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October 6, 2000/7 Tishri 5761, Vol. 53, No.2
Federation proposes demo study
BARRY COHEN
Community Editor
There are no Jews living in Glendale or Peoria. All of the seniors live in the Sun City area. And there are less than 50,000 Jews living in greater Phoenix.
These conclusions are drawn from a reputable survey.
The problem is that representatives of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix conducted this survey in 1983 and published it a year later.
For this reason, the federation is preparing a new demographic study to obtain the latest information about the Valley Jewish community which spreads from Sun City West to Sun Lakes, from Goodyear to Gilbert, and almost all points in between.
The federation's population study feasibility task force had its second meeting Sept. 18, and the consensus was to move ahead with a new study, despite the fact it could cost $100,000 to $150,000, according to Fred Zeidman, the federation's assistant executive director.
Representatives from Hadassah, Israel Bonds, the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company, the Weizman Institute of Science, Jewish Family and Children's Service, the federation, and area synagogues attended the meeting.
"There's a very serious choice in the community to make: Do you spend (the money) on information which has value, or do you spend it on any one of those agencies that are on the board for programs that they cannot do right now - or programs for organizations that are not (federation) agencies," said Zeidman.
"If you look at it as a business, you always have to spend money to understand the population to market a product and provide a service," said Tina Sheinbein, executive director of Israel Bonds.
Howard Cabot, population study feasibility task force chairman and federation campaign co-chairman, said the study is vital for federation to fulfill its mission of meeting the needs of the Valley Jewish communtiy.
He said the results could help them devise targeted programming; successful fund raising follows naturally from effective programming.
The federation is not the only community organization that would benefit from the results of the demographic study.
"What is the community lacking?" asked Jodi Tilser, coordinator of Jewish services at Jewish Family and Children's Service. She is concerned about what social services, counseling, and financial assistance are not getting to those who need them.
"It probably would be helpful to us as a marketing tool," said Janet Arnold, producing director of the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company.
Having accurate, up-to-date information about the interests, ages and locations of Jews in the Valley would be a tremendous help, she said.
However, for Arnold, the cost of the survey is a stumbling block. "Is it worth $100,000? I do not think so when there are so many needs in the Valley."
"We may find a pocket that needs more programming and agency work," said Cabot.
The study may also show that a particular federation program - because of a lack of community need or interest - should be scaled-back or eliminated.
Zeidman explained that the demographic study will provide conclusions about the size and breakdown of the Jewish population in the Valley, but it will not be an actual census, providing names, ages and addresses.
The survey will be conducted by "random digit dialing," contacting a large enough segment of the community to be statistically effective.
Sheinbein said in the future, the federation should not wait as long to update its information about the community.
Cabot agreed. "We cannot tailor our programming based on 20-year-old data."
Zeidman said a goal is to have a consultant working with the federation representatives, showing them how to use the database to enable them to share information with the community.
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