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COMMUNITY STUDY (from page 1) Portland to benefit from
grant to theatre dybbuk

“There are two leading community study who are Jewish but not on lists. The tech- As an official City Partner, Portland will
research practices in the country, and nique works because our holistic body of benefit from the recent Covenant Foun-
this time we interviewed both and chose research shows that all we need to do is find dation Grant to theatre dybbuk when the
Brandeis,” says Blattner. enough of the people not on the lists and theater company brings its new Dybbukast
Over the past decade, Boxer and CMJS/ get them to do the survey, and we can make Live program to Portland.
SSRI have them stand in Last week, The Covenant Foundation an-
completed or “Are we really supporting the mathematical- nounced $1.7 million in new grants to 19
are working on ly for all the organizations for projects supporting some
29 community breadth of Jewish identity and Jews not on of the newest and most forward-thinking
studies and are lists without ideas in Jewish education. Thirteen pro-
in conversa- depth of Jewish expression? biasing esti- grams received Signature grants with fund-
tion with five mates.” ing of up to $150,000 over three years, and
other commu- We just don’t know.” Another key another six received Ignition grants of up
nities. Studies in planning to $20,000 for one year to support new and
have included ~Project manager Caron Blau Rothstein the study untested approaches.
Chicago, Los is creating “This grant program will support theatre
Angeles and Seattle, as well as smaller the questions. Federation will schedule dybbuk, and sometime between late 2022
Jewish communities such as Orlando, meetings with community leaders and and 2024, it is coming to our city for a
Nashville and Delaware. organizations to help select important, residency that includes both performance
Both Blattner and JFGP Director of Al- not merely interesting, questions. Boxer experiences and educational workshops,”
locations Caron Blau Rothstein, who will typically comes to a community for that says Jewish Federation of Greater Portland
be the project manager for the study, look process, but it may need to be virtual this Campaign Director Wendy Kahn, who par-
forward to making data-driven rather than year. He says there are three categories of ticipated on a panel for the theater’s grant
anecdotally driven allocations’ decisions. questions: top tier questions are those that application.
But the impact will be communal – extend- provide information you cannot function Over the last two years, Portland has host-
ing beyond Federation to give synagogues without; second tier, the bulk of the survey, ed five virtual presentations by theatre dyb-
and other Jewish institutions the concrete provide useful information that helps serve buk during the pandemic.
data they need to make decisions. the community more efficiently; third are Signature grant recipient theatre dybbuk
For instance, if the study reveals there is a “factoids” that are interesting facts, but not is a Los Angeles-based theater company

large concentration of Jews in an area with useful. Only a few “interesting” questions that creates provocative performances and
few or no Jewish resources, a synagogue or should be included. innovative educational encounters that ex-
school might want to open a satellite loca- Questions that are included in most com- plore Jewish thought to illuminate univer-
tion or offer programming in the area, says munities address ritual behavior and Jewish sal human experience. The Dybbukast Live
Rothstein. engagement, connection to Israel and social program will bring residencies – including
That is exactly what happened after service needs. For instance, are households live performances and training workshops
CMJS/SSRI completed its study in Seattle. struggling financially, or do they struggle for educators and community leaders – to
Boxer says the study revealed a much larger with disabilities? six cities and provide additional opportu-
than expected Jewish population in North- “We ask what kind of help they need to nities for others to engage with the content.
west Seattle. After the study, that Federa- help the community serve them better,” “We are excited that The Covenant Foun-
tion started offering mobile programs in the says Boxer. dation’s support of The Dybbukast Live al-
area, and Chabad opened a center there. When the study is completed, the entire lows us to collaborate with a broad array of
“We need a communal study to really un- data set is available (with any personal in- partners in cities throughout North America,
derstand who is here,” says Rothstein. “Are formation that could identify respondents enabling us to offer theatrical and artistic
we really supporting the breadth of Jewish removed). Boxer will lead one or two approaches to exploring the ways in which
identity and depth of Jewish expression? public presentations and meet with Jewish Jewish history can illuminate the complex-
We just don’t know.” organization to help them figure out how to ities present in our world,” Aaron Henne,
The communal study will gather so- use the data. theatre dybbuk’s artistic director, told eJew-
cio-demographic data using representative “We want to make it as useful as possible ishPhilanthropy for a Jan. 12 article.
samples from both Jews known to local to all Jewish organizations in a community In addition to theatre dybbuk, Signature
Jewish organizations and those who are and help them figure out how best to use grants went to Adas Israel Congregation
not known. Membership and contact lists it,” says Boxer. in Washington, D.C.; American Jewish
from congregations and agencies will be The survey is expected to run from Octo- University in Los Angeles; The Center for
cross-referenced to ensure a household is ber 2022 through January 2023. (See box Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College in
only included once, and then a computer on page 1 for timeline.) Waterville, Maine; Hannah Senesh Commu-
will pick a randomized sample. Boxer says “This is a call to the community to help nity Day School in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Jewish
finding a representative sample of unknown us decide what we need,” says Rothstein. Communities of Vermont in Burlington, Vt.;
Jews is more difficult. “This study will help us understand how to Jewish Learning Venture in Jenkintown,
“Our American Jewish Population Project help people connect to our community in Pa.; jGirls Magazine; M²: The Institute for
gets us the total population estimate,” he more and more meaningful ways.” Experiential Jewish Education in Brooklyn,
says. “The difference between the total es- Blattner agrees: “When you are called or N.Y.; OneTable in New York; Sacred Spaces
timate and the number of Jews on organiza- get an opportunity to participate, we hope in Pittsburgh; South Philadelphia Shtiebel in
tions’ lists is the number of Jews who have you will respond and make your voice Philadelphia; and Theater J at the Edlavitch
to be represented by the people we find heard.” DCJCC in Washington, D.C.
6 Jewish Review Jan. 19, 2022