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Jonathan Boyd

ByJonathan Boyd, Jonathan Boyd/View from the data

Opinion

It’s not who we are that kills, it’s where we live

'Our geographical choices also appear to have inadvertently affected the likelihood of us contracting Covid-19'

May 2, 2020 22:27
Where we ive may be the decisive factor in whether we are infected with Covid-19
3 min read

It was the renowned Jewish social scientist, Professor Steven M Cohen, who first taught me the insight about 20 years ago. He asked me a simple question: if I could choose one variable to predict whether someone was likely to have a strong Jewish identity, what would it be? I offered my suggestions — parenting, educational background, synagogue membership, having Jewish friends, etc. He nodded at them all. But then he told me I’d missed one— perhaps the most fundamental one of all. I racked my brains but couldn’t think what it could be. After a prolonged pause, he gave me the answer. The best scientific indicator to use is their post-code.

Over time, I have come to appreciate his insight. Geography matters. If we live in an area with a sizeable Jewish population, we have access to a wide variety of Jewish services and a network of Jewish friends. We have numerous opportunities to engage in Jewish activities and interactions simply because they exist on our doorstep. Synagogues, Jewish schools, cultural activities, kosher butchers, bakers, restaurants and shops will all be close by. And, in most cases, we will have chosen to live in these neighbourhoods, at least in part, due to our desire to have access to all of this.

The data support his claim. As a general rule, Jews who live in “Jewish’’ neighbourhoods have stronger Jewish identities than those who do not. It’s not always the case, of course — it’s possible to maintain a Jewish identity in places where relatively few Jews live — but the data show clear distinctions between, for example, Jews in Barnet and Jews in Buckinghamshire. Collectively, on a whole host of indicators, Jews in Barnet are, quite simply, more Jewish.

But in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, our geographical choices also appear to have inadvertently affected the likelihood of us contracting Covid-19. Despite ongoing questions about the quality and consistency of the public data being generated, we can use those data to draw some tentative conclusions about what might be happening in the Jewish community.