Young Jews, age 13-25, are among those who are least likely to be thriving spiritually and religiously, according to a survey conducted by Springtide Research Institute. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency turned to CRCC’s Richard Flory for perspective on the study.
“There’s no surprise in any of the data that younger people across the board are moving away from institutionalized religion. I can tell you the groups that are not doing well: Jews, mainline Protestants and Catholics. They’re doing the worst,” CRCC’s executive director Richard Flory says, referring to the work of the National Study of Youth and Religion out of the University of Notre Dame and to his own book published last year, “Back-Pocket God: Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of Emerging Adults,” which is based on a decade of research.
The story, which has run in The Times of Israel, The Jewish Journal, and a number of other publications, also quotes CRCC Fellow Tobin Belzer on what young adults are looking for:
“Young adults aren’t necessarily interested in rabbis who act like a ‘sage on the stage,’” she said. “They want someone who is real and approachable and authentic, who is going to have an actual relationship with them. Also, they’re not typically looking for the one community where they can engage fully, they are looking for a smattering of different options.”
