American Jews are feeling the pinch

With the economy the way it is, many Jews across the nation are raising their hands and exclaiming “Oy!” Lisa Miller of Newsweek has a new article on the costs of being Jewish. No, we’re not talking about social cost here. No, this has nothing to do with Jewish stereotypes. And no, there is no […]

With the economy the way it is, many Jews across the nation are raising their hands and exclaiming “Oy!”

Lisa Miller of Newsweek has a new article on the costs of being Jewish. No, we’re not talking about social cost here. No, this has nothing to do with Jewish stereotypes. And no, there is no punchline. It really is expensive to be a Jew in the U.S. today, she writes in “The Cost of Being Jewish.”

“But on the day-to-day level, the high cost of the basics-synagogue membership, in particular-is troubling, both outdated as a business model and onerous to families having to choose between Hebrew school and math tutoring.”

Last year the Pew Forum looked at income distribution and faith in their U.S. Religious Landscape Survey (another graph here). Three out of four Jews make over $50,000/yr (national average is 48%). And Jews in America also have the largest percentage of high-income faithful with 46% making more than $100,000/yr (national average is 18%).


This population, however, is facing financial woes in maintaining massive synagogues that were built alongside Jewish prosperity entering the 20th century.

Let’s check out some of the numbers that Miller cites:

– Jews in the U.S. have declined from 3.1 million in 1990 to 2.7 million in 2008.

– The average yearly synagogue membership (in 2005): $1,100

– But the closer-to-real cost of yearly synagogue membership today: +/- $3,000

– Add in school fees, kosher food, and summer camps, and you’re looking at around $50,000 to $110,000 for a family of 5!

Things are so bad that some Jews are even turning to Christians for inspiration. Whereas Christian churches work on a donation basis, Jewish synagogues require membership up front. Many Jews, however, just can’t make their payments, and many rabbis don’t know what to do.

My favorite quote comes from Arnold Eisen, chancellor of Jewish Theological Seminary in New York: “People need sacred spaces, but when you’re looking at budgets, you’re looking at heat and air conditioning.”

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