COVER STORY
S I N G L E H O O D I N T H E C O M M U N I T Y:
ARE WE MISSING THE MARK?
IN 2020,
The Center for Communal Research (CCR), the OU’s research arm, surveyed more than 2,300 Orthodox single men and women and conducted qualitative interviews with 41 unmarried Orthodox Jews in a large-scale research study of the shidduch crisis “The Challenges of Singlehood among American Orthodox Jews.” The study, available at research. ou.org/shidduch/, covered topics including dating, religion, socioeconomic status and health.
The study demonstrated most saliently that there are, in fact, two disparate crises. The “crisis of process” reflects the fact that the systems and procedures for finding a spouse in the Orthodox community fall short for some single men and women. The “crisis of experience” reflects the fact that single people reported feeling blamed or judged by their Orthodox communities and struggle to participate in Orthodox life. The following article focuses on the crisis of experience. Specifically, it addresses: How do single men and women feel about themselves, each other and their communities? What do single men and women want from the community at large? A more extensive study on the shidduch landscape, currently being worked on by the OU’s CCR in partnership with the newly formed Shidduch Institute, will yield data on the “crisis of process” in the months ahead. Specifically, the future study will address issues related to the systems and procedures for finding a spouse in the Orthodox community.
Access full report here: research.ou.org/shidduch/ Much of the study’s findings and recommendations may seem fairly obvious, but by publishing this infographic we hope to start a communal conversation about the experience facing Orthodox single men and women. Our goal is to have a positive, practical impact on the experiences of single men and women in the the Orthodox community. Fall 5784/2023 JEWISH ACTION
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