Every community that funds a socio-demographic study begins the process with a set of expectations about the results and what they will learn. In some cases those expectations are confirmed by the data, but other times the community discovers something unanticipated. A new initiative from the Jewish Federation of Louisville illustrates what communities can do when presented with new, surprising information.
Our initial meetings with representatives of the Jewish community in Louisville revealed that the community expected that the study would find between 8,000 and 10,000 Jews, few of whom would be young adults. In fact, the 2021-22 study estimated the total population as a little over 14,000 Jews, with nearly 30% of the adult Jewish population younger than age 35. These young adults, who disproportionately are located in the outlying areas of Louisville, often have little to nothing to do with local Jewish organizations (although many of them appeared on organizations’ mailing lists). The community clearly had work to do to engage young adults better and to address barriers that kept them from participating in Jewish communal life.
Enter Jewish Lou 502.0, a clever play on words based on the Louisville area code. The name is shorthand for a new program that will be updated by the experience of engaging the community. A recent article in the Jewish Louisville Community newspaper describes the program as a new approach to engaging underrepresented segments of the Louisville Jewish community that goes beyond the confines of traditional venues. The Jewish Federation of Louisville is now working with a consulting group to host a series of “think tanks” in secular venues around Louisville to assist with the goal of reaching young adults who are interested in Jewish life but have not been involved in local Jewish organizations. (A second track will engage with interfaith families with young children.)
Jewish Lou 502.0 is just getting started, but other communities have also sponsored follow-up research to engage Jewish young adults. Boston, for example, learned that Jewish young adults were looking primarily for opportunities to make new friends, pursue social justice and volunteering opportunities, and learn more about Judaism in a no-pressure environment that did not presume an extensive Jewish educational background. This detailed follow-up research has helped Jewish organizations in Greater Boston build a thriving network of programs to better serve Jewish young adults.
