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Demographic Study

  January 2006  Tevet 5766

Ira M. Sheskin, Ph.D.  
Director of the Jewish Demography Project
of the Sue and Leonard Miller
Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies
 
Associate Professor
Department of Geography and Regional Studies
University of Miami

isheskin@miami.edu


For the FULL summary report,
CLICK HERE (5 MB).



On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, we are pleased to present this Summary Report of the comprehensive demographic study of the Jewish community of South Palm Beach County–Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Highland Beach. The information it contains will provide us with important data which will be of use to Federation, local agencies, synagogues and organizations, as well as the members of the Jewish community on whose behalf all of these institutions exist.

Once again, we have been most fortunate to have Dr. Ira M. Sheskin, Ph.D. serve as study director. Dr. Sheskin serves as the Director of the Jewish Demography Project of the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies and as Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Regional Studies at the University of Miami. When it comes to Jewish community studies in Florida and throughout the entire United States, he is the “dean,” having completed more such studies than any other demographer. His experience evidences itself in the design and results. We are very confident that the greatest possible degree of reliability and accuracy has been attained.

We wish to give special thanks to our Demographic Study Committee, co-chaired by Howard DuBosar and Jan Savarick, for their effort and input. If you ask the right questions, you get the information you need, and they made important choices in this regard. We want to acknowledge the important role played by Richard Jacobs, Vice President, Community Planning, in staffing the committee and in coordinating all aspects of the study. And to our respondents, a special thank you for being so cooperative and forthright with your answers.

The information contained herein is fascinating, exciting, and staggering all at the same time. It is a treasure chest that must be searched for its precious nuggets of information. Each fact is just one piece of a bigger puzzle that must be explored. This provides us with a powerful tool to enhance our programmatic and capital planning efforts, and to enable us to bring concrete plans to the fore. The burden is now on our collective shoulders. We believe this study will help to build Jewish community, advance Jewish life, and enhance Jewish connections locally, nationally, in Israel, and around the world.

This study is Federation’s gift to the entire Jewish community. It is up to all of us to “use it, or lose it.”

 


 


For the FULL summary report,
CLICK HERE (5 MB).

For selected topics, please click on the links below:

Maps (1.9MB)- South Palm Beach Geographic Areas, and Distribution of Jewish Households
Major Themes of the Study (147KB)
Major Findings–South Palm Beach (112KB)
Key Findings–Boca Raton (80KB)
Key Findings–Delray Beach (80KB)
Comparisons with Other Jewish Communities (98KB)
Major Changes, 1995-2005 (92KB)
Introduction (123KB)
Geographic Profile (193KB) - Population Size and Distribution, Migration and Ethnicity, Adult Children
Demographic Profile (365KB) - Age, Household Size, Household Structure, Marital Status, Secular Education, Employment Status, Housing Value, Household Income
Religious Profile (379KB) - Jewish Identification, Practices, Synagogue Attendance, Types of Marriage
Jewish Membership/Connection (184KB) - Organizations, Feel a Part of the Jewish Community
Jewish Education (359KB) - Adults–Formal & Informal, Children–Preschool/Child Care; Jewish Day School; School Age Children, & Informal
Jewish Agencies/Schools (153KB) - Familiarity & Perception
Social Service Needs (161KB)
Israel (131KB)
Anti-Semitism (86KB)
Holocaust Survivors (54KB)
Media Preference (146KB)
Philanthropic Profile (568KB) - Overall Donations, JFSPBC Donations, Other Donations, Market Share, Wills, Volunteerism, Attitudes
Appendix (105KB)- Major Findings–Palm Beach County

 

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