Rachell Krell feels connected to Judaism and to God. But she hasnât been to services in years and isnât part of a synagogue.
âI would love to eventually go back to services if I found a temple that was a good fit for me,â she said.
Krell, a senior at Northern Arizona University, said the focus of the synagogues she has attended has been about âkeeping the temple going,â instead of âwhat is the value of this place?â
Krell is among the half of American Jews who attend religious services a few times a year or less, according to a 2020 survey by the Pew Research Center published in May.
In January 2018, anticipating my retirement from Jewish Family & Childrenâs Service, I called Mark Searle, Arizona State Universityâs provost. I hoped ASU would be interested in collaborating with the Jewish community to conduct the research for a Jewish population study. Searle and I had discussed such a venture a few years earlier.
A series of questions plagued me throughout my tenure at JFCS as vice president of philanthropic services and as a Congregation Or Tzion board member.
How many Jews live in Maricopa County? How many are members of synagogues? What are the reasons more Jews do not join synagogues? What percentage of our Jewish community contribute to Jewish organizations and secular nonprofits? How might synagogue and Jewish organization leaders expand the reach of our institutions?
2020: The year in review jewishaz.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jewishaz.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Synagogues monitor COVID-19 data jewishaz.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jewishaz.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.