Fast Facts on MetroWest

Geography:
The geographic area of "MetroWest," that part of New Jersey that is served by the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ covers more than 1,132 square miles in Essex, Morris, and Sussex counties, and part of Union County in northern New Jersey.

People:
According to the 1998 MetroWest Jewish Population Study, the number of Jewish people in the community has stabilized since 1986 at some 120,000, out of more than 1,370,600 people in the general population.

Most MetroWest adults are married, with 1.8 to 1.9 children per family. The local Jewish community is well educated and affluent: 36 percent have a master's degree, compared to the U.S. average of six percent. The 1998 median income was $91,000, compared to the U.S. average of $38,000, and 85 percent own their own homes.

Jewish Identity:
Almost two-thirds of married MetroWest Jews are affiliated with a synagogue and nearly half of the singles are affiliated. Half of those who affiliate join the Conservative movement, 33 percent are in the Reform movement and 11 percent are in the Orthodox movement.

77 percent of MetroWest adults have had some Jewish education and almost half of 14-16 year olds have had post bar/bat mitzvah Jewish education.

30 percent of all MetroWest Jews and 40 percent of those over 65 years old said they are "extremely attached" to Israel. Almost half have traveled to Israel at least once and 27 percent expect to visit in the next two years.

The Community:
In the MetroWest Jewish community, there are 65 congregations: 24 Conservative, 21 Orthodox, 12 Reform, three Reconstructionist, one Secular Humanistic, and four that are otherwise independent of a national movement.

MetroWest Jews belong to a wide variety of organizations, clubs, and lodges with Jewish and/or Zionist themes, including chapters of national groups and some that are specifically local. A few examples are Hadassah, B'nai B'rith, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, and Parents of North American Israelis.

UJC MetroWest, synagogues, and local agencies work together on many projects to strengthen Jewish identity and build a dynamic Jewish community. Such efforts include the Israel Experience Initiative, which works to increase the number of high school students who participate in organized youth trips to Israel; Jewish education and cultural programs for children, adults and families; and Project Connect, a friendly visitation program that pairs community volunteers with older adults, people with disabilities, newcomers to MetroWest and children of working parents who come home to an empty house.

United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ:
United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ is the largest Jewish federation in New Jersey and one of the largest in North America. Its 2007 United Jewish Appeal campaign raised more than $29 million through the contributions of some 16,000 residents. In addition to monies that go to The Jewish Agency, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and projects in Israel, these funds support a network of local agencies that provide a broad range of services, which include individual and family counseling, residences and programs for the elderly, vocational counseling and training, group homes for the developmentally disabled, and cultural, educational, and recreational programs for all ages.

UJC MetroWest offers a wide spectrum of community services and outreach programs through its Community Relations Committee, Israel Program Center, Women's Department, MetroWest Rabbinic Cabinet, Joint Chaplaincy Committee, and Young Leadership Division.

UJC MetroWest is located at the Alex Aidekman Family Jewish Community Campus in Whippany. The campus includes the Clarence Reisen Jewish Community Building, The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life, the Jewish Historical Society, the Waldor Memorial Library, the New Jersey Jewish News, and the Lautenberg Family JCC. Also on site are the Herb and Frances Brody Family Early Childhood Center, the June Bleiwise Conference Center, the Harry Wilf Holocaust Memorial, and the Lester Jewish Senior Housing Complex.

Volunteers play a very important role in UJC MetroWest and its agencies in many different positions. UJC also recruits, coordinates, and trains volunteers to support the mission of the organization.