A pioneering study from Jewish Federations' BeWell program and Stanford University found that Jewish teens who consider being Jewish important reported higher levels of overall wellbeing. This finding comes at a critical time, amid record levels of antisemitism and an escalating teen mental health crisis.
 

BeWell supports and provides resources to organizations and Federations addressing the mental health concerns among young people, as well as resources for parents, caregivers, and Jewish professionals.
 

“This groundbreaking study makes one thing clear: Jewish teens need us now,” said Sara Allen, Jewish Federations’ Executive Director of BeWell. “It reveals a plea for wisdom, understanding, care, and investment. Working together as Jewish professionals, educators, community leaders, caregivers, and parents, we have the sacred responsibility of helping teens not just cope with the world but also feel empowered and equipped to shape it.” 

In late 2023, BeWell commissioned the first national research of American Jewish teenagers’ wellbeing. In partnership with Stanford, the result is a first-of-its-kind study: Strength, Stress, and Support: A National Study of American Jewish Teen Well-Being. 

 
The goal: to understand how American Jewish teens navigate the complexities of adolescence. The study investigated both sources of stress and systems of support, allowing for identification of key factors that enhance or diminish their overall well-being.
 

"The research reveals the unique complexities of being an American Jewish teen," said Stanford professor and study researcher Ari Y Kelman. “Jewish teens who feel being Jewish is important to them show high levels of wellbeing, but those same teens are also highly sensitive to the challenges of antisemitism." 

The national survey was conducted in Spring 2024 from a pool of nearly 2,500 Jewish teens in 49 states, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
 

The study revealed that a teen’s Jewish identity also heightens their awareness of—and stress about —the tensions of our times. 
 

Key findings include:  

• Teens who said that being Jewish is important to them reported higher levels of overall well-being. 
   
• They cited the relationships they experienced with their peers in Jewish teen programs as being particularly influential in helping them feel like they could be their full, authentic selves. Most teens, however, felt that adults involved in Jewish teen programs had a limited understanding of contemporary teen experiences. 
   
• American Jewish teens face a dual burden: They contend with the universal challenges of adolescence while also grappling with unique pressures that arise from being Jewish.
   
• Jewish teens are experiencing heightened tension over recent geopolitical conflicts and increasingly prevalent antisemitism. Those who reported that being Jewish is important to them experienced higher levels of overall well-being but also tended to experience more stress related to Jewish-specific issues.
   
• Jewish teens have multiple contexts and people in their lives that allow for authentic self-expression, which supports positive well-being outcomes.
   

Most survey respondents indicated that they feel free to be their full selves with Jewish friends and family. About half of all teens reported feeling the same sense of freedom with non-Jewish friends. When seeking advice, Jewish teens said that they were most likely to turn to friends and parents and far less likely to turn to Jewish leaders (i.e., clergy and youth program leaders). 
 

This study sheds light on the tension at the heart of American Jewish teens’ well-being, where identity centrality emerges as both a source of strength and a potential driver of increased stress. This complex portrait presents a challenge for Jewish organizations, communal professionals, and educators who work in teen-facing settings.  

While teen engagement strategies have focused on enhancing teens’ sense of their Jewish selves, the findings suggest the need for a more nuanced approach that acknowledges the relationship between social stressors, well-being, and teens’ expressed sense of Jewish importance.
   

The study also found that supporting Jewish teens may require providing opportunities for authentic self-expression, equipping them to engage in challenging discussions, and empowering them to ask difficult questions.
  

To read more about the key findings and the methodology of the study, please visit here.