Thirty per cent of British Jews are worse off because of pandemic - but a fifth say their situation has improved

It was based on a sample of nearly 7,000 people in July as social distancing restrictions were eased and the government’s furlough scheme was still in place.

Dividing the community into five groups, JPR found that before the pandemic, 49 per cent were living comfortably and 39 per cent “doing all right”, while 10 per cent were “just getting by”, 1.2 per cent were finding life “quite difficult” and 0.3 per cent were finding it “very difficult”.

Several months into the pandemic, 30 per cent were worse off, although around a fifth said their financial situation had improved. Among those living comfortably, just under 22 per cent felt worse off but just over 22 per cent felt better off.

Those finding life difficult before the outbreak were more than twice as likely to report being worse off than those in the comfortable category.

“Those in relatively robust economic health prior to the pandemic were most able to withstand any economic shocks brought on by the pandemic, during its first four months at least,” JPR said.

Using a different measure, it found more than seven per cent of the community were “acutely disadvantaged”, meaning they had done at least one of four things — reduced the size of meals, used food banks, borrowed money or struggled to pay bills.

Over half the disadvantaged had been living comfortably or doing reasonably before the pandemic.

Now nearly four-in-five of the disadvantaged were worse off. More than half had lost their job, been furloughed or had their working hours cut.

Around 4.7 per cent of those surveyed had needed to borrow or use credit, 0.9 per cent had reduced the size of meals and 0.4 per cent had used food banks.

Approximately 0.7 per cent had sought help from the Jewish community, suggesting that Jews do this only “in the face of extreme financial strain”.

The strictly Orthodox were the religious group most likely to use community aid, with one-in-seven Charedi households acutely disadvantaged.

Beyond the disadvantaged, a further 9.5 per cent of Jews were “highly vulnerable” to falling into that group as they were using up savings. A further six per cent were “somewhat vulnerable”, being currently unable to save.

“Almost half of Jewish single parent households are showing signs of economic stress, making them the most economically vulnerable group of all those investigated,” JPR said.

Householders in their 40s and 50s with high childcare costs were at increased risk of acute disadvantage, particularly those with limited savings.

From a communal perspective, these age groups are “important contributors to synagogues and schools through membership fees and voluntary contributions”, JPR noted.

“A deterioration in their economic circumstances could start to affect income levels for these types of institutions. In addition, economic difficulties in these age bands may lead to increased demand for subsidies for activities for children and teenagers.”

The pandemic appeared to have exacerbated economic deprivation among the strictly Orthodox. “Arguably, only a greater emphasis on secular education and professional development within strict Orthodoxy can bring long-lasting solutions,” JPR said.

“However, in the immediate term it is clear that many strictly Orthodox households are experiencing economic stress due to the pandemic and need assistance.”