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Positive Realist
By Debbie Cohen, Spring 2008 Lifestyles Magazine
Dr. Gary A. Tobin knows how to make a point- even if it's not always esay to hear what the well-known demographer and President of the Institute for Jewish and Community Research in San Francisco has to say. Tobin challenges traditional ways of thinking about Jewish communal life.
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Jews Should Allow Judaism to be Part of the American Religious Marketplace.
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Op-Ed: Stop Keeping Out Non-Jews
By Gary Tobin
JTA
March 3, 2008
A new study showing that Americans are switching religions more than ever proves that U.S. Jewry needs a new strategy, says Gary Tobin.
San Francisco (JTA) -- A study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life shows that Americans are switching religions more than ever. As many as one of every two adults does not practice the religion in which they were born or raised.
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Guest Commentary: Competition and the American Religious Marketplace
By Rodney Stark and Gary Tobin
Copyright 2008 Religion News Servce. Used by Permission.
March 2008
A recent report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found 44 percent of American adults have switched away from the religious affiliation in which they were raised Cause for concern? Maybe, maybe not.
One of the report’s major findings is that Catholics and mainline Protestant denominations are the big losers, while evangelical and non-denominational Protestants are the big winners.
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Growing Share of 'Megagifts' Goes to Colleges, Hospitals, and Museums, Study Finds
By Debra E. Blum
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
December 11, 2007
Colleges, hospitals, and museums, long at the top of the list for America’s biggest donors and grant makers, are receiving a growing slice of multimillion-dollar gifts, according to a new study.
The study, by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, in San Francisco, focused on donations of $1-million or more made in 2001 to 2003.
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Link to Mega-Gifts in American Philanthropy
Philanthropy Forum: Federations Need to Adapt
By Gary Tobin
JTA
November 5, 2007
San Francisco (JTA) — North American federations could and should be doing much better than they are. They matter. They are important. They embody the ideas of community, common cause and the ability to respond to collective concerns. They are vital institutions and we want them to succeed.
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Link to JTA Philanthropy Forum
Link to Talking Truth About Federations
Save the Chastising of Jews Who Give to Non-Jewish Causes
By Gary Tobin
JTA
October 22, 2007
Jewish foundations are giving away billions of dollars. A recent study conducted by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research found that 80% of the dollars they gave away in 2004/2005 went to general society, while 20% went to Jewish causes. It is wrong to assume that foundations established by Jews that give to secular causes have lost their way for choosing to give the way they do, or to assert they must not care about being Jewish.
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Report: A Fifth of Jewish Foundation Dollars Going to Jewish, Israeli Causes
By Jacob Berkman
JTA
October 9, 2007
A recent survey conducted by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research shows that prominent Jewish foundations in the United States gave away 1.2 billion dollars through over 8000 grants in 2004/2005, 79% of which went to secular causes and 21% to Jewish causes. Only 7% went to Israel. The study covered approximately 50 American foundations, with over $17 billion in assets. These foundations, established by Jewish Americans, gave to a wide array of causes and organizations in education, health, the arts, and human services.
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New Affiliated Research Center - The Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
The Institute for Jewish and Community Research (IJCR) and The Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion recently announced a new association for a series of collaborative research projects. Senior scholars from each institute now hold reciprocal appointments that create a top team of scholars to conduct research and produce joint publications in the study of religion. Among the projects will be studies of attitudes about religion among college faculty and an extensive survey about how college students experience religion on campus. They will also engage in a multi-year study of tolerance and intolerance of different religious groups in the United States.
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