Do U.S. Jews belong without believing? That was the question asked by a recent feature in the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, prompted by a new study titled “Belonging Without Believing: Jews and the Distinctive Patterns of Religiosity – and Secularity.” The study, authored by Professor Steven M. Cohen of Lauren Blitzer, found that while only 41 percent of Jews are “absolutely certain” about the existence of God or a “universal spirit,” 55 percent of Jews belong to a house of worship, and 56 percent make sure their children receive some kind of religious education. According to the article:

“Given the implied well of motivation for Jewish belonging that lies outside of religiosity… organized Jewry has an obvious policy interest in maintaining pluralism,” the report states. “We refer not to just religious pluralism, but to ethnic pluralism, cultural pluralism, ideological pluralism and institutional pluralism as well.”

The Chronicle spoke with five Jewish community leaders in Wisconsin to get their impressions of the study, and all admitted that they were not surprised by the findings. Mark Shapiro, acting executive director of the Milwaukee JCC (which is a member of the Big Tent Judaism coalition), said he wasn’t surprised because “Jews affiliate for more than just religious reasons.” Rabbi Jacob Herber, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Israel in Glendale and president of the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, said the study demonstrates a need for organizations to be broader in their approach to engaging unaffiliated Jews. “’One size fits all’ is not true in the Jewish community,” he said.

That being said, Herber added that synagogues shouldn’t be expected to “drastically and radically depart from their values and principles to bring people in.” That’s an important point. No one is asking organizations, especially synagogues, to forsake their religious beliefs to attract more non-believing Jews. That would be self-destructive and in contradiction to Judaism as a whole. And others, like Wisconsin’s Chabad Lubavitch leader Rabbi Yisroel Shmotkin, think the premise is fundamentally flawed – the term “secular Jew” is unfeasible. He believes that “in every Jew’s DNA is a deep connection to G-d, Torah, Judaism and every other Jew.”

Despite all these differences, the common goal should be to create a community with a diverse plurality of offerings that enable every Jewish household to find a place in the tent, regardless of religious conviction.