2018 Survey of Jews in Canada Final Report.Pdf
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2018 Survey of Jews in Canada Final Report Robert Brym Keith Neuman Rhonda Lenton This study was conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, in partnership with the following organizations: UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO In 1999, Ed Clark endowed the S.D. Clark Chair of Sociology at the University of Toronto in honour of his late father, the first Chair of Sociology at U of T. Funds from the S.D. Clark Chair of Sociology supported this research. The Department of Sociology and the Office of Advancement at the University of Toronto also provided invaluable assistance. YORK UNIVERSITY This project was supported in part from research funds of the author provided by York University. York is Canada’s third largest university committed to providing a broad demographic of students a high quality, research-intensive learning experience and contributing to the betterment of society. ENVIRONICS INSTITUTE FOR SURVEY RESEARCH The Environics Institute for Survey Research sponsors relevant and original public opinion and social research related to issues of public policy and social change. It is through such research that organizations and individuals can better understand Canada today, how it’s been changing, and where it may be heading. For more information about this study, contact: Keith Neuman, Ph.D. The Environics Institute for Survey Research 416-969-2457 [email protected] This study was made possible in part through the generous support of the following organizations: 2018 Survey of Jews in Canada ii Contents List of figures ................................................................................................................................................................................................. iv Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Executive summary .................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter 1: The Canadian Jewish population ....................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2: Jewish identity .................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 3: Jewish life and practice .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Chapter 4: Jewish upbringing .......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Chapter 5: Intermarriage and the upbringing of children ........................................................................................ 39 Chapter 6: Discrimination and anti-Semitism ..................................................................................................................... 47 Chapter 7: Connection to Israel ...................................................................................................................................................... 57 Chapter 8: Connection to local Jewish community ........................................................................................................ 65 Chapter 9: Sephardim and Jews from the former Soviet Union and Israel .................................................. 73 Appendix: Survey methodology .................................................................................................................................................. 77 References ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 81 About the authors .................................................................................................................................................................................... 84 2018 Survey of Jews in Canada iii List of figures Figure I-1: Survey sample by city ................................................................................................................................................ 2 Figure 1-1: Canadian Jewish population: distribution and change ................................................................. 12 Figure 1-2: Sex and age distribution of Canadian Jewish population and all Canadians ............... 12 Figure 1-3: Educational attainment of Canadian Jews and all Canadians, ages 25-64 ..................... 13 Figure 2-1: How do you think of yourself as Jewish? .................................................................................................... 15 Figure 2-2: Importance of being Jewish in your life ...................................................................................................... 16 Figure 2-3: Belief in God or a universal spirit ...................................................................................................................... 17 Figure 2-4: What is essential to being Jewish? .................................................................................................................. 18 Figure 2-5: Essential to being Jewish, by age cohort ................................................................................................... 19 Figure 2-6: Essential to being Jewish ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Figure 2-7: Attraction to Jewish themes in the arts ...................................................................................................... 20 Figure 3-1: Jewish denomination/movement ................................................................................................................... 23 Figure 3-2: Synagogue/Jewish organization membership ..................................................................................... 24 Figure 3-3: Frequency of synagogue attendance ........................................................................................................... 25 Figure 3-4: Financial donation to Jewish causes in 2017 .......................................................................................... 26 Figure 3-5: Frequency of lighting Sabbath candles ...................................................................................................... 27 Figure 3-6: Proportion of friends who are Jewish ........................................................................................................... 28 Figure 3-7: Jewish religious involvement across generations .............................................................................. 29 Figure 3-8: Jewish community participation across generations ...................................................................... 29 Figure 3-9: Indicators of community participation, by location ......................................................................... 30 Figure 4-1: Jewish parents and upbringing ......................................................................................................................... 33 Figure 4-2: Participation in Jewish education .................................................................................................................... 35 Figure 4-3: Became bar/bat mitzvah ......................................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 4-4: Knowledge of Hebrew ............................................................................................................................................... 37 continued ... 2018 Survey of Jews in Canada iv List of figures(continued) Figure 4-5: Indicators of assimilation by years in Jewish day school, Toronto ......................................... 38 Figure 5-1: Spouse’s religion ............................................................................................................................................................ 39 Figure 5-2: Jewish connections of spouse who is not religiously Jewish ..................................................... 40 Figure 5-3: Raising children Jewish ............................................................................................................................................ 41 Figure 5-4: Jewish connection in the next generation ............................................................................................... 42 Figure 5-5: Important experiences/activities for families/children .................................................................. 43 Figure 5-6: Importance of children marrying someone Jewish ........................................................................... 44 Figure 5-7: Respondents with religiously non-Jewish current partner, by age cohort ..................... 45 Figure 6-1: Perceived discrimination against groups in Canada ....................................................................... 47 Figure 6-2: Often experiences discrimination in Canada .......................................................................................... 48 Figure 6-3: Personal experience with discrimination .................................................................................................