First results of a preliminary population study of the New York City Jewish population, released here yesterday, indicate that there are 1,118,800 Jews living in the city’s five boroughs. The study was made by City University of New York under auspices of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies.
The survey staff conducted more than 4,500 interviews, making the project the largest Jewish community study ever made outside of Israel. Federation officials emphasized that the figures were preliminary and that the results of the complete study will not be ready for some 16 months.
More than 18 percent of New York City households were found to be Jewish. In three suburban counties — Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester — the study identified 550,000 Jews, for a total for the eight counties of 1,668,700.
Peggy Tishman, Federation vice president, said the findings “provide the best possible evidence of the continuing deep commitment of the Jewish community to New York City and its adjacent suburban counties.”
BREAKDOWN OF POPULATION FIGURES
Brooklyn has the largest number of Jewish residents of the eight counties — 411,000. Nassau, with 248,400 Jews, has the largest suburban county Jewish population. Suffolk has the largest household size — 3.05; and Manhattan the smallest — 1.69. Jewish households in Manhattan represent 22.4 percent of all households in Manhattan, the highest proportion of Jewish households in any of the eight counties.
The New York City county with a small estimated number of Jews — 92,000 — is The Bronx Manhattan is listed as having 276,000 Jews; Queens has an estimated 307,500 Jews; and Staten Island has an estimated 31,800. Suffolk was listed as having an estimated 177,700 and Westchester 123,900 Jews.
William Kahn, Federation executive vice president, said the study “gives us solid information on the people we are serving, who they are and where they live and an exciting new perspective on their needs for future service.”
The Federation is a network of 130 member agencies providing social welfare, health, education and creation services in the eight counties. Mrs. Tishman said the $220,000 study, funded by Feder- ation in cooperation with the local United Jewish Appeal-Federation Campaign, also received support from Mount Sinai Hospital and the 92nd Street Y, two Federation member agencies.
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