Jewish Silicon Valley is proud to be a part of the Koret Initiative on Jewish Peoplehood.
Building Communal Identity and Developing Strategic Initiatives
The Santa Clara County Jewish Community Study, funded by Chai House, Inc. and commissioned by Jewish Silicon Valley, is the first study designed to catalyze Jewish communal partnerships and collective action across the entire county. While the county’s Jewish community has traditionally been divided between areas in and around San Jose and areas to the north around Palo Alto and Los Altos, this study has deliberately taken a broader view. It has sought to transcend the traditional divide and begin, instead, to build a Santa Clara County Jewish communal identity and set the foundation for initiating collective strategic initiatives.
Community Study Goals:
Uncover & Clarify
the concerns, needs, preferences, ideas, and suggestions of people who identify as Jewish
or are somehow connected to Judaism.
Provide reliable & relevant data
for determining funding priorities for supporting and enhancing Jewish life in Santa Clara County.
Understand and increase accessibility
of the spiritual, racial, gender & sexuality and economic diversity of the Jewish community.
Assess programs, activities & assets
that exist spatially within the region.
Establish a continual learning network
that is responsive to changes and growth within the community from this point onward.
Process & Findings
The community-wide survey and organizational inventories were conducted before the October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war. The majority of the focus groups were conducted after October 7, 2023. While October 7th and its aftermath are watershed events in Israel and for the United States Jewish community, the study’s key findings remain valid and valuable in the post-October 7 world for several reasons. Chief among these is the Jewish community’s trajectory toward greater collaboration and stronger partnerships. October 7th and its aftermath made that trajectory more salient than ever, and amplified the need to build on the communal momentum that the study has set in motion.
The study process comprised several distinct components.
- An initial series of discussions with dozens of community professionals and volunteers to understand what they hoped to learn from the study.
- Three modes of data collection, including an opt-in individual survey, focus groups/interviews, and organizational inventories.
- Mapping of the Jewish community’s physical assets.
After initial data was collected and analyzed, the team hosted shareback sessions with key stakeholders to collectively identify the most pressing issues and opportunities.
The study found seven critical topics that are top of mind for the Jewish Community, identified seven specific groups of particular interest to community members, and revealed several opportunities to address challenges for each.
Topics
Safety and Security
Supporting communal initiatives, combating antisemitism and ensuring the safety and security of local Jewish institutions is a top priority.
91%
of Jewish organizations reported that they already had security policies in place.
66%
of respondents said they think there is a lot or some antisemitism in Santa Clara County
41%
perceive antisemitism as increasing
40%
More than 40% of respondents said they had either witnessed or directly experienced antisemitism in the past 12 months, a figure especially heightened for ages 18-34 (76%).
Opportunities
After October 7, organizations are increasingly interested in further conversations about communal safety and security, even as most of them already had such policies in place.
Human Service Needs
Exhibit 5. Percentage of survey respondents reporting human service needs for themselves or someone they care for (N=1052-1077)
Providing for the human service needs of community members is a critical function of Jewish communal agencies.
There are wide-ranging human service needs in the community.
40%
Identified mental health needs for themselves or their children (32%)
Needs include:
Financial planning; employment; coordinating or providing care for a relative or friend; physical, visual, or auditory disabilities; activities of daily living; affordable housing; services for older adults aging in their own homes; and transportation services for older adults
68%
of survey respondents identified at least one of the 21 service needs the survey asked about.
Substantial Service Gaps Exist
Fewer older adult service needs were met including Identifying needs for respite care for caregivers, affordable housing, and employment.
Opportunities
Jewish organizational help for older adult services, including independent living facilities, assisted living facilities, and services to prevent social isolation. Room to Improve the extent to which community members receive communication and help for their human service needs.
Community Priorities: Funding and Programming
Combating antisemitism, ensuring the safety and security of local Jewish institutions, and human services are top funding priorities.
There is a general relationship between feeling connected to a Jewish community in Santa Clara County and thinking funding for communal initiatives and programs is very important; and in many cases, funding priorities reflect the interests and perspectives of demographic and life- stage and identity groups.
57%
of those who have faced economic distress in the past three years think it is very important to fund financial aid for participation in Jewish organizations and programs
73%
of respondents with children in their households, think it is very important to fund programs for Jewish families with young children
86%
of respondents living in a household where they or someone else identifies as LGBTQ+ said it is very important to fund programs for LGBTQ+ Jews
Priorities for Jewish Community Programming Topics:
Jewish food and cooking, social and entertainment events, and programming for parents with their children
Opportunities
Both funding priorities and programming interests point to opportunities for increased communal attention on families with children—both teenagers and younger children—and older adults.
Barriers to Connection and Participation
Barriers to connection are suppressing communal participation.
The two most commonly cited barriers are a lack of time and finding no appealing programs, events, or activities, but other barriers include:
Participants in interfaith relationships or mixed heritage backgrounds cited feelings of not being “Jewish enough” as keeping them from more fully participating in the community.
LGBTQ+ participants pointed to discomfort in some more traditional Jewish settings
Participants who identify as Persons of Color noted that even one experience of feeling unwelcome can be a powerful deterrent to future participation.
For people with disabilities, both visible and not, physical and social-emotional behavioral barriers exist.
Perceived class differences and feelings of being out of place in upscale buildings and facilities.
“The one place [in my town] where there are family activities is the Chabad, they don't know that I'm bi. That, and the fact that my mother converted while she was pregnant and I’m now in an interfaith marriage—I don't feel like I can really be myself.”
Priorities for Jewish Community Programming Topics:
Jewish food and cooking, social and entertainment events, and programming for parents with their children
Opportunities
Both funding priorities and programming interests point to opportunities for increased communal attention on families with children—both teenagers and younger children—and older adults.
Leadership Pipeline
The leadership pipeline issue reflects communal concerns over leadership development and communal norms around volunteering and donating to Jewish causes.
33%
Of young adults agree there is a strong sense that community members should donate to Jewish organizations and causes
86%
Of young adults agree there is a strong sense they should volunteer for Jewish organizations and causes.
86%
Of young adults agree that there is a clear and understandable way to get involved in community leadership.
Many young single adults do not perceive the community as serving their interests or needs. Starting to address those needs and interests must come before asking them to take on volunteer and philanthropic leadership roles.
Opportunities
Communal organizations need to build and nurture a leadership pipeline by engaging young adults around their needs and interests before they can expect them to be willing to move into leadership positions.
Jewish Organizations
Santa Clara County Jewish organizations are diverse in terms of budgets, staff, and constituents.
Top Revenue Sources include membership and program fees, tuition, fundraising, and philanthropic grants.
Close to half of the organizations reported that they have engaged in strategic planning within the past two years.
More than 80% of organizations report they have a board of trustees or directors
More than ¾ of the organizations said it is challenging to identify and recruit qualified staff
About ⅓ of the organizations have bylaws and review them on a regular basis
Opportunities
Data from the inventory indicate a substantial number of organizations are open to greater organizational collaboration. More than half expressed an interest in discussing shared services and spaces, and 40% are interested in a communal conversation about security (a proportion that may be higher in the aftermath of October 7).
Israel
Exhibit 10. Connections to Israel among survey respondents (N=1084)
*The community survey was completed before October 7. Survey results should be understood as a benchmark reading of connections with, attitudes toward, and concerns about Israel in the community prior to October 7.
General support for and connections to Israel are strong including concern about Israel’s security; recognition of Israel’s vital role in the Jewish people’s future; and pride in Israel’s accomplishment .
Support of and talking about Israel can be complicated and respondents are looking for organizations to help the community have the conversation.
⅖ feel safe all or most of the time expressing opinions about Israel to other Jews in the county
¾ say it is very or somewhat important for Jewish organizations to create safe spaces for expressing views about Israel.
A strong majority say the actions of Israel affect how people perceive Jews in the United States
50% think it is appropriate for US Jews to try to influence Israeli policy toward the Palestinians and Israeli policy on the role of religion in Israeli society.
Opportunities
Create safe spaces and facilitate conversations among community members about their feelings toward, concerns about,connections to, and perspectives on Israel.
Groups
Children and Teenagers
The Jewish organizational landscape serving children and teenagers in Santa Clara County is robust.
50%
of all survey respondents enroll their children in formal Jewish educational experiences and quality of programming and cost are the top decision-making factors.
“We live in an area with such wonderful public schools, and it’s such a constant battle for us to figure out whether to keep my daughter at day school or to put her into public school. It's hard not to take [Universal Free Pre-K] into consideration.”
Teens:
The Jewish experience is especially important as both a bridge and foundation to the independent decisions about Jewish engagement that they will inevitably make as emerging
Adults.
Need shorter opportunities for Jewish engagement that can accommodate teenagers’ busy schedules
Desire for programming that Jewish teens can bring their non-Jewish friends to.
Opportunities
For parents, the overall quality of education programs is key to their enrollment and loyalty. The community can support teenagers in particular through integrated programming that combines volunteer hours, work experience, and internships, in addition to Jewish programming that is inclusive, non judgemental, and open to their non-Jewish friends.
Young Adults
Top barriers to young adults, ages 18-34, feeling more connected include difficulty finding information, time, lack of appealing programs, and costs. They often feel invisible to communal organizations, especially when they are not married or partnered and/or do not have children.
90%
are interested interest in Jewish food, cooking, and holidays and religious practices.
64%
are interested in social and entertainment events
52%
are interested in community relations/advocacy on behalf of Jewish communities
Young adults face challenges around antisemitism and mental health.
They are much more likely to say that due to concerns for their safety, they have at times deliberately concealed their Jewish identities either online or in-person, did not wear or took off something distinctively Jewish, or decided not to attend a Jewish event.
55% of young adults said they had needs for mental or emotional health services in the year before the survey.
Opportunities
Communal organizations need to build and nurture a leadership pipeline by engaging young adults around their needs and interests before they can expect them to be willing to move into leadership positions.
Older Adults
Exhibit 5. Percentage of survey respondents reporting human service needs for themselves or someone they care for (N=1052-1077)
Community members prioritize the well-being of older adults.
The top three services that respondents want Jewish organizations to provide should they need them are:
1. Independent living facilities
2. Assisted living facilities
3. Services to prevent social isolation for older adults.
65+ feel more connected to a Jewish community in Santa Clara County and are more likely to donate to Jewish causes and to serve on boards, committees, and task forces than their younger counterparts.
Top barriers to feeling more connected:
Lack of appealing programs, events, and activities, cost, and suspicion they will be asked to donate money.
Type of programming they are interested in:
Jewish arts, culture, and literature, social and entertainment events, Jewish foods and cooking, and Jewish holidays and religious practices.
Opportunities
The Jewish community often serves as an important source of support for older adults and for those who are responsible for their care. There are opportunities for further accommodations through offsite and satellite programming for older adults, especially for those who may live at a distance from current facilities and onsite programming. Needs for many human services increase among those ages 80 and older, a population that may need additional resources from the community to age with dignity and as much independence as possible.
Newcomers to Santa Clara County
Percentage of survey respondents who said it is “very important” for the Santa Clara County Jewish community to fund … (N=1101)
Newcomers face a distinct set of challenges – Settling into a new area and establishing Jewish social and organizational connections often takes time.
Newcomers tend to be young (57% are 18-34), married (77%), and have children (67% ) and report feeling less strongly connected to a Jewish community than others.
Top barriers newcomers cited to greater communal connections are:
Time, cost, lack of information, and being new to the area.
Newcomers programming interests include:
Jewish foods and cooking, social and entertainment events, Jewish holiday and religious practices, Jewish arts, culture and literature, and sports and recreational activities.
Opportunities
Devise a contemporary version of a “welcome wagon” community of practice and offer a centralized online information portal and help with economic challenges as they settle into life and Jewish community in Santa Clara County.
Diverse Identity Groups
Exhibit 13. Attitudes and perceptions of diverse identity respondents in the Santa Clara County Jewish community (Jews of Color N=65; LGBTQ+ N=72; Interfaith N=361; Has disability N=115)
Jewish communities are increasingly diverse.
80%
who identify as Jews of Color said it is important to them to have a Jewish community with other Jews of Color
60%
of LGBTQ+ respondents and interfaith respondents said it is important to them to have a Jewish community with others who share their identities
50%
of Jews of Color and interfaith respondents said that Jewish communities are welcoming to them
6%
of LGBTQ+ respondents say Jewish communities offer them meaningful programs, activities, and opportunities
Opportunities
Building a culture of welcoming to diverse identity groups is both a major challenge and an opportunity for the Santa Clara County Jewish community to create caring resources.
Immigrants: Russian-Speaking Jews and Israelis
Exhibit 14. Selected Jewish connections of Russian-speaking Jews and Israelis (Russian-speaking Jews N=51; Israelis N=235)
The two largest Jewish immigrant groups in Santa Clara County, Russian-speaking Jews (RSJs) and Israelis, share several social and demographic similarities.
The median number of years in the county for each group is about 10
Both groups are highly educated, with 70% of Israelis and 80% of RSJs having a college degree or more.
Both are less likely than others to belong to a synagogue but much more likely than others to participate in Chabad.
Opportunities
Bringing both Israelis and, especially, Russian-speaking Jews into closer connection with communal organizations. Communal organizations can build on the fact that nearly two-thirds of each group feels comfortable in most Jewish organizational spaces, while also focusing on developing programs that are more meaningful to them.
The Economically Vulnerable
Exhibit 16. Adverse consequences of economic vulnerability for Jewish children (Economically vulnerable N=101; not economically vulnerable N=204)
Financial costs have prevented respondents and their children from participating in Jewish programs and education, joining synagogues and other Jewish organizations, traveling to Israel, purchasing kosher food, participating in holiday celebrations, and donating to Jewish causes.
23%
of respondents indicated some level of economic precariousness within the past three years.
“My children went to a religious school at [synagogue]. The primary group of kids there ... were a different financial demographic than us. And they had their cohort from their schools and my kids felt excluded. They did not make friends at Hebrew school, and that was a real disappointment for us on their behalf.”
Opportunities
There are numerous ways that communal organizations can help those who are facing economic adversity, from financial assistance for material necessities like food and medicine, to support for access to human services and scholarships for widening the communal connections and participation of adults and children in ways that maintain the dignity of those in need, many of whom are uncomfortable asking for help.
Community Maps
Likely Jewish Households, North
Likely Jewish Households, South
JSV and OFJCC Members
2017 Community Study Denominations
2017 Community Study Regions
Call To Action:
“Funders and organizations should feel empowered to use the study’s robust range of data and findings as a foundation for helping to determine funding priorities, as well as for informing their current practice and strategic planning,” said Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia
Announcing Phase 2
Jewish Silicon Valley is extending its collaboration with Rosov Consulting on a second phase of the community study. During this second phase, community members will work through a structured and professionally facilitated framework with the goal of creating and implementing a collective set of initiatives addressing the noted opportunities from the study.
Rooted in a new way of collaborating and thinking about addressing the needs of the Jewish community, initiatives will include specific key performance indicators and evaluation milestones.
Contact
To see the full, raw data click here, and please contact: Rachelle Vogler, Community Study Project Manager, at: communi[email protected], for the password.
If you have any questions regarding the report please contact: Rachelle Vogler, Community Study Project Manager, at: communi[email protected].
For media kit and marketing graphics please email [email protected]
If you have any general questions about the Community Study,
please contact: Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia, Chief Community Officer, at: [email protected]
Previous Studies
This Community Study has been informed by and builds upon previous Bay Area-wide surveys. Feel free to peruse the following to gain a better understanding of the previous studies that have informed the 2024 Connecting and Mapping Jewish Life in Santa Clara County study.
2017 Previous Study – A Portrait of Bay Area Jewish Life and Communities
Acknowledgements
On behalf of Jewish Silicon Valley, we are excited to share with you the 2024 Santa Clara County Jewish Community Study: Building Communal Identity and Developing Strategic Initiatives. We hope the robust range of data and findings in this study will help you better understand the diverse, interconnected, and vibrant Jewish Communities of Santa Clara County, and will guide you (and all of us) in strengthening Jewish life in our region.
We are deeply grateful for the trust and support of the board of Chai House, Inc., which motivated and fully funded this study. We are also grateful for our partnership with the dynamic team at Rosov Consulting including: Dr. Wendy Rosov, Founder and Principal; Dr. Laurence Kotler-Berkowitz, Senior Director and the study’s lead; Dr. Evelyn Dean-Olmstead, Senior Project Associate; Megan Brown, Project Associate; and Brian Blumenband, Associate Director. We appreciate the team’s enthusiasm in working with us to craft an integrated, multi-faceted study designed to encourage communal collaboration and collective action. We are grateful to Dr. Helen Kim for guiding us to think through issues of equity and inclusion as we designed and implemented study components; as well as to the study’s advisory committee members: Trista Bernstein, Susan Frazer, Nathaniel Bergson-Michelson, Scott Kaufman and Danielle Patterson for their ongoing support. We are grateful to Rachelle Vogler, whose expert project management contributed immensely to the study’s smooth execution.
We are also deeply grateful to all of those community members who contributed their time and thought to the study’s components: the participants in stakeholder engagement sessions, focus groups, individual interviews, and shareback sessions; along with the survey and organizational inventory respondents.
This collective effort, which engaged hundreds of community members, shows what is possible when we join together in service of a worthy common cause. It is our hope that this effort becomes the groundwork for additional collective engagements in service of a more vibrant, resilient and impactful Jewish community in our region. May this report spark ongoing curiosity, innovation, and community connections in the months and years to come, and may we, collectively, go from strength to strength.
Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia
Chief Community Officer, Jewish Silicon Valley
Daniel Klein
CEO, Jewish Silicon Valley
Avery Kaufman
Board Chair, Jewish Silicon Valley