.

Over the last few years, the Foundation has partnered with the team at Rosov Consulting to bring a consistent research lens to the experiences provided by these various organizations. The goal of this partnership has been: (1) to identify both the distinct and common contributions made by each organization to participants at different stages of their young lives, and (2) to identify the components of the experiences they provide that make them so powerful. Researchers set out to learn what special ingredients animate powerful Jewish learning experiences within the context of Jewish youth-serving organizations, Jewish overnight camps, Jewish student organizations at college, Israel experiences, and self-directed settings for emergent Jewish adults. And researchers tried to identify what outcomes such experiences produce.

Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences: Mixing the Personal and Collective to Make Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences, Rosov Consulting, September 2024

Read more insights on this cross-portfolio evaluation by Stacie Cherner, the Foundation’s Director of Research and Learning.

Unserved & Underserved Jewish Research

This study was conducted in spring and summer 2024 by Albi and Clarafy Research in order to learn where and how young American Jews who are currently not served (or are underserved) by mainstream Jewish institutions and organizations contend with, experience, navigate, and see Israel within their own identity.

Findings are based on 13 separate, moderated qualitative discussions with a total of 65 unserved and underserved Jews. Focus group conversations ranged from 90-120 minutes among audiences aged 18-49 who identified as Jewish and were currently not involved in Jewish communal organizations or institutions.

The findings show that young Jews in this study grapple with their identity, antisemitism, and the tensions and complexities of Israel and the Gaza War.

“Unserved & Underserved Jewish Research,” Albi + Clarafy Research, September 2024

Fostering Participatory Learning Approaches in Philanthropy: A Guide for the Curious

Engage R+D, a consulting firm that works with nonprofits, foundations, and public agencies, released a field guide on participatory learning approaches in philanthropy. The guide is based upon the collective expertise of diverse foundations and reflects a range of experiences with such approaches. It aims to be an essential resource for foundation program, learning and evaluation, and executive leaders curious about or actively engaging in participatory practices within their organizations.

This guide champions the cause of making philanthropic work more impactful by broadening who participates in and benefits from learning. Engage R+D invites the reader to co-imagine what a transformative approach to learning could look like, one that embraces inclusive, participatory, and equitable practices involving grantees, community leaders, and funders. They write, “Whether you are beginning to explore or looking to deepen your participatory learning practices, this guide is equipped with tools, examples, and insights to support you on this path.”

Why Participatory Learning Now?
Participatory learning represents a critical evolution in philanthropy. It is grounded in the belief that those most affected by social issues hold invaluable insights into creating effective solutions. This guide, developed by tapping into the rich experiences of funders, grantees, and learning consultants, defines participatory learning as the deliberate inclusion of grantees and community members in the learning activities of projects or programs. This approach not only aims to gather firsthand perspectives to deepen understanding and challenge unconscious assumptions, but it also strives to share and shift decision-making power to those traditionally on the periphery of such processes.

Fostering Participatory Learning Approaches in Philanthropy: A Guide for the Curious, Engage R+D, May 2024