CREVE COEUR, Mo. – Community, resilience and a call to action came into focus tonight as the Jewish Federation of St. Louis unveiled findings from their first community study in the past decade.
City officials, local leaders and residents gathered to hear the results that were developed with Brandeis University.
“When we’re developing questions, we’re thinking about where are you located? What do you need? What motivates you to get involved? What motivates your philanthropy?” asked Dalia Oppenheimer, vice chair of Community Impact and co-chair.
The findings were a mix of triumph and concern.
Sixty-eight percent of Jewish adults attended Jewish events last year, and 77% feel a deep connection with friends. But antisemitism weighs heavily as 79% are alarmed by the global rise, while 47% feel it hits close to home.
“When we see here in our community the amount of incidents that people are experiencing, it’s eye-opening,” Oppenheimer said.
“We asked a lot of questions about a lot of different topics. Not surprisingly, because of October 7, the last year, what happened, this is a really big issue,” added John Greenberg, another study co-chair.
For some, the impact is deeply personal, with recent antisemitic incidents in the area.
Forty-one percent have encountered antisemitism, and 63% of those affected avoid certain activities.
Yet, hope stands strong throughout the community as 80% of respondents feel safe and welcome in St. Louis. The overall mood of the meeting was upbeat and positive, with more stats to celebrate than not.
“St. Louis is generally not a big problem for antisemitism compared to other cities, but we’re taking notice of that and doing some extra planning around that,” John Greenberg said.
The federation is dedicated to turning data into determination and community into action.
President & CEO of St. Louis Jewish Federation, Danny Cohn, just moved from Birmingham, Alabama.
This data unveiling is one of his first agenda items, as he’s only in his first week on the job in the city.
“It is an amazing opportunity to bring this data that will shape the next 20, 30 years of our Jewish community, its vibrancy, its offerings. And see how the Jewish community can come together and work harder towards shared goals and achievements,” Cohn said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
