A major new study of the Jewish community in San Diego County and Temecula finds an increasingly diverse population that numbers over 100,000 and is growing as fast as the county as a whole.
The study found there are 134,100 individuals living in 56,200 Jewish households in San Diego, of whom 100,700 are Jewish in some way. The Jewish population has increased 13% over the past 20 years.
While most adult Jews identify as white, 18% in the San Diego region reported themselves as being Hispanic, a person of color or multiracial. In addition, 13% of Jewish children were identified as persons of color, suggesting the local Jewish community “may become more racially and ethnically diverse in the future.”
The new report, based on a random sample of 2,104 households, marks the first time since 2003 that a comprehensive demographic study has been conducted for San Diego’s Jewish community.
It was conducted by Brandeis University and NORC at the University of Chicago, and sponsored by five local Jewish organizations, which plan to present the results at a community forum on Sunday.
“This will be a good time to be together as a Jewish community to learn and show solidarity,” said Charlene Seidle, executive vice president of the Leichtag Foundation. “Jewish life in our region has changed dramatically in 20 years, even more so since the horrific events of October 7.”
Other key findings from the study include:
- Seventy percent of local Jewish adults are very concerned about antisemitism around the world, and 64% are very concerned about antisemitism in the United States.
- Some 30% of Jewish adults are relative newcomers to San Diego, with more than half younger than age 35.
- Only 14% of Jewish households belong to a Jewish congregation of any type, but over half of adults attended at least one Jewish religious service in the previous year.
- Most Jewish adults in San Diego describe their political orientation as liberal or moderate, with just 15% saying they are conservative.
- A majority of Jewish adults are emotionally attached to Israel, with 28% feeling very attached and 37% feeling somewhat attached.
“Our goal was to gather actionable and usable data that sheds light on what Jews in San Diego County think and feel,” said Beth Sirull, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego.
“We are confident the study will be a catalyst for all the Jewish agencies and numerous partners to work together to best serve San Diego’s Jewish community,” said Jewish Federation CEO Heidi Gantwerk.
The survey results will be shared with the public on Sunday, Dec. 3, at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required at www.lfjcc.org/study.
