Five things we learned about Jewish life in 5786

Jewish identity is both stable and adaptable

The first lesson was that Jewish identity is both more stable and more adaptable than many people imagine. In the immediate aftermath of October 7, there was widespread discussion – particularly in the United States – of the emergence of an ‘October 8 Jew’: a transformed Jewish population whose relationship with Judaism, Israel and community had fundamentally shifted overnight. Yet the longitudinal analysis we’ll be publishing next month suggests a more nuanced reality. 

People's attachment to Israel, perceptions of antisemitism and sense of vulnerability changed in some respects. But there was little evidence of a broad-based transformation in religiosity, synagogue engagement, Jewish learning or many other core dimensions of Jewish identity. The impact of October 7 and its repercussions have been profound, but certainly in the UK, there is little evidence of any kind of new widespread awakening or transformation of Jewish identity.

We need to measure what antisemitism does to people

The second lesson was perhaps the most important. Increasingly, we came to realise that the key question is not simply how much antisemitism exists, but what it does to people. 

Qualitative work we conducted in Ireland and the Netherlands revealed something difficult to capture with more traditional approaches. Many Jews described feeling uneasy, exposed, isolated or misunderstood, even in the absence of direct antisemitic incidents. They talked about becoming more cautious about self-disclosure, avoiding certain conversations, and reassessing relationships and assumptions they had previously taken for granted. 

That led us to develop and sharpen the concept of ‘ambient antisemitism’ that we first introduced in 2024, and, more broadly, towards a question that I suspect will become increasingly important in the years ahead: how confident do Jews feel about their place in society?

Informal Jewish education might be just as important as Jewish schools

A third insight concerned Jewish education. For decades, communal discourse has often assumed that schools sit at the heart of Jewish identity formation. They undoubtedly matter enormously. Yet our work examining the long-term impact of different Jewish experiences suggested a more complicated picture. 

Family upbringing remains the strongest predictor of adult Jewish identity. Among organised interventions, however, informal educational experiences, particularly youth movement activities, appear to have at least as much long-term influence, and in some respects more, than formal schooling. 

The implication is not that schools matter less than we think. Rather, it is that friendships, peer networks, camps, Israel experiences and immersive Jewish environments matter much more than many truly realise.

Jews are more cautious when engaging with the wider society

The fourth lesson was less comfortable. Across several studies, we found signs that many Jews have become more cautious about engaging with wider society. Some reported avoiding conversations about Israel with non-Jewish friends or colleagues. Others described spending more time within Jewish social networks and less time outside them. 

These responses are understandable. In many cases, they provide support, solidarity and psychological safety. Yet they also raise profound questions about the long-term relationship between Jewish communities and the societies in which they live. The challenge facing Jewish communities today is not simply how to remain safe. It is how to remain open, engaged and confident while navigating an increasingly difficult environment.

Jewish people remain remarkably resilient

And yet, despite all of this, a fifth lesson of the year was surprisingly encouraging. For all the pressures facing contemporary Jewish life, there is little evidence of communal collapse. On the contrary, much of our work suggests that Jewish peoplehood remains remarkably resilient. The events of recent years appear not to have undermined Jewish identity so much as reorganised it. Attachments may have shifted. Priorities may have changed. New concerns may have come to the fore. But the underlying sense of connection many feel towards other Jews and to the wider Jewish story seems to have proven far more durable than many might have expected.

 Collectively, what do these findings tell us? Above all, they suggest that Jewish life is proving to be both more resilient and more adaptive than perhaps anticipated. The challenges are real. Confidence has been shaken. Relationships have become more strained. Some Jews are retreating from wider society, and indeed from one another, in ways that deserve careful attention. Yet little evidence suggests a community in decline. If anything, the evidence points to something more complicated: Jewish identity remains remarkably durable, even as questions about belonging and confidence become more acute.

Research rarely provides final answers. More often, it helps us ask better questions and test whether our assumptions are correct. That, perhaps, is the most important lesson from this year's work. The further we looked, the more we discovered that reality is often more nuanced, more surprising and ultimately more interesting than the stories we tell ourselves about it.