The Geography of Jewish Intermarriage in Five U.S. Urban Areas

Abstract

Mixed marriage is arguably the most important social force shaping American Jewish life in the twenty-first century. The relevant sociological literature has examined different kinds of connections between mixed-married couples and the Jewish community, including synagogue membership and how children are raised. No one has yet studied where mixed-married couples live relative vis-à-vis other Jews. I address three questions: (1) to what extent do intermarried couples live near other Jews? Do they live in “core” Jewish areas or do they live far from Jewish population concentrations? (2) How do the sizes of the Jewish population and recent growth trends affect residential patterns? (3) Does living in a “Core” Jewish area have outcomes for intermarried couples? Are they more likely to be engaged in Jewish life as a consequence of living in a Jewish area? This research compares the residential patterns of in-married and mixed-married couples in Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Phoenix. The first three have stable Jewish population growth. Atlanta and Phoenix are Sunbelt metro areas experiencing rapid population growth (Jewish and general). Distinct core areas were most visible in the three stable communities. Jewish core areas were less visible in the two rapid growth Sunbelt communities. In all five communities in-married were more likely than mixed-married couples to live in “Core” Jewish areas; the latter were more likely to live in the suburban fringes. Mixed-married couples in “Core” areas were more likely to belong to a synagogue in Baltimore, Atlanta, and Phoenix and those living in zip codes of high Jewish density were more likely to have Jewish friends than those in low-density zip codes. Mixed-married couples in higher Jewish density zip codes were more likely to raise their children in Judaism than those in low Jewish density zip codes on the suburban fringe.