Elazar typology of Jewish communal involvement

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The Elazar typology of Jewish communal involvement is a typology created by political scientist Daniel Elazar, laid out in his Community and Polity: The Organizational Dynamics of American Jewry. It categorizes the degree of involvement American Jews have in the Jewish community:

  • Integral Jews make up 5-10 percent. For these, Jewishness is a central focus of life and is passed through generations. Specifically, integral Jews may express their Jewishness "through traditional religion, ethnic nationalism or intensive involvement in Jewish affairs." [1]
  • Participants make up 10-12 percent. For this group, Judaism is a "major avocational interest"; they "take part in Jewish life in a regular way but whose rhythm of life follows larger society." Participants are likely to regularly attend synagogue and to be involved in different organizations, examples including participating in adult education, "fundraising for Jewish causes," or lobbying for Israel. [2]
  • Affiliates make up 25-33 percent. These are "members of Jewish organizations but not particularly active"; they may be "affiliated with synagogues but irregular attenders." [3]
  • Contributors and Consumers make up another 25-33 percent. They "periodically use the services of Jewish organizations as needed," and keep a Jewish identity but remain "minimally associated." They may on occasion contribute financially to Jewish organizations. [4]
  • Peripherals make up 20 percent. These are "recognizably Jewish but wholly uninvolved in Jewish life"; they have "no particular desire to use Jewish institutions or contribute to organizations" [5]
  • Repudiators and Converts-Out make up 5-10 percent. This group includes those who have converted to another religion and who "actively deny Jewishness."