Photograph of CMJS Director Leonard Saxe
From the Director
During the last several months, we have completed a record number of research projects using a unique approach to study the socio-demographic characteristics of Jewish communities in the United States. I believe that our broadening portfolio of community studies is testament to our methods’ success and am proud of our ability to provide Jewish communities with accurate and actionable data.

The Jewish population of Chicago has grown modestly since 2010: 319,600 Jewish adults and children live in 175,800 Jewish households. By providing detailed data about the diversity of Jewish life and the well-being of community members, the comprehensive study will serve as the springboard for Chicago organizations and agencies to develop programs and policies to better meet community needs and interests.

This study uses the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic to investigate the role of the physical campus in the undergraduate college experience. We examined how physical and virtual campus experiences at three private universities in the Northeast related to students’ perceptions of the quality of instruction and faculty engagement, their sense of belonging at their school, and their overall assessment of their mental health.

Contemporary Jewry, Open Access

Research has demonstrated that young adults have experienced higher rates of mental health difficulties than older individuals during the pandemic. Using data from a survey of Jewish young adults, we examined the factors contributing to young adults’ mental health difficulties. We found that loneliness was the single most important driver of reported emotional or mental health difficulties. 

In the News


Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Jewish Community, Leonard Saxe & Janet Krasner Aronson, ejewishphilanthropy, October 20, 2021