1. The rise and fall of Communism
2. The Holocaust
3. The increasing secularisation of European society at large

Various studies of Jewish communities have been carried out in recent years in different European countries. Each study notes the impact of at least one
of these influences on contemporary European Jewish identity. In this report an analysis of the findings of these studies is presented.

First, in Part 1, I describe three themes relating to European Jewish identity that have arisen in recent social surveys: the European Jewish revival, the significance of ambiance and the common uniting threads:

1. The European Jewish 'revival' noted in several surveys, it is argued here, is as much a result of new meanings being attached to traditional Jewish practices as it is evidence of a renewed interest in Judaism
2. Every European Jewish population has been strongly influenced by the society and culture within which it dwells. Since the trend towards secularism is near universal in Europe, each community has been affected to varying degrees. The concept of 'ambiance' is employed here to describe this impact
3. The surveys have shown that Jewish communities within Europe share commonalities, here referred to as 'threads' reflecting shared attitudes, values, and practices. These suggest there is a trend towards a form of international Jewish identity

Second, in Part 2, I describe the many different ways in which scholars have attempted to model and summarise key determinants of Jewish identity. A synopsis of the typologies, scales and so on, which have been created are presented here in five sub-categories:

1. Typologies of biological and ethnic origin
2. Scales of religiosity and observance
3. Historical and generational typologies
4. Identity and characterisation typologies
5. Typologies of ties, engagement and process