Digital Library
JFNA 2025 Survey of Jewish Life since October 7 – The Surge in Jewish Life
Topic:
Jewish Diaspora & Interfaith Relations, Antisemitism & Antizionism, General/Other
Principal Investigators:
David Manchester, Meg Siritzky
Study Date:
2025
Source:
Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)
Key Findings:
The March 2025 survey finds that the sharp rise in Jewish engagement following October 7 has eased but remains significant. In 2024, 43% of Jewish respondents reported increasing their engagement — what the report called “the Surge.” One year later, 31% say they are still increasing their involvement. The initial spike has moderated, but a substantial minority remain more engaged than before.
Attention to the war remains high, though it has declined from its immediate post–October 7 peak. Emotional intensity has also decreased, but nearly half still report being deeply affected. Concern about antisemitism is lower than last year despite rising incidents, suggesting a degree of normalization rather than reduced exposure.
Importantly, increased engagement extended beyond the already affiliated. Many who were only somewhat or minimally engaged before October 7 sought greater connection. Some have converted that momentum into belonging: over a quarter now feel part of a Jewish community, while others are still searching for the right fit.
Learning has been central to this engagement. Most respondents sought to better understand Israel and be able to explain it to others. Engagement has been largely informal — driven by news, organizational content, conversations, podcasts, and social media — rather than structured courses.
Overall, the data point to a shift from crisis-driven mobilization to more selective, sustained involvement. The surge has narrowed, but it has not disappeared, and for some, it is solidifying into longer-term connection.
Methodology:
This was a national survey of U.S. adults, including an oversample of Jewish respondents, conducted in English. Because Jews represent roughly 2% of the U.S. population, the sample was carefully structured to increase the likelihood of reaching Jewish respondents while maintaining overall representativeness. The country was divided using 2020 American Jewish Population Project (AJPP) estimates of Jewish population by geographic cluster. JFNA also used a commercial big data model that predicts likely religious affiliation based on machine learning, identifying individuals with at least a 40% predicted probability of being Jewish. These estimates were adjusted and weighted to align with AJPP age distributions at the Zip Code Tabulation Area level. The final sample included 5,798 total U.S. respondents, of whom 1,877 identified as Jewish and 3,921 as non-Jewish.