Ethno-Religious Engagement, Minority Experiences, and Strengthening American Jewish Identity

Abstract

Despite the complexity of and threats to American Jewish identity, little is known regarding how it is strengthened in adulthood. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to understand the types of activities and minority experiences that strengthen Jewish identity and how this may differ from those with higher religious and cultural identification. Participants included 546 Jewish adults from 39 states who completed a survey covering topics related to Jewish activities, minority experiences, belongingness, continuity, Jewish identity, and demographics. Results indicated that regardless of cultural or religious identification, there were many similarly endorsed activities and minority experiences, even negative ones, that strengthen Jewish identity among adults. Implications for multicultural counseling competency when working with American Jews and ethno-religious identity are discussed.