A Community Study released on March 24 by the Jewish Federation of St. Louis will serve as a guide to form action steps and strengthen the Jewish community. During a town hall meeting March 24 at Federation, more than 150 attendees were introduced to the key findings of the study.
Following an introduction to the initiative by Dahlia Oppenheimer and John Greenberg, the community study co-chairs, newly appointed Federation CEO Danny Cohn praised the project’s volunteer advisory committee and staff support. He also offered a preview of its ongoing impact.
“This research gives us more than just numbers,” Cohn said. “It provides us a roadmap for understanding who we are, how we connect to a Jewish life, and where we must focus our efforts to grow and sustain a thriving Jewish community.”
The comprehensive study was conducted by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University and NORC at the University of Chicago. Matt Brookner, associate research scientist at the Cohen Center, told the audience he saw many positives in the study results.
“In many communities, it’s always the same people who are the federation donors and JCC members and members of the largest congregations,” Brookner said. “Here, there’s a lot more people who are part of the core involved members of the community. A quarter belong to the JCC, right over a third belong to a congregation, two-thirds attend programs. That paints the picture of a really involved and committed community.”
In the Q&A session following the formal presentation, several community members asked how the study would inform next steps to address the findings. Brookner said the Cohen Center research team had recommendations for some areas of follow-up study and action.
“One is the geography piece, where people are living, with 22% in the city of St. Louis,” he said. “There’s just one physical synagogue presence in the city at CRC. What are the infrastructural resources that are needed? Do organizations and agencies need to set up a storefront? Are there any congregations that need to move? Do people need to start something new? Or are people living in the city going to figure it out on their own and the Federation’s role is to support them in that.”
Brookner also addressed the study findings about financial insecurity that showed 17% of Jewish households are struggling to make ends meet.
“A lot of attention and focus is on the people with the highest acute need and by all means that is deeply important,” Brookner said. “But there are also a lot more people who might need something like bridge loans or temporary loans to get them through a particularly tough time and might have an easier time getting back up on their feet and investing human service agency resources into preparing to support families that need help.”
