Catalysts of connectedness: An analysis of critical experiences associated with the sustained and transformed connectedness of Australian Jewish young adults

This study provides contemporary insight into what characterises, sustains and transforms the Jewish connectedness of Australian Jewish young adults. Jewish education was found to significantly effect young adults’ Jewish connectedness; without Jewish peers, communal involvement and a sense of homeland, however, this effect was negligible. More influential than communal programs were Jewish parents – the ways they raised their children either intensifying or thwarting the effects of the Jewish education and critical Jewish experiences that characterised their children’s lives. This research offers communal leaders, educators and parents rigorous evidence to inform their encounters with young people and support their Jewish journeys.