Weekly...Monthly...Rarely...Never

Today is the final day for our Passover4All campaign. We have raised our goal to $15,000 to help local families celebrate a joyous Passover seder and to buy additional food. Please give generously.

There has been a lot written in the news recently about religion in America. A survey by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) says that 26% of Americans now consider themselves unaffiliated from religion (66% of this group were brought up in a nominally religious household). This is the highest level of non-religiosity in the poll’s history. Some interesting findings:

• 53% of Americans say that religion is important in their lives, down from 72% in 2013.

• Catholics are seeing the largest declines in affiliation of any religious group.

• Black Protestants and Jewish Americans have the highest retention rates of all religious groups.

• 67% of religiously unaffiliated Americans left their faith tradition because they stopped believing in their religion’s teachings due to tension between religious beliefs and mainstream culture.

• More Americans today have “converted” out of religion than have converted to all forms of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam combined. 

Axios published this article highlighting Oregonians are among the

nation’s least religious. Among Oregon adults, 62% say they never or seldom attend religious services, compared with the national average of 49%.

For the past six months I have been following Ryan Burge’s blog, Graphs About Religion. Burge is a pastor, university professor, and one of the country’s leading data analysts on religion and politics.

This past week, he tracked the religiosity of high school seniors from 1976 through 2022. You will see below multiple graphs (each has a clear description) that tell an interesting story.

“Rarely” and “monthly” have moved very little over the last 40 years. But look at “weekly” and “never.” “Weekly attendance” has dropped in half and “never attendance” has basically tripled. Today, 70% of people attend religious services less than once a month while in 1976 the number was 47%.

The two charts above are based on school grades. Focus only on those with “weekly” attendance. It is accurate that students who perform better in school are more likely to attend services, yet those with higher grades have also experienced a faster decline than those with lower grades -- dropping by more than half.

The top three categories have been fairly consistent. But since 2000, the peak of religious importance, the number of high school seniors who say religion is not important has almost doubled.

Here is another way to look at this (note this chart is for 1995-2022):

What does all this mean? I am not really sure. Whether young or old, the trajectory for years is that people in America are less religious than previous generations.

Let us remember, those who were seniors in high school in the 1970s and 1980s are now in their 50s and 60s. Where would they be today on these charts? And, based on the data, it is their children and grandchildren who are far less likely to attend religious services. If they are not attending, then what does that mean for their children as parents are the "driver" -- literally and figuratively?

The PRRI study highlights that those who participate in religious services are seeking community, a "kehillah." This is one reason Jewish tradition requires a minyan (quorum of 10 people) -- a prayer community with an emphasis on communal responsibility.

On the other end of the spectrum, according to the Pew Research Center, religiously unaffiliated Americans are less likely to feel satisfied with their community and social life, less likely to volunteer, and more likely to say they feel lonely. They have found few alternative methods to build a sense of community.

Religious services have always been about community and coming together for a shared purpose. Synagogues play the leading role. Sadly, too many people have feelings of isolation and loneliness, pandemic or not. Instead of being with others, we are trapped by our phones (texts) and computers (emails), social media and gaming, and our streaming channels. Religious services (and other Jewish gatherings) provide important in-person connections. I truly believe our Jewish communal spaces are open and welcoming to anyone and everyone who wishes to be a part of something bigger than themselves. It is up to you to step up and step out -- whether weekly, monthly, or rarely -- but never never.

A few updates:

The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland is excited to be one of four national communities to pilot a new program to engage young people. Started in Seattle, Reset & Refresh invites young couples of mixed heritage (includes a myriad of combinations that cross religions, denominations, spiritual practice, race, ethnicity, and backgrounds) into a welcoming Jewish space for self-discovery, rejuvenation, deepening relationships, and building community.

This seven-session program (starting in May and running through June) uses Shabbat as a compass to explore Jewish life, deepen relationships, and make meaningful connections with other couples. To apply for the program, please click here.

On Tuesday, the Pew Research Center published a troubling survey that showed most Americans, and nearly 90% of American Jews, have seen a rise in antisemitism since October 7. But the survey, sadly, also found that one in 10 respondents says Americans should be allowed to call for violence against Jews or Muslims.

We are hearing a great deal from Jewish students in our local schools and college campuses about antisemitism they are experiencing. Here is an important article that provides tips for students and parents on how to confront antisemitism and take the proper steps to report and de-escalate. In addition, please contact the Jewish Federation to let us know of any incidents so we can serve as a resource.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom.