The head of Jewish Futures asks why a report commissioned by the JLC doesn’t highlight the positive and enduring impact of organisations like Aish, the JLE and Seed
September 3, 2025 12:33
The latest JPR survey, commissioned by the JLC, presents valuable findings. Jewish Futures is a proud member of the JLC, and I have the privilege of sitting at the table, engaging with leaders who care passionately about the future of our community. That, in itself, is inspiring. However, much of this report feels self-evident and lacking in breadth of study. That Jewish home life and a Jewishly engaged childhood and upbringing are found to be the most influential factors in shaping identity, and that immersive programmes such as sem or yeshiva have more impact than short tours - none of this is new and surely is pretty obvious. Our critical question is: what about the majority of young Jews who do not have access to such robust home educational experiences?
This is not a fresh dilemma. Rabbi Sacks launched his Chief Rabbinate by asking the question he felt was urgent over 35 years ago: “Will we have Jewish grandchildren?” The expansion of Jewish schools was itself partly a communal response to meet the challenge of ensuring Jewish continuity. Many other bold and positively disruptive, albeit less “establishment”-based, educational initiatives began gathering increased traction over the ensuing decades. Surprisingly, the monumental impact of these seems to have been overlooked by the JPR and other surveys.
There are numerous organisations today working in successful partnerships and collaborations with schools, shuls and student bodies to invigorate, stimulate and inspire authentic and enduring Jewish connection and commitment to Jewish life
Ensuring vibrant Jewish futures is the raison d'être of the UK’s numerous outreach organisations, be they Seed, Chabad, Aish, JLE or others. All represent proactive educational and social interventions, providing positive, dynamic and meaningful connections to a living and wholesome Jewish life. Every year, thousands of young Jews across the UK partake in educational programmes, specifically created in order to meet the challenges posed by Rabbi Sacks and other communal leaders concerned about the future of British Jewry. The expansion and popular engagement of our younger generation with the often less formal approach of these organisations testify to the compelling nature and enduring impact of such immersive and cogent Jewish encounters.
Yet, the effect and contribution of our community’s outreach organisations were not examined by this or other research. That omission matters. While the JPR insists there is “no silver bullet” provided by any organisation, its own findings point to the 3,500-year-old silver bullet. It’s called Judaism. It’s called a Jewish home. However, educational experiences that lead to greater examination, experience of and commitment to a living, vibrant, relevant and positive Judaism clearly have enormous impact too. I know this because I have been on that frontline for the past 35 years. I don’t ask you to take my word, nor even the anecdotal evidence of the thousands whose Jewish identities have been positively and enduringly impacted by the work of the past three decades of the types of organisations I have mentioned. I do, however, challenge the notion that we have genuinely researched “what works” to forge a vibrant Jewish future, when we do not include many robust organisations set up and operating across the community, with the explicit purpose of achieving precisely that!
While it is true that no single stand alone “programme” or endeavour is a guarantor of Jewish identity, there are clearly interventions which work disproportionately well. There are numerous organisations today working in successful partnerships and collaborations with schools, shuls and student bodies to invigorate, stimulate and inspire authentic and enduring Jewish connection and commitment to Jewish life.
For some reason, their impact has not been professionally assessed. Let’s address this gap with independent professional communal research and analysis in order that we may objectively and effectively plan and invest in ensuring a vibrant Jewish future for all.
Rabbi Naftali Schiff is CEO Jewish Futures
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