Springer Science and Business Media LLC

As market researchers, we have spent the past 30-plus years addressing the questions that impact the success of organizations in the service and non-profit sectors. It should come as no surprise, then, that when we bring our business lens and thought processes to the field of Jewish community studies, we also bring methods, approaches, and outcomes that differ markedly from traditional studies. Even more important than our methods, however, is the marketing framework in which we position our Jewish community studies. As a result of our marketing mindset, we look at the issues Jewish communities wish to address, analyze the data, and then draw conclusions and recommendations based on our deep experience understanding buyer behavior, purchase decision-making, and the customer experience. With this article, we hope to shed light on a different way of thinking about Jewish community studies, stimulate healthy discussion about the relative merits of all approaches to the subject, and contribute to the strengthening of Jewish communities everywhere.

This brief response focuses on Steven Cohen’s contributions to the field, supports his focus on the opposition between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews, and argues for less of a focus on intermarriage.

This paper seeks to examine the way in which the Canadian Jewish polity has defended communal interests linked to policy disputes involving the intersection of domestic and transnational Jewish concerns. The case of Canadian Jewry is of note given a relatively high degree of integration and a high degree of retention of Jewish culture and identity. The defense of communal interests has used both traditional and deferential forms of actions, as in the apparently discredited shtadlanut response, along with newer more militant forms of mobilization and action. The episodes reviewed here suggest that, contrary to current thinking, both forms of response may play a legitimate role in defending those interests. Comparative research involving Jewish communities in the United States and Latin America can determine whether similar distinctions are relevant there.