Survey: Philly Jewish community slightly older, larger

A new population study finds that the Philadelphia Jewish community is aging and growing slightly, but has 16 percent fewer children than it did 13 years ago, according to the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.

The study, commissioned and released by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, also found a 45 percent intermarriage rate among Jews under 40 and that among intermarried families, only 29 percent are raising their children solely as Jews.

The population of the Philadelphia-area Jewish community, including four suburban counties, is now estimated at 214,700 Jews, up from 206,100 in the last survey conducted in 1996-97.

Despite the increase, Philadelphia’s ranking nationally among U.S. Jewish populations has fallen to seventh from fourth.