Shalom aims to increase the vibrancy and engagement of the Sydney Jewish community by fostering Jewish life and learning. Through Arts & Culture, Talks, Kids & Family, and Leadership & Innovation programs, Shalom engages people of all ages and backgrounds in Sydney.
Shalom cultivates connection and community, providing opportunities to challenge and inspire individuals.
| Term | 2022 Actuals | 2021 Actuals | 2020 Actuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of young adult participations | 8,671 | 6,923 | 6,023 |
| Total number of unique young adult participants | 3,128 (36%) | 3,147 | 3,170 |
| Total participations (excluding supported programs) | 12,568 | 9,585 | 10,078 |
| Total participations (including supported programs) | 14,856 | 11,670 | 11,723 |
| Total number of unique participants | 5,305 | 5,304 | 5,983 |
| The average number of times a participant engaged with Shalom | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| Number of events | 291 | 168 | 135 |
Shalom used Culture Counts to evaluate its annual activity. An annual survey was distributed by Shalom to program attendees and participants, shared via email and social media. In partnership with Culture Counts, this survey was designed and developed to evaluate the strategic goals and outcomes of Shalom.
352 responses were collected from public attendees via an online survey.
Each survey contained a range of ‘dimension’ questions, asking stakeholders about their experience of Shalom activities. These dimensions have been developed and tested in collaboration with industry, practitioners, and academics to measure the impact and value of arts and cultural events and activities.
Appropriate dimensions were chosen based on their alignment with the festival's strategic objectives. Three additional custom dimensions were added for Shalom.
| Domain | Dimension | Dimension statement |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | Concept | It was an interesting idea/programme |
| Cultural | Heritage | It made me feel connected to a shared history/culture |
| Meaning | It moved and inspired me | |
| Relevance | It gave me a better understanding of today's world | |
| Insight | It helped me gain new insight or knowledge | |
| Social | Inclusion | It made me feel welcome and included |
| Domain | Dimension | Dimension statement |
|---|---|---|
| Shalom | Vibrancy | Shalom enhances the overall vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community |
| Connection | Shalom helps me feel connected to people in the Sydney Jewish community | |
| Engagement | Shalom programs enhance my engagement with the Sydney Jewish community |
Dimensions are assessed on a Likert scale, in which respondents move a slider to a point that indicates whether they agree or disagree with the dimension statement. An example of a dimension question in the Culture Counts survey tool is presented below.
Survey respondents were asked to provide their age, gender, and identity. This data identifies the demographic sample of people who responded to the survey and took part in the event. It enables data to be matched to the wider population and responses to be filtered to understand differences in demographics.
The following charts show the proportion of survey responses captured for each of the age, gender, and identity demographic questions.
Overall, the largest cohort of respondents was aged over 60 (33%), followed by those aged 30-39 (25%). The 40-49 age group made up 20% of the total sample, the 50-59 age group made up 15% of the sample, those aged 20-29 made up 6% and those aged under 20 made up 2%. The age groups of respondents varied greatly across programs. The majority of 'Sydney Jewish Writers Festival' respondents were over 60 (52%). 'Limmud' also had a high proportion of respondents in the over 60 age bracket (33%). Almost half of 'PJ Library' (49%) and 'Stories for Simon - Reconciliation Project' (45%) respondents were aged between 30-39. 'Adamama' (6%) and 'Adamama Jnr' (13%) were the only evaluated programs that collected responses from those under 20.
On average, females made up the majority of survey respondents (75%). 21% identified as male, 1% preferred to self describe their gender identity, less than 1% identify as non-binary, and 1% preferred not to say. 'Adamama Jnr' (82%) and 'Stories for Simon - Reconciliation Project' (82%) were programs with the highest proportion of female respondents while 'Limmud' (26%) had a higher proportion of male respondents compared to other evaluations. 'Limmud' respondents were the most diverse in terms of gender identity when compared to other programs.
20% of the sample indicated that they were from a culturally diverse background, with another 11% indicating that they identify as LGBTQI+. 6% identified as a person with a disability and 2% identified themselves as Aboriginal, Torres Strait, or South Sea Islander. 'The Nadav Project' received the highest proportion of respondents identifying as LGBTQI+, though it also received the lowest count of responses. 'Limmud' and 'Sydney Jewish Writers Festival' had the highest proportion of respondents who come from a culturally diverse background (both 30%).
Respondents to the 2022 survey were asked if they had completed the survey for Shalom in 2021.
Survey respondents were also asked to indicate which Shalom programs they attended. The following charts show which programs respondents engaged in 2022, how many communal events they attended
Nearly half (49%) of 2022's respondents recalled completing the 2021 survey. 20% could not recall if they had completed the previous survey and 31% did not complete the 2021 survey. the 20-29 (49%) age group had the largest percentage of respondents completing the survey for the first time. This was followed by the 30-39 age cohort.
When asked which programs they engaged in 2022, respondents were able to select more than one option. Almost one third of all respondents (32%) had engaged with 'Adamama: Jewish Food and Farm Festival'. This was followed by 'PJ Library' (31%), 'Sydney Jewish Writers Festival' (29%), and 'Adamama' (24%). 9% of respondents engaged with 'Other' projects and 16% did not engage with any programs in 2022.
Respondents were asked to provide their postcode, This data identifies the demographic sample of people who responded to the survey and took part in the survey and their living locations.
The most commonly cited postcode was Clovelly (8.1%), this was followed by Rose Bay (7.5%), Pagewood (6.5%), Vaucluse (5.4%), and Bondi Junction (4.8%). The Sydney heatmap provides a visual representation of respondent living locations.
Respondents were asked about their sense of Jewish identity and their denomination. Results have been split by program for comparative purposes. These comparisons allow Shalom to understand how these factors may influence engagement.
Results from the identity question have been compared to those received in Shalom's Gen17 research to demonstrate how its audience profile may have changed over time.
Jewish identity was asked across a 5-point scale. The scale sought to measure three components of Jewish identity:
How strongly the individual personally identified as Jewish
The social network a respondent had, and whether this network was significantly Jewish
The level of engagement a respondent had within the broader Jewish community
The results for both questions are shown below.
Nearly half the sample (43%) of respondents identified with having a strong Jewish identity, network, and engagement. This response option was the most commonly cited option across all programs. Overall, 29% of respondents identified as having a strong Jewish identity and network, but weak engagement with the Jewish community. 20% of respondents indicated that they don't have a strong Jewish identity, network, or engagement. 18% have a strong sense of identity, but weak network and engagement while 6% reported having a weak Jewish identity, a small network, and no engagement with activities and the community.
When asked if they identified with a particular denomination 29% identified as 'Just Jewish'. This was followed by those who identified as 'Traditional' (24%), 'Modern Orthodox' (16%), and 'Progressive' (11%). 8% identified as 'Secular' and 5% as 'Conservative'. A further 2% identified as 'Mixed Religion' and 1% as 'Haredi'.
When compared to the Gen 17 survey results, the 2022 Shalom sample had more respondents identifying as 'Just Jewish' (+17%), 'Conservative' (+2%), and 'Mixed Religion' (+1%%). In the Gen 17 survey, more respondents identified as 'Traditional' (+6%%), 'Secular' (+13%%), 'Modern Orthodox' (+2%), and 'Haredi' (+3%) compared to the Shalom 2022 Survey. The proportion of 'Progressive'identifying respondents were consistent across the G17 and the 2022 Shalom results.
Note: Respondents to the question 'Do you identify as any of the following?' were presented with five different options.
I have a strong Jewish identity, the majority of my social network is Jewish, and I am actively involved in helping create a strong and vibrant Jewish community.
I have a strong Jewish identity, the majority of my social network is Jewish, but I am not actively involved in helping to create a strong and vibrant Jewish community.
I have a Jewish identity, the majority of my social network is not Jewish, and I am not involved in actively creating a strong and vibrant Jewish community.
My Jewish identity is not a major factor to my life, the majority of my social network is not Jewish, and I only get involved in Jewish activities if they align with my interests or passions.
My Jewish identity is not a major factor to my life, the majority of my social network is not Jewish, and I am not involved in Jewish activities.
Survey respondents moved a slider to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with the included dimension statements in relation to the event. The first tab chart contains the response data for 'public' responses, showing the average result for each dimension.
The second tab shows the interquartile range of responses for each dimension. These ranges represent the middle 50% of responses, which are areas on the slider where most responses typically fell. Accompanying this range is the median result for each dimension (i.e. the most common response). Smaller ranges indicate similarity in agreement between respondents, whereas larger ranges indicate a wider spread of responses.
The Culture Counts platform provides various methods to capture survey responses at a minimal marginal cost. Achieving larger samples enables organisations to be more confident about the average results and that the opinions of the survey respondents are representative of all attendees. The accompanying margin of error chart shows the expected differences for the associated dimension results calculated at a 95% confidence level.
Of all dimensions measured, 'Concept' received the highest average score (79/100), this was followed by 'Inclusion' (77/100), and 'Heritage' (77/100). This suggests that respondents were most likely to agree that it was an interesting idea/programme, it made them feel welcome and included, and it made them feel connected to a shared history/culture.
Although still receiving positive results, the lower scoring dimensions were 'Meaning' (71/100) 'Insight' (71/100), and 'Relevance' (67/100) indicating respondents were less likely to agree that it moved and inspired them, it helped them to gain new insight or knowledge, and that it gave them a better understanding of today's world.
'Concept' had the smallest interquartile range and highest median score (81/100) suggesting that respondents were consistently likely to agree that it was an interesting idea/program. 'Inclusion' had the largest interquartile range meaning respondents produced the most varied results for this dimension.
Overall, 'Adamama', 'Adamama Jnr', 'Adamama: Jewish Food and Farm Festival', and 'Limmud' respondents produced the highest results across all dimensions measured while 'PJ Library', 'Stories for Simon - Reconciliation Project', 'Sydney Jewish Writers Festival', and 'The Nadav Project' produced the lowest. 'Inclusion', 'Heritage', and 'Meaning' produced the most consistent results across all programs.
At a 95% confidence level, the margin of error for dimensions ranged from 2.1% to 2.7%. This means that we can be 95% confident that if we surveyed the entire audience, the average outcome for 'Insight' would fall within 2.4% of the average results generated by the sample.
Three custom metrics were added to the Shalom evaluation. These metrics were:
Vibrancy: Shalom enhances the overall vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community
Connection: Shalom helps me feel connected to people in the Sydney Jewish community
Engagement: Shalom programs enhance my engagement with the Sydney Jewish community
Survey respondents moved a slider to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with the included dimension statements in relation to the event. The first chart shows the average result for each dimension.
The second chart shows the interquartile range of responses for each dimension. These ranges represent the middle 50% of responses, which are areas on the slider where most responses typically fell. Accompanying this range is the median result for each dimension (i.e. the most common response). Smaller ranges indicate similarity in agreement between respondents, whereas larger ranges indicate a wider spread of responses.
'Vibrancy' was the highest scoring custom dimension (78/100), this was followed by 'Connection' (74/100) and 'Engagement' (74/100). This suggests that respondents were likely to agree that Shalom enhances the overall vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. The interquartile range was very similar across all three metrics, suggesting there was a similar amount of variance in agreement level across each area.
Consistent responses were generated across the three metrics by respondents from most evaluated programs. 'The Nadav Project' did not have a large enough sample size to draw insights from.
Respondents were asked a number of questions relating to their connection to Shalom. The first chart shows responses when respondents were asked if they actively look for communal events to fill their social calendar. The second chart demonstrates the extent to which respondents felt Shalom programs have affected their personal importance of being Jewish.
The third chart shows the impact Shalom has had on respondents' connections within the community. The fourth chart indicates how Shalom has been able to enhance inclusiveness in particular areas.
When asked if they look for communal events to fill their social calendar, the majority (38%) of respondents answered 'Somewhat', a further 31% answered 'Yes', 29% answered 'No', and 2% said they did not know. Suggesting that overall, 69% of respondents look for communal events to fill their social calendar.
Although 52% of respondents indicated that there had been no difference in how important being Jewish felt to them since they attended their first Shalom program, 42% indicated that being Jewish had become more important to them. Only 2% said that being Jewish had become less important to them, and 4% did not know how they felt in response to this question.
Almost half the sample (48%) indicated that Shalom had impacted the social connections they had made within the community. A further 31% indicated that Shalom had impacted their professional connections, 11% said it impacted their romantic connections and 6% experienced an impact on other connections within the community.
56% of respondents believe Shalom enhances the communal involvement of young adults. This was followed by enhancing inclusiveness for religious divisions (29%) and LGBTQI+ (44%). 37% believe Shalom encourages inclusiveness in terms of alternative attitudes towards Israel and interfaith couples, 25% towards Jews of colour, 34% for divisions between Jewish immigrants and Australian Born Jews, and 32% for people living with disabilities.
The following charts show the results of questions related to the wider community. The first chart shows the level to which respondents feel the Sydney Jewish community is inclusive. The second chart shows how much respondents' Jewish knowledge of ideas or rituals has been enhanced since they attended their first Shalom program. The third chart displays what elements respondents believe should be included and explored in Shalom's programs and events.
When asked if felt the Sydney Jewish community is inclusive, 48% of respondents answered 'Somewhat' and 36% answered 'Yes', suggesting that overall 84% of respondents believe the Sydney Jewish community is inclusive to a degree. 8% answered no to this question and 7% did not know how they felt.
38% confirmed that their Jewish knowledge of ideas or rituals has been enhanced since attending their first Shalom program and a further 31% indicated that it had been somewhat enhanced, an excellent result. 28% suggested that their knowledge in this area had not been enhanced and 3% were unsure.
The majority of respondents indicated that learning about Jewish cultural experiences (73%) and Jewish values of upholding strong moral and ethical behaviour (67%), and supporting social and justice issues (65%) were important elements of Shalom's programs to include and explore.
Respondents also believed that learning about Jewish history (61%), Jewish values (charity and volunteering for charity) (58%), and Rituals (Festivals) were important parts of Shalom's programs and events.
The responses from those who indicated that they had engaged with any of the 2022 programs have been compared to data collected in 2021 and 2020. This comparison serves as a proxy for identifying changes in responses to questions about Community and Connection between 2020 and 2022.
42% of respondents felt that being Jewish had become more important after attending their first Shalom program in 2022. Comparing this to the results of the 2021 (44%) and 2020 (30%) surveys demonstrates consistent positive results for Shalom.
The results suggest that in 2022, respondents believed that the Sydney Jewish community was similarly as inclusive than in 2021. In 2022, 84% of respondents agreed (36% answered 'yes' and 48% answered 'somewhat') that the Sydney Jewish community was inclusive compared to 85% of respondents in 2021.
In 2022, 69% of respondents felt their Jewish knowledge of ideas or rituals had been enhanced since attending their first Shalom program (38% answered 'yes' and 31% answered 'somewhat'). This is a notable decreased compared to 2021 results (80%).
In terms of how Shalom impacted connections within the community, 2022 saw increases in social (48%), romantic (11%), and professional (31%) connections compared to 2021 and 2020. Less respondents selected 'None of the above' compared to the other evaluated years.
In terms of inclusivity, respondents indicated that Shalom had further enhanced the inclusiveness of 'Interfaith couples' (37%), 'LGBTQI+' (44%), and 'Communal involvement of Young Adults' (56%).
Respondents were asked to leave any additional feedback about their experience at Shalom. This feedback has been classified into positive, neutral, or negative categories, with the percentage of feedback sentiment types presented in the following chart.
Feedback helps organisations understand where the value of visitor experiences lies and how they can be improved and strengthened in the future. A selection of comments have been highlighted underneath.
"I think that your intelligent, thoughtful, inclusive and interesting offerings to the community are an oasis for Sydney Jews. It's a neutral and safe place where we can rejoice in who we are and have been. I would like to thank the hardworking people who make it happen and wish them all the best.."
"Functions that appeal to many age groups are the best fun. The food festival at Adamama was BRILLIANT"
"You rock! Great service! The more Jews together the better, the more organizations together the better!"
"You do a good job in outreach for those not necessarily affiliated with Jewish day schools, after school care or shules"
"I am not Jewish but greatly value the interaction with community members and learning more about Jewish culture and rituals"
"I value the pluralistic nature of Shalom events. It is very important, particularly given that the Australian Jewish community is so small."
"I really enjoy attending Adamama jr with my young son. It makes us feel involved in the community and connect with other families."
"Shalom fills a need within the community because it is not school, synagogue or ‚’special interest’. There is always something happening for every age group"
"Shalom is a young and professional team, probably the only Jewish organisation in Sydney that equally appeals to different cultural, social and age groups"
"The fact that almost everything (all?) in person events take place in the east means it’s hard for those of us living on the north to participate easily"
"When you try to be too much to too many, you often not lose focus on what matters."
"I really do not understand the difference between the Shalom and the insights program. I am only aware of PJ Library and answered accordingly"
"The programme has become weaker over the years. More Foreign speakers, more on Israel needed. Enjoyed Zoom option"
"The books selected for PJ Library often reflect very Orthodox clothing and behaviour and it’s not engaging for very young children."
Respondents were asked how Shalom programs help them to feel connected to people in the Sydney Jewish community. A selection of responses to this question are listed below.
"I usually meet someone I know at these events. This helps me feel part of the community I grew up with."
"It was lovely to see everyone from different Jewish backgrounds and the community in general coming together over food and interacting"
"A great way to find likeminded people to go through the journey of parenthood with"
"The books from PJ library help reinforce my daughter's growing interest in her Jewish heritage "
"I don't have any other Jewish community here so it's nice to know I have that with Shalom"
"Sharing a similar heritage. A sense of feeling comfortable and safe, even with those who have differing views"
"Being surrounded by Jews with the same or similar interests is a buzz in itself. It gave me a sense of community, even if I did not meet any new people. In fact, I have been to many Limmud Oz's here and Melbourne and have never made any new friends. Among my friends, it is the same old faces. Sadly, many people who identify as Jewish, just never bother to come. "
"Being surrounded by Jewish food connects people to tradition and history"
"They let me explore my Judaism through different and interesting experiential prisms. I like that they generally attract different speakers and put on different events than almost any other Jewish organization in Sydney."
Respondents were asked to give suggestions of programs or activities that they would like Shalom to develop. A selection of their ideas are listed below.
"A sensory sensitive event for children on the autism spectrum would be a huge bonus. Otherwise outdoor events work well for these children "
"Living library - where instead of borrowing books, you 'borrow' people and they tell you their stories. Maybe a good way for sharing stories from minority groups in our community?"
"Start a Hebrew language program"
"Shul hopping, shabbatone experience, shabbat lunch at different communities‚"
"Cultural food events, picnics"
"Entertainment evenings. For example: music and discussion of people such as George Gershwin, Rogers and Hammerstein, Leonard Cohen."
This report has been prepared by Nicole Tan Emery, Tom McKenzie, and Jamie McCullough of Culture Counts. The authors would like to thank all stakeholders and staff for their participation in this research.
Approved by: Kristine Royall
Date of Approval: 16 February 2023