Jewish Poverty Numbers More than DOUBLE in NYC

The UJA-Federation of New York recently released the findings of the highly anticipated Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011. This comprehensive study shows that the New York Jewish community is large, growing, and incredibly diverse. This study also confirms what Met Council has witnessed for witnessed for the past few years—there are many more poor Jewish families than ever before living in New York City.


“The poverty among Jews in New York City may be shocking to many, but it confirms what we at the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty witness every day: there are more poor and near-poor Jewish families living in the city than at any time in recent memory, “said Met Council CEO William E. Rapfogel. “With the help of UJA-Federation and all who collaborate with us, we urge all those who can help to join us as we redouble our efforts to aid, sustain, and empower all New Yorkers who seek our help.”


The data released in the study ten years ago showed that 226,000 New York City Jews lived in poverty; today that number is up to 333,000. A decade ago 104,000 were near-poor; today it’s up to 174,000.  These numbers collectively show that today, 507,000 New York City Jews are now living in or near poverty.


On June 18, 2012, the New York Times published a letter by Met Council CEO William E. Rapfogel highlighting the latest trends in Jewish poverty throughout the city. The letter was in response to the recent article “With Orthodox Growth, City’s Jewish Population Is Climbing Again.” 

Click to read the full letter and learn more about the issues surrounding Jewish Poverty.