A major study of European Jewish leaders and opinion makers will be launched.
The study was announced Friday by the International Center for Community Development, a project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The initiative marks a breakthrough in the use of modern technology to conduct European Jewish communal research, according to the center.
The goal is to gather information that could be used to develop strategies for dealing with challenges facing European Jewish communities, according to a statement released Friday.
Starting this fall, the Brussels-based Gallup Europe will ask several hundred people in 32 countries to take the survey via the Internet. Participants will be invited to share their “opinions, concerns, hopes and expectations” on such subjects as Israel, security and intermarriage. Community leaders, academics, journalists and young leaders will be included.
The results are expected to be released by the end of this year, said Jonathan Boyd, the center’s director of operations.
Alberto Senderey, the director general of JDC Europe and president of the center, said he hoped the participation of Jews of all ages having a variety of roles and outlooks would help “capture an accurate portrait of the most pressing issues for European Jewish communities today.”
Ultimately the results will be used in “Oxford-based executive education seminars” designed to help community leaders plan for the future, the statement said.
