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 | 2023 Actuals | 2022 Actuals | 2021 Actuals | 2020 Actuals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of young adult participations | 10,832 | 8,671 | 6,923 | 6,023 |
| Total number of unique young adult participants | 3,491 | 3,128 (36%) | 3,147 | 3,170 |
| Total participations (excluding supported programs) | 16,065 | 12,568 | 9,585 | 10,078 |
| Total participations (including supported programs) | 20,048 | 14,856 | 11,670 | 11,723 |
| Total number of unique participants | 5,182 | 5,305 | 5,304 | 5,983 |
| The average number of times a participant engaged with Shalom | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| Number of events | 239 | 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.
259 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 Shalom's strategic objectives. Three additional custom dimensions were also added.
| 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.
The 2023 annual survey saw a large percentage of respondents aged over 60 (47%). Those aged between 30 – 59 made up 49% of the sample. When comparing by program, many respondents were in the over 60 cohort, but unsurprisingly ‘PJ Library’ saw a higher engagement from those under 39 (65%), given its focus on families. Interestingly ‘Adamama’ saw its highest engagement with those aged between 40 – 49 (41%).
On average, females made up the majority of survey respondents (71%). 29% identified as male and less than 1% preferred to identify in another way. 'Adamama’ was the only program that saw a significant difference in gender representation across the core programs, with respondents for this program splitting 50/50 by gender identity.
48% of the sample indicated they were born overseas, with 11% indicating they spoke a language other than English at home. Most of the programs followed the overall trend in respect to identity, though interestingly, three programs skewed towards those who were born overseas; ‘Adamama’, ‘Jewish Food Festival’ and ‘Limmud’. This suggests that these programs are particularly important for those looking to connect and meet with others and grow social connections.
Respondents were asked to provide information on how many people they attended Shalom events with and who they had attended with.
The majority of the sample (31%) indicated they attended programs 'with friends', followed by those who attended alone (29%). This means that the average group size is 2.2. 'PJ Library' and 'Jewish Writers Festival' were programs that saw some of the largest group sizes.
Naturally, 'PJ Library' was a program that was most-likely to engage groups with children under 18 (88%), but 'Sydney Jewish Writers Festival' saw a collection of group types, including with friends (64%), with a partner (50%) and 'with family' (31%). Yet, this event also saw one of the highest percentage of respondents saying they attend events by themselves (47%), suggesting a very-wide engagement profile for this event.
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.
Half the sample (50%) of respondents identified with having a strong Jewish identity, network, and engagement. This response option was the most commonly cited option across all programs, except for ‘PJ Library’. Overall, 42% of respondents identified as having a strong Jewish identity, but weak engagement with the Jewish community. Only 10% of respondents considered themselves to have a weak Jewish identity, but these respondents were the most likely to engage with ‘PJ Library’ and ‘Sydney Jewish Writers Festival’.
When asked if they identified with a particular denomination, 23% identified as Traditional. 11% of respondents identified as 'Just Jewish', down from 29% the previous year. This change is likely related to the skew towards older respondents in the 2023 survey sample, rather than a change in Shalom’s audience. However, when considering the Gen 17 comparison, this result is much closer to what the expected population for denomination should be, as opposed to the 2022 result, which may have skewed younger, towards those without strong denomination-based identities.
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.
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 Rose Bay and Tamarara (8.0%, respectively), followed by Bellevue Hill (7.2%), Vaucluse (7.2%), and Clovelly (5.6%). The Sydney heatmap provides a visual representation of respondent living locations.
Respondents to the 2023 survey were asked if they had completed the survey for Shalom in 2022 or 2021.
The majority of respondents for the 2023 survey did not believe they had undertaken the Shalom annual survey previously (56%). 2023 respondents however were also the least likely to not remember if they had done the survey previously of all years (27%). Only 18% of respondents said they had done the survey previously, down from 25% in 2022. This suggests that respondents are not coming back for the annual survey and may be better suited towards a more frequent survey distribution methodology in 2024.
Survey respondents were also asked to indicate which Shalom programs they attended. The following charts show which programs respondents engaged in 2023, how many communal events they attended.
When asked which programs they engaged in 2023, respondents were able to select more than one option. Over one third of all respondents (40%) had engaged with 'Sydney Jewish Writers Festival'. This was followed by 'PJ Library' (28%), 'Violins of Hope' (20%), and 'Limmud' (16%). 18% did not engage with any programs in 2023, similar to the 2022 result of 16%.
Given that 39% of respondents were not aware that all these programs were delivered by Shalom, this too suggests that a more frequent and direct survey distribution methodology in 2024 will increase the variety of responses.
In the 2023 survey, a new question was added to ask respondents about other Jewish organisations and communities they engage with. This question helps Shalom understand how its programs contribute to the wider Jewish ecosystem.
A new question that also asked about frequency of engagement with arts and cultural activity, as well as Jewish communal activities, was also added to help inform the frequency of engagement for Shalom audiences.
The majority of respondents said they had engaged with Synagogues in the past 12 months (68%). Interestingly, 51% of respondents said they engaged with Sydney Jewish Museum, making it the most popular cultural institution visited by Shalom attendees.
A large proportion of Shalom's audience engage with arts and cultural events at least once a month (27%) - more so than the percentage of respondents who engage with Jewish communal activities at least once a month (18%). Approximately 40% of respondents were infrequent engagers in arts and cultural events, as well as Jewish communal events, suggesting that Shalom is major contributor to the engagement profile of its audiences.
In the 2023 survey, a new question was added to ask respondents about their motivations for engaging with Shalom programs. The list of options was created by Culture Counts in partnership with Shalom.
When considering motivation for engagement, to 'connect to the Jewish community' was the most popular response (56%) followed by 'it aligns with my interests' (52%). Many of the motivations saw high agreement, except for 'to meet new people' (23%). While many of the programs saw motivations trend towards the overall results, is it important to note that this pivot did not ask respondents about any program in particular.
Despite that, there are intuitive correlations here, including 'Limmud' trending towards 'challenge and inspiration' and 'Jewish Food Festival' for 'connecting to my 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 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 (83/100). This was followed by 'Heritage' (82/100), and 'Inclusion' (78/100). 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' (75/100) 'Insight' (73/100), and 'Relevance' (69/100) 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. 'Relevance' had the largest interquartile range meaning respondents produced the most varied results for this dimension.
At a 95% confidence level, the margin of error for dimensions ranged from 3.4% to 4.3%. This means that we can be 95% confident that if we surveyed the entire audience, the average outcome for 'Inclusion' would fall within 4.3% of the average results generated by the sample.
The following chart demonstrates how the interquartile ranges of responses for each dimension compared to Culture Counts benchmark data. 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.
In general, the interquartile ranges of the 2023 Shalom responses were smaller than those of the database benchmark. This indicates that responses to these dimensions by attendees of Shalom's 2023 program were less varied than Culture Counts' historical response data.
In five out of the six measured dimensions ('Inclusion', 'Concept', 'Meaning', 'Insight' and 'Relevance'), Shalom 2023 recorded lower median scores than the benchmark. This demonstrates that, on the whole, attendees of the Shalom 2023 program were less likely to agree with the dimension statements than typical Culture Counts survey respondents.
However, in the case of the 'Heritage' dimension, Shalom 2023 recorded a higher median score (87) than the Culture Counts benchmark (79). This conveys that people engaging with Shalom events in 2023 were more likely to agree that they felt more connected to a shared history/culture than the average Culture Counts evaluation respondee.
Four 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
Knowledge: Shalom has improved my knowledge of Jewish rituals and ideas
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 (81/100), this was followed by 'Engagement' (75/100) and 'Connection' (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 four metrics, suggesting there was a similar amount of variance in agreement levels across each area.
Respondents were asked whether they would recommend Shalom events to a friend or colleague. Respondents could choose a number from 0 to 10 from a menu, with 0 meaning 'not likely at all' and 10 meaning 'extremely likely'.
These results can be used to calculate a Net Promoter Score (NPS). NPS is a standardised metric that seeks to measure loyalty between an organisation and its audience. Respondents with a score of 9 or 10 are considered 'Promoters'. 'Detractors' are those who respond with a score of 0 to 6. Scores of 7 and 8 are considered 'Passives'.
NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of respondents who are Detractors from the percentage of customers who are Promoters. This means that an overall Net Promoter Score can range between -100 to +100.
This chart shows the proportion of respondents that would or would not recommend Shalom events, followed by the calculated NPS below.
50% of respondents rated Shalom events either 9 or 10, indicating they would be classified as Promoters. 30% of respondents had passive results (7 or 8) and 20% would be considered detractors (scoring between 0-6).
An NPS that is positive (i.e. higher than zero) is felt to be good, and an NPS of 50+ is excellent. Shalom's NPS of 30 indicates that audiences have a strong level of loyalty towards Shalom events and are likely to promote them when speaking with others.
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 (39%) of respondents answered 'Somewhat'. A further 31% answered 'Yes', 27% answered 'No', and 3% said they did not know. This suggests that overall, 70% of respondents look for communal events to fill their social calendar.
30% of respondents indicated that there had been no difference in how important being Jewish felt to them since they attended their first Shalom program, well below the 2022 result of 52%. 66% indicated that being Jewish had become more important to them, 24% above the 2022 result of 42%.
Almost half the sample (44%) indicated that Shalom had impacted the social connections they had made within the community. A further 20% indicated that Shalom had impacted their Family connections, with 'PJ Library' likely driving this result.
66% of respondents believe Shalom enhances the communal involvement of young adults. This was followed by enhancing inclusiveness for religious divisions (57%), 28% above its 2022 result of 29%. Only 6% of respondents thought that Shalom did not enhance inclusiveness in any of the areas listed here.
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, 42% of respondents answered 'Somewhat' and 40% answered 'Yes', suggesting that overall 82% of respondents believe the Sydney Jewish community is inclusive - similar to the 2022 result of 84%.
The majority of respondents indicated that 'Learning about Jewish cultural experiences' (78%) and 'Learning about Jewish history' (74%) are important elements to include and explore in future programming.
The responses from those who indicated that they had engaged with any of the 2023 programs have been compared to data collected in 2022, 2021, 2020. This comparison serves as a proxy for identifying changes in responses to questions about Community and Connection between 2020 and 2022.
66% of respondents felt that being Jewish had become more important in 2023. Comparing this to the results of the 2022 (42%) and 2020 (30%) surveys, it is clear there has been a growth here, with the 2023 result most likely related to events of the October 7 attacks in 2023.
In respect to inclusivity, 40% of respondents felt that the Sydney Jewish community was inclusive, compared to 36% in 2022 and 25% in 2020. This result has continued to see growth since it was first measured in 2020.
When considering 'Connection' and 'Enhancement', it is notable that resopondents to the 2020 and 2021 surveys were the most likely to think that Shalom had no impacted on the wider Jewish Community when given the prompted options. This was not the case in the 2022 and 2023 surveys, which saw respondents indicating that it impact was likely in the social aspect of the wider Jewish community. While 2022 respondents were more likely to say 'professional' connections than in 2023, this may be an outlier related to the younger age group of 2022 respondents. It's also noteworthy that 'Family' was not a prompted option prior to 2023, and it was the second-most frequently cited area of impact for respondents (20%).
In respect to 'Enchancement', there has been a year-on-year increase in respect to 'communal involvement of young adults', with the 2023 result being the highest of the last four years (66%). As a counter to this, 'alternative attitudes towards Israel' saw the most correlated downwards trend over the last four years, with it dropping from 51% agreement in 2020 to 28% in 2023.
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.
"PJ Library best thing ever. I wish books for older kids were included. In US books go to age 16. Also, there are a lot of families who have outgrown their books. Should be a recycling / re-circulating program. My teens won't read books for younger kids but I'm sure there are plenty of families who would love them. Masada and local shuls won't take them cause they are inundated with them. Surely we can find a circular economy way of saving these amazing books."
"I hope Shalom continues to offer as many vibrant and wonderful programs it has done over the past year."
"Impressed with the professionalism and variety of ideas and functions offered."
"Shalom does great work but its role is not always clear outside of those directly 'in the know'"
"It is hard to comment on how Shalom influences or reduces division in the community if I don't attend events. Which I don't, because they are often not accessible. I was, however, really shocked to receive the Noa Tishby book. I had thought of Shalom as promoting a variety of views on Israel, but that book was the most biased piece of trash you've ever sent us. It was poorly written, it was preachy, and it included claims as "truth" that are disputed by the UN and others in the international community. Shalom cannot claim to be giving voice to a variety of stances on this matter unless it sends another book to balance that dreadful pro-Israel one. I couldn't finish that book, it made me so angry."
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.
"Meet people, learn about aspects of the jewish community, learn about jewish topics , current issues, learn different perspectives, widens my conversation with Jewish and non jewish people, gives me points to argue for jews and for Israel"
"I think Shalom programs not only connect people, but reinforce positive Jewish values that motivate and validate positive social justice, cultural and community action. Shalom sets an incredible tone."
"Shalom programs are primarily social and fun. In the same way the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies advocates for our community's political safety, Shalom fills their own gap in the community."
"Having arrived back in Sydney in August this year, I'm looking for great and social ways to engage with the Jewish community - and Shalom programs really interest me."
"Showcasing our diversity and commonality in culture, language, peoples, stories, histories, Finding and celebrating like minded Jews!"
"Attending a writing course has created a small group that now meets regularly for coffee every few months."
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.
"Skills for teens - how to identify anti-semitism in classrooms, playground and what to do about it. Skills for primary schools - same Skills for kids - anti-semitism in the media / how to cope / what to do Info package for teachers - why teaching 'Israel is a coloniser' is anti-semitic crap'. Info campaign for school principals - why allowing teachers to preach and teach BS about Israel IS the new anti-semitism and what they can do to stop it."
"Anything directed at young adults - themed dinners, picnics in the park, games nights, movies, speakers, cooking classes/culinary challenge, walks/fitness, community service: OBK or OzHarvest, networking , collaborations with AUJS, speed friendshipping, flash sketch mob, themed costume party for Purim"
"Would welcome a visit to Canberra to run an event (or series of events) for families with young children. Even some support or collaboration with the group of young families here would be helpful. We're a small Jewish community and don't have the scale to run large programs without assistance."
"I would like to see more partnerships with existing small-scale Jewish events (e.g., the annual Bnai Brith art exhibition, Jewish studies association events, historical society events) to help expand these programs and further their reach across the community."
"More talks/books from current Australian journalists, generally mor current issues like a talk from a journalist who resigned from the STC foundation board over the actors and kafiahs protest or just the general situation… CSG for example"
"Jewish music festival ala Shir Madness. I believe one is coming called SHIR, though Shalom would have the expertise to help develop this as (at least in its earlier incarnation) it's similar to Limmud."
In 2023, respondents were asked about how the importance of being Jewish had changed. A selection of responses are listed below.
"With the rise of antisemitism after 7 October, my Jewishness at home, in community, socially and at work has taken on a new importance. Irrespective of that, raising 3 children (all school aged and who go to a Jewish Day School) means that my Jewish identity and how I model my commitment to Judaism/Israel/the Jewish community is something that is always relevant and important. Alon and Shalom are amazing, and your work, ethics, values and passion always supports and reinforces the values I wish to impart to my children and provides avenues for engagement"
"I have been aware of a growing anti-semitism since 2020 and of course made worse by Oct 7. In the beginning of 2020, I purchased for each of my children's families a copy of 'Jews, G-d and History' and Yad Vashem's book on the Holocaust. I felt an increase in anti-semitism and I taught my grand-children that being Jewish is nothing to be frightened about."
"The war in the Middle East and particularly the Hamas attack on Oct 7th and the mostly antisemitic response of the left-wing arts community (which I felt as my own) and the academic community has left me feeling more vulnerable but also more conscious of my need to support and engage more deeply my Jewish community."
"My Jewish identity has always been very important to me but since Oct 7, this importance has been amplified. The unity of the Jewish community in Sydney & worldwide has amplified my sense of belonging and the desire to uphold & pass down traditions & Jewish knowledge to my children."
"I only interact with Shalom at Limmud I love Limmud My answers relate to Limmud This years was disappointing Being Jewish is extremely important to me My sons are very involved The Gaza war has made me even more supportive of Israel and Jewish identity"
"The latest war in Israel has changed my way of seeing the world and experiencing being Jewish. Have always felt comfortable in Australia, being such a multi cultural country and being Jewish. I am beginning to question my security as a Jew in Australia."
"Being Jewish has pushed us all into the spotlight. And quite a few of our friends have voiced opinions on the new anti-Semitism and have shown friends in different shadings of ideology and friendship."
This report has been prepared by Nicole Tan Emery, Riley Chappell, and Jordan Gibbs of Culture Counts. The authors would like to thank all stakeholders and staff for their participation in this research.
Approved by: Jordan Gibbs
Date of Approval: 15 March 2023
We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders past and present.