Jim Joseph Foundation’s Project Prism finds most Jewish young adults engage with Judaism; flexibility and immersive experiences matter

Major headline: everyday engagement is common

Three out of four Jewish young adults reported doing something Jewish regularly. Among that group, 45% said that activity is their only form of Jewish participation. The study therefore reframes the conversation: many young adults are participating in Jewish life, even if that participation looks different than institutional membership or weekly synagogue attendance.

The study identifies two clear patterns that increase sustained engagement:

• Immersive, formative experiences. Programs such as Israel travel, Jewish summer camps, youth groups, and Jewish high school are associated with a stronger sense of belonging.
• Preexisting connection to community. Feeling already connected to the Jewish community is a key driver for pursuing further Jewish experiences.

Project Prism identifies practical and cultural barriers:

• Preference for flexibility and low-pressure options. Young adults want programming they can fit into busy, changing lives.
• Demand for spaces that can hold complexity and plurality. Participants want environments where multiple viewpoints and identities are accepted without social penalty.

How the Jim Joseph Foundation plans to act

Strategy and a public-facing R&D platform called Common Era. That approach funds small experiments, surfaces new talent and partnerships, and gives innovators runway to test under uncertainty. Projects follow several possible paths when experiments conclude: lessons are captured for future iterations, promising pilots stay small and local, an initiative is handed off to an established partner, or it scales into a standalone entity.

Project Ruth is cited as an example of this path to scale. It began as a Common Era prototype to address a practical gap—many families who need rabbis, cantors, or educators for life-cycle events aren't synagogue members and don't know how to find vetted leaders—and is now scaling into a standalone platform. Project Prism's findings are informing ongoing R&D and program design across Common Era's pipeline of more than a dozen initiatives addressing community, leadership, media, and more.

Stacie Cherner, the Foundation's Director of Research and Learning, said the aim was to "get a current and full picture" of Jewish young adults after years of change, including the pandemic. Yonah Schiller, Chief R&D Officer, called the data "fascinating and actionable" and said it both affirms earlier R&D and points to new areas for exploration.