Judaism's gender imbalance

National Catholic Reporter, July 11, 2008

NEW YORK -- Non-Orthodox Jewish men are becoming alienated from their faith, a "crisis" that foreshadows a rise in interfaith marriages and secular generations, according to a new study from Brandeis University.

The findings, based on 300 interviews, report the rise of female leadership and participation in Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative Judaism has prompted men to opt out of religious activities, in contrast to Orthodox Judaism, which still requires men for traditional worship and family life.

Women currently outnumber men in weekly non-Orthodox worship services, adult education classes, volunteer leadership positions and cultural events. The study recommends that non-Orthodox groups create programs aimed at engaging boys.

Women rabbinical students outnumber men two-to-one at the Reform Hebrew Union College. Last year the school launched a three-year campaign to address the imbalance, called "Where Have All the Young Men Gone?"