Federation Launches First Study of Jewish Rockland; Community Asked to Participate

The Jewish Federation of Rockland County has commissioned Dr. David Elcott and Stuart Himmelfarb of B3/The Jewish Boomer Platform and the NYU Wagner School of Public Service, to conduct Rockland’s first study of synagogue membership trends and Jewish communal engagement. The survey is titled “Jewish Rockland 2015: The Landscape of the Rockland County Board of Rabbis Community.”

The goal of the study is to better understand the past, present and future of synagogue life in Rockland County, and consider ways to engage or re-engage congregants. “We have information on general trends in the Jewish community from national and regional studies, but we need to see the situation specifically in Rockland,” says Cantor Barry Kanarek, director of Federation’s Rockland Jewish Initiative (RJI).

Members of Rockland’s Jewish community are invited to participate in the online study at www.jewishrockland.org. The survey link will be active through January 10, 2015, and respondents who complete the survey will be eligible to win an iPad Mini.

“By conducting this survey, we hope to get the data necessary to build a stronger, more engaging Jewish community in Rockland County,” says Kanarek. “This is an opportunity for both those affiliated and non-affiliated to be heard. Please let us know how you feel.”

Results of the survey will be discussed at a community-wide stakeholder convening on February 5, 2015. For further information please contact Cantor Barry Kanarek at [email protected].