Outreach and Exclusion: Jewish Denominational Marketing in the Early 20th Century
How do religious denominations select potential adherents? Previous literature indicates that market niches direct this decision, yet few studies examine how religious groups determine their niche. Analyzing annual reports and periodicals of Reform and Conservative Jewish organizations from 1910 to...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2015]
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| In: |
Journal for the scientific study of religion
Year: 2015, Volume: 54, Issue: 1, Pages: 38-56 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Union of American Hebrew Congregations
/ United Synagogue of America
/ Jews
/ East European immigrant
/ Admission
/ Identity
/ History 1910-1955
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| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy BH Judaism KBQ North America TK Recent history |
| Further subjects: | B
Ethnicity
B Immigration B Judaism B Organizational Identity B market niches B religious marketing |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | How do religious denominations select potential adherents? Previous literature indicates that market niches direct this decision, yet few studies examine how religious groups determine their niche. Analyzing annual reports and periodicals of Reform and Conservative Jewish organizations from 1910 to 1955, I find that the two denominations responded differently to the mass influx of Jewish immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. Compared to the Conservative organization, which openly welcomed new immigrants, the Reform organization actively chose not to recruit them. Reform statements make it clear that this decision was a result of how working-class, Eastern European immigrants threatened their American-centered organizational identity. This finding suggests that religious institutions carefully consider their organizational identity based on nativity, ethnicity, and social class when determining whom to include in their market niche. |
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| ISSN: | 1468-5906 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/jssr.12167 |