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Jewish Population and Identity pp 3–24Cite as

Britain and Australia, a World Apart, Together: An International Contextualization of Jewish Intermarriage Using Census Data

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Part of the book series: Studies of Jews in Society ((SOJS,volume 1))

Abstract

Census data are far superior in population coverage to survey data and, when relevant information is available, provide a tremendous opportunity for detailed demographic research into Jewish populations. This paper presents a comparative assessment of census data on Jewish intermarriage in England and Wales contrasting this with comparative data from Australia. In doing so, it presents a statistically robust contextualisation and description of intermarriage patterns and processes being experienced by these two Jewish populations. Despite the enormity of the geographical distance separating them, multiple parallels are observed. The analysis demonstrates the versatility of census data and its potential for broadening our understanding of subtopics of intermarriage such as the role cohabitation plays in patterns of homogamy and the transmission of Jewish identity to children being raised in intermarried homes. Finally, it demonstrates that despite striking similarities, there is clear evidence that Britain and Australia are set upon divergent paths with Britain moving towards higher prevalence of marital endogamy and Australia moving towards lower prevalence.

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Acknowledgements

Although a large amount of census data on religion are made freely available in England and Wales by ONS and, to a lesser extent, in Australia by ABS, the majority of data used in this analysis have been extracted from tabulations specially commissioned from both agencies. The cost of doing so has been borne by multiple organisations in both countries. I wish to acknowledge: The Institute for Jewish Policy Research for Jewish Policy Research (JPR—London), the Board of Deputies of British Jews (London), JCA (Sydney), and the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation (ACJC) at Monash University (Melbourne). Some of the 2001 ONS data were privately purchased by the author. JCA also funds the cost of access to TableBuilder Pro, ABS’s online census data analysis tool.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), London, UK

    David J. Graham

  2. Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia

    David J. Graham

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  1. David J. Graham
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Correspondence to David J. Graham .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Contemporary Jewry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Sergio DellaPergola

  2. Institute of Contemporary Jewry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Uzi Rebhun

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Graham, D.J. (2018). Britain and Australia, a World Apart, Together: An International Contextualization of Jewish Intermarriage Using Census Data. In: DellaPergola, S., Rebhun, U. (eds) Jewish Population and Identity. Studies of Jews in Society, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77446-6_1

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