THE number of American Jews who consider themselves religiously observant has dropped by more than 20 percent over the last two decades, as the share of Jews who consider themselves secular has risen.
The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey found that around 3.4 million American Jews call themselves religious — out of a general Jewish population of about 5.4 million.
The number of Jews who identify themselves as only culturally Jewish has risen from 20 percent in 1990 to 37 percent last year, according to the study. In the same period, the number of all US adults who said they had no religion rose from 8 percent to 15 percent.
According to this report, Jews are more likely to be secular than Americans in general.
About half of all US Jews – including those who consider themselves religiously observant – claim in the survey that they have a secular worldview and see no contradiction between that outlook and their faith, according to the study’s authors.
Researchers attribute the trends among American Jews to the high rate of intermarriage and “disaffection from Judaism” in the United States.
The survey of more than 900 self-identified Jews has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The broader findings of the American Religious Identification Survey, based at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, had been released last spring. The study began in 1990 and has been conducted about once-a-decade ever since.
Less encouraging news comes from Israel, where Haaretz recently reported that secular Jews are expected to become a minority in Israeli schools and among the draft-age population within 20 years
A recent study published in the current issue of US magazine Foreign Policy predicts that by 2030 Arabs and ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews together will compose close to 60 percent of Israel’s elementary school population and about 40 percent of eligible voters.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
August 6th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Since the ultra-orthodox don't do military service this could present one of two possible scenarios; either an imposible manpower shortage for the IDF or ultra-conservative with heavy weapons and bad attitudes drafted to make up the numbers. Either way teh long term doesn't look good.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Being born in to a non religious jewish home and thinking for myself and not told how to think I am secular
have no religion but believe in everything thats good towards my fellow human beings..
I have many atheist jewish friends and family, plus all denominations.
what is jewishness anyway. Dont we all have minds to think for ourselves.
I still believe that if a referendum was caried out we would find out that there are many more non-believers than we are told to believe.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
"About half of all US Jews – including those who consider themselves religiously observant – claim in the survey that they have a secular worldview and see no contradiction between that outlook and their faith, according to the study’s authors.' If there was a similar UK survey i would expect to find an even higher percentage of UK Jews who identify as Jewish but would consider themselves secular and atheist. Sometimes people cannot understand how I can consider myself Jewish but also an atheist –i always enjoy giving them the example of Woody Alan
August 6th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
This is not surprising. When you're dealing with bacon restrictions, it's only a matter of time…
August 7th, 2009 at 2:33 am
Very interesting! Like michaelsutton, I too am Jewish and an atheist, and I don't feel there is a contradiction. Judaism is about being a good person here on earth as there is no afterlife. Observant Jews are doing this for God; I just take God out of the equation. And so this makes sense to me why Jews are more likely to be secular as we are already focused on this, our only chance at existence.
I still recite some prayers, like at Hanukkah with my mother, but again I see no conflict. "Adonai" simply means to me "the mysteries of the universe," which for me have nothing to do with a supreme being.
August 7th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Sadly, a lot of "non-observant" Jews get killed on the roads in America every year.
August 7th, 2009 at 10:07 am
This entry again shows up the Evangelicals for the ignoramuses that they are. They just don't understand Judaism one little bit – only their "Christianized" version of it. This is one reason why they have such problems with the Old Testament, trying to marry it with the New Testament and ending in a complete mess! They wouldn't recognize ZenMonkey's Judaism one little bit, and similarly think that because people like George Washington believed in " Providence" or, like the Freemasons, a "Great Architect", that made them Christians!!
August 7th, 2009 at 10:07 am
This entry again shows up the Evangelicals for the ignoramuses that they are. They just don't understand Judaism one little bit – only their "Christianized" version of it. This is one reason why they have such problems with the Old Testament, trying to marry it with the New Testament and ending in a complete mess! They wouldn't recognize ZenMonkey's Judaism one little bit, and similarly think that because people like George Washington believed in "Providence" or, like the Freemasons, a "Great Architect", that made them Christians!!