The Milwaukee Jewish Federation will sponsor and conduct a study of the Milwaukee Jewish community, set to begin in February 2011. It will obtain data via randomized phone calls, an online survey, and in-person focus groups.
“The goal is to learn more about the size of the Milwaukee area Jewish community today, the demographics of our population, and the basic needs for services, according to project co-chair, Mike Lappin.
There has not been a study conducted of the Milwaukee Jewish community since 1996, said project co-chair, Marlene Lauwasser, who also serves as MJF community planning and allocations chair.
“The results of the 1996 study helped inform key decision-making at that time around facility expansion, programming, and services,” said Lauwasser.
“However, significant changes in the greater Milwaukee Jewish community over the past decade, including the economic downturn of recent years, are now presenting new, major challenges which must be addressed through thoughtful planning based upon sound information and research,” she said.
The project will be coordinated through the Center for Urban Initiatives and Research (CUIR) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).
Stephen L. Percy, Ph.D, acting dean of the School of Public Health, director of the CUIR and professor of political science and urban studies at UWM will act as project coordinator.
In addition, the CUIR has provided a part-time research intern, April Slabosheski, a senior majoring in Jewish studies, to help with comparison to past local studies as well as recent studies conducted in other communities.
“While the Milwaukee Jewish Federation will convene the study, our agency and synagogue partners in the Milwaukee Jewish community will play a key role in determining the most important information we need about our Jewish community to guide our planning now and into the future,” said Lappin.
Moreover, he added, “Study results will be shared afterward so that these partner organizations can use them to help focus their efforts and financial resources with maximum effectiveness.”
“We’ll need the participation of our whole community to make the survey work,” said Lauwasser. “We ask everyone to watch for more information about the study early in 2011 and to answer the survey questions carefully, knowing that our ability to assess and plan for future community needs rests on the quality of the data we obtain.”
The Jewish Community Study is funded by grants from the Helen Bader Foundation and the Daniel M. Soref Charitable Trust.
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