What kind of Jewish grandchildren will we have?

Almost twenty years ago, the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks published a book with a title that asked a provocative and era-defining question: “Will we have Jewish grandchildren?” His work helped to launch an enormous programme of investment in Jewish education in Britain. Since then, Jewish day school enrolment in the mainstream sector has increased by almost 30%, participation in Israel Experience summer tours has averaged at over 1,000 Jewish sixteen year-olds each year, and the community as a whole has witnessed a renaissance of activity that has transformed much of its educational and cultural landscape.

However, twenty years on, we still do not know the answer to his question, and we will have to wait a few more decades before we do. Indeed, one of the great frustrations about education is how difficult it is to evaluate its effects; whilst one can measure knowledge levels, assessing the long-term impact of any educational intervention is a much more complex endeavour. Nevertheless, one of the most important contributions of JPR’s National Jewish Student Survey (NJSS) is that it provides us with some early indicators of how valuable all the investment has been. It may not tell us directly whether or not we will have Jewish grandchildren, but it provides some strong hints to help answer the interim question: will we have Jewish children?

Today’s Jewish students were born when the Chief Rabbi was developing his ideas and beginning to write them up. They have grown up in a Jewish communal environment heavily shaped by his agenda. Indeed, as a cohort, they have probably had more invested in their Jewish development than any previous group in British Jewish history.

So, what is the verdict? In many respects, the news is good. The vast majority of Jewish students feel comfortable with their Jewish identity, and they are open about it on campus. Most have positive feelings about Israel and exhibit a strong sense of Jewish peoplehood. Whilst their levels of Jewish practice diminish a little when they are at university, the shift is not dramatic; they are certainly not displaying signs of throwing away Jewish ritual practice at the first opportunity. Many have wide Jewish social networks and actively choose to live with other Jews when given the chance. In fact, their Jewish profile is strikingly similar to their parents, so if continuity is the long-term goal, the early signs look quite positive.

However, there are aspects of the students’ identity that have raised some eyebrows. Perhaps the most striking is that, despite all the Jewish educational investment in their generation, almost half does no voluntary work for Jewish or non-Jewish charities. Of those who do volunteer, most only do so once a month or less. Furthermore, over a third of Jewish students polled disagreed with the ideas that being Jewish is about volunteering, or donating to charity or supporting social justice causes.

What this suggests is that whilst the messages about Israel and Jewish peoplehood have been heard loud and clear, the notion that being Jewish requires one to make a personal contribution to Jewish and wider society has simply not been internalized to the same extent. It is as if the Judaism they have received has given clear primacy to the campaigning messages of supporting Israel and combating antisemitism over and above the fundamental values-driven behaviours that sit at the heart of Jewish practice.

We should be concerned about this for several reasons. First, it seems likely that young people’s Jewish identities are being shaped more by the negative forces that seek to do damage to the Jewish People than by Judaism’s own positive internal value system. Second, the apparent failure of some young people to understand their individual responsibility to contribute should give pause for thought to those who will rely on this group’s generosity in the future. However, third, and perhaps most important, it raises questions about the nature of this group’s understanding of Jewishness itself. Who are we if we are not actively committed to tikkun olam (repairing the world)? Whilst we may well be on the way towards having Jewish grandchildren, a more pressing question today is what kind of Jewish grandchildren are we going to have?


(Also published in the Jewish News, 6 October 2011)