Sue Fishkoff
With flurry of new local studies, Jewish communities seeing trends and making changes
Local population studies measure American Jewry
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Jewish community spends a lot of money counting itself.
So does the United States as a whole: The 2010 U.S. Census cost taxpayers $13 billion.
The Jewish community counts its own for much the same reasons: to get a representative picture of the Jewish population, as well as detailed information to assess needs, raise money, plan services and measure the effectiveness of existing programs.
While the era of the national Jewish study appears to be over — there are no plans for continuing the decennial National Jewish Population Survey, which last time around cost $6 million — local Jewish communal leaders are still investing heavily in surveying their own communities.
Beyond canned food drives: Jewish food gardens donate bounty
BERKELEY, Calif. – Tali Weinberg walks along the rows of leafy green vegetables poking out of neatly raised beds of soil at Urban Adamah, a newly launched Jewish garden project in this university town.
“We’re growing chard, kale, lettuce, summer squash, cucumbers, beans, basil, fennel, dill, tatsoi, broccoli, cabbage,” she said, surveying the garden. Later in the summer, they will add peppers, tomatoes and eggplants.
Almost all of it will be donated to two local agencies that feed the poor: a low-income medical clinic and a neighboring church.
Local camps balance safety and fun
Jewish camps review safety measures in wake of Ramah Darom tragedy
It’s the nightmare of every parent — and every teacher, youth leader, and camp director.
When a child dies in an accident while in someone else’s care, the agonizing questions begin: Could we have done anything different? Were all the proper procedures followed? And above all, how can we keep children safe while still ensuring that they have a fun and meaningful summer?
The Jewish camping community is asking such questions with the death of Andrew Silvershein, 16, of Davie, Fla., who drowned June 19 on a whitewater rafting trip during his first week at Ramah Darom, a Conservative movement summer camp in northern Georgia.
