Who is a Jew in 21st century America? Is membership in “the tribe” defined by shared religious beliefs? Common ethnic backgrounds? Familiar holiday practices? Similar tastes in culture and cuisine? And what do the widely varying answers to those questions mean for the future of the American Jewish community?

In 2013, at the suggestion of Jewish Daily Forward editor Jane Eisner, the Pew Research Center completed the most comprehensive and credible survey ever conducted among American Jews. Its findings were nothing short of astounding to communal leaders, demographers and individual Jews alike.

In this new e-book, the venerable Forward – the premier source of news, analysis and cultural coverage that matters to the American Jewish community – explains and analyzes the Pew report, with contributions from its own journalists and a diverse selection of other experts.

Startling, sobering and sometimes even amusing, this accessible collection of articles and essays will inform and enlarge the critical conversation among American Jews about their communal future.

Includes a helpful discussion guide for educators, community and book groups, and leaders of Jewish organizations.