Hello and welcome to the August 2025 edition of the Documensch Newsletter!
American Jews have long taken New York City’s politics seriously and personally. This 1987 report from the American Jewish Committee offers a peek into the Jewish community’s interests in housing, education, and the changing demographics of the city. Drafted from a series of talks held at breakfasts in the city and in concert with Mayor Ed Koch’s efforts to plan for the NYC of 2000 and beyond, this AJC report shows the stake Jews felt in 1987. Then, as now, New York has been the city with the largest Jewish population (1.7 million in 1987) in the US, so it should come as little surprise to see the deep and overwhelming interest the community and its media outlets have shown in the current mayor’s race. While Jews are leaning towards Zohran Mamdani, the young progressive who won the democratic primary handily, there has been a good deal of consternation, push back, excitement, and ink spilled about his candidacy. We appreciate the discourse and will be following the Jewish community’s response to this race.
This month, we wanted to get some deeper insight into how some of our leading researchers strive to understand the Jewish community and the perceptions of Jews within the broader American context. We interviewed Len Saxe, a leading scholar at the prodigious Cohen Center at Brandeis to get his take on how this research is done, what he’s learned, and what he’s working on. We also have another Research Digest, because research on Jewish communities and interests never sleeps. And finally, we have details on an upcoming talk we’re hosting at Stanford with Rachel Cockerell, author of the incredible new book, Melting Point.
As always, reach out with feedback, suggestions of articles we should consider sharing, or ideas for documents we should consider archiving. We can be reached at bermanarchive@stanford.edu.
-Ari
Ari Y Kelman, Director, Berman Archive
Rigorously Researching Jews: Q&A with Brandeis’ Len Saxe
American Jews are one of the most studied groups around. The Berman Archive collects a lot of this research, and there’s quite a range in methodology and rigor in these reports. One researcher who has been applying peer reviewed social science techniques to the study of American Jews has been Len Saxe at Brandeis. He’s been investigating this community for over 30 years. We interviewed him this month to get his take on how this research is done, what he’s learned, and what he’s working on.
Berman Archive: You have been one of the leading researchers of American Jewry for more than three decades, and now you are stepping down from your leadership of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis. What are you looking forward to working on next?
Len Saxe: I am looking forward to spending more time synthesizing my programs of research and translating findings into policy. Most importantly, I want to focus on what we have learned from more than two decades of study about the impact of Birthright Israel. The program is extraordinary in scope and its impact, both on diaspora Jewry as well as Israel. It is appreciated, but it’s not fully understood.
Although it’s a separate program of research, I am also going to continue working on antisemitism. My focus is on how to address the problem, not just call it out. That antisemitism has become a central focus of government efforts to reshape higher education is extraordinary. We don’t, however, have an evidentiary base to guide policy and my goal is to try to provide data and analyses to do so. Although it may seem like a separate focus from Birthright, given the central role that Israel is playing in the current expression of antisemitism, they are connected. One specific connection is that COVID, financial issues, and the war have made it less likely that young adult Jews have traveled to Israel/have intimate relationships with Israelis. Our program of research on Birthright makes the empirical case for the importance of Birthright Israel for educating and engaging young Jews.
Berman Archive: How have you seen the field of social scientific research change over the course of your career? What do you think lies on the horizon for emerging researchers in the field?
Len Saxe: I have had a long career and there have been many changes to social science research, but what strikes me today is how the social scientific study of Jewry has changed. When I entered the Jewish social research field, it was mired in controversy over demographic studies (some of which I provoked) and intermarriage was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over the Jewish community. In the 21st century, the study of Jewry has become a lot more sophisticated, both with respect to qualitative and quantitative research. But we face a new set of challenges with AI and big data. However, the greatest challenge may be the changing views of science, the politicalization of academic work, and the way in which Jews and Israel are in the center of a social conflict. For emerging researchers, being rigorous and relevant is going to be a challenge. They need Jewish community leaders who appreciate scholarship and support an evidence-based approach to policy. It’s going to be very difficult to attract the “best and brightest” to engage in study of the Jewry if the present trajectory is not altered.
Research Digest
Groundbreaking Sephardic/Mazrahi Study: JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) released the first-of-its-kind study, Sephardic & Mizrahi Jews in the United States: Identities, Experiences, and Communities. Dr. Mijal Bitton at New York University led this wide-ranging and thorough study of a population that comprises 10% of the American Jewish population.
JQR: The Summer Jewish Quarterly Review dropped with a heady mix of articles on Jewish male head coverings, Babylonian texts, and Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi's Politics of Hope.
Finances and College: Brandeis’ Cohen Center released Financial Insecurity and College Success Among Jewish Young Adults, finding that financial insecurity wasn’t a barrier to attending and graduating college, but it did adversely impact the quality of life of Jewish college students.
Gender Dynamics: Also from Brandeis is a study, Gender Dynamics and Engagement in Jewish Life, exploring “disparities in Jewish religious and community engagement.” Turns out in most communities, Jewish women tend to be more involved in Jewish life, but this likely says more about “larger sociological factors” in America than it does about Judaism or Jewish life in America.
Art from the Archive: A Conversation with Rachel Cockerell, author of Melting Point
SAVE THE DATE: October 28, 2025 / 5:30 PM PST
CSRE Conference Room (Bldg. 360, first floor), Stanford University
Can a compelling history be written purely with citations? How have scholars and storytellers used archives to document and narrate Jewish experience? How can archives and archivists shape storytelling? Join us for a conversation with Rachel Cockerell, author of Melting Point, a new book that engages with all of these questions and so much more. Cockerell has crafted an insightful and engrossing account of American Jewish experiences traced from an idea of Zion, to a pilgrimage to Galveston, Texas, to the theaters of New York City, and to Jewish family homes in London, before, during, and after WW2. Indeed, Melting Point is a family story that’s actually the story of the modern Zionist movement, and its offshoots. It’s a nonfiction book that takes an unconventional form, relying on primary sources—newspaper clippings, letters, interviews—and that’s it. The Berman Archive at Stanford played a small part in the book’s creation, so we’re particularly excited to connect with Cockerell for what will be a compelling public conversation.