Participating in Jewish culture is an important part of Bay Area Jewish identity. Over 90% of Jewish adults participate in some form of Jewish cultural activity. Film, music, and lectures are the three most popular types of Jewish participation. Attending theatre, dance, and all other forms of Jewish culture are also important. Jews also participate in Jewish culture at home. Over 75% read Jewish books, newspapers or magazines. Moreover, watching Jewish television programs and renting Jewish videos are also key. About 33% of Jewish adults use a computer for Jewish cultural participation. Moreover, 90% of the Jews in the Bay Area are interested in attending more Jewish cultural programs. They are most interested in film, art exhibits, and theatre. Both the current use and the potential use for involving Jews through Jewish cultural activities are enormous.

For some analysts in Jewish life, the cultural arts are seen as peripheral, trivial, or poor substitutes for real Jewish identity, which expresses itself through synagogue attendance, observance of Kashrut (dietary laws), and strict ritual observance. While these are important aspects of Jewish identity for some Jews, they are not the main expression of Jewish identity for most Jews. The majority of Jews in the Bay Area define themselves as ethnic, cultural, or secular Jews. They do not see themselves as religious, at least as defined by the standards of synagogue and Kashrut . Yet, they are proud to be Jews and want to participate in Jewish life. Cultural activities are a key element, and for many the primary element, in their Jewish expression and lives.

A Study of Jewish Culture in the Bay Area. San Francisco: Institute for Jewish & Community Research, 2002. Tobin, Gary A. PDF

A Study of Jewish Culture in the Bay Area.
San Francisco: Institute for Jewish & Community Research, 2002.
Tobin, Gary A.

PDF

"The Emergence of a Secular Cultural Identity,"
National Foundation for Jewish Culture.
Tobin, Gary A.

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