Religion weekly update, Sept. 9, 2016

Religion & Public Life
A weekly digest of the Center’s latest research on religion and public life in the U.S. and around the world · Subscribe ↗
The Jewish High Holidays
Friday night marks the start of the Jewish High Holidays, which begin with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and end on Sept. 21 with Yom Kippur (the Jewish day of atonement, traditionally observed with fasting by adults). In a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, 46% of Jewish Americans said they fasted all or part of the previous Yom Kippur.
Orthodox Jews (97%) were more likely than Jews who identified with Conservative (68%) or Reform Judaism (45%), or with no specific branch of Judaism (24%), to say they fasted the previous Yom Kippur. And the youngest Jewish adults (those under age 30) were more likely than the oldest ones to have fasted on Yom Kippur.
Media mentions
Mosques have more than doubled since 9/11. But Muslims say opposition is fierce
Sept. 9 – Religion News Service
In the news
U.S. Jews feel ‘precarious’ as High Holy Days approach amid antisemitism fears and internal divisions
Sept. 9 – The Associated Press
Supreme Court turns away religious vaccine appeal for kindergartener
Sept. 8 – USA Today *
Citing ‘ethnic cleansing,’ UK bars imports from Israeli West Bank settlements
Sept. 8 – The Washington Post *
Japan’s empty temples seek new ways to survive
Sept. 8 – Deutsche Welle
China ordains 18th bishop under Vatican agreement
Sept. 8 – EWTN News
30 years after her death, Gilda embodies Argentina’s enduring faith in folk saints
Sept. 8 – The Associated Press
Paris investigates claim women were hidden from Hindu delegation at Eiffel Tower
Sept. 7 – Reuters *
Thousands from Sikh community gather in downtown Winnipeg for Nagar Kirtan
Sept. 6 – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
25 years after 9/11, many Muslims fear a new backlash
Sept. 6 – USA Today *
In Utah, a long-shrouded temple flings open its doors
Sept. 3 – The New York Times *

Facts Only

* The Jewish High Holidays begin Friday night, starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending on September 21st with Yom Kippur.
* In a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, 46% of Jewish Americans fasted all or part of the previous Yom Kippur.
* Orthodox Jews (97%) were more likely to have fasted the previous Yom Kippur than those identifying with Conservative Judaism (68%), Reform Judaism (45%), or no specific branch (24%).
* Younger Jewish adults (under age 30) were more likely to have fasted on Yom Kippur than older adults.
* Mosques have more than doubled since 9/11.
* The Supreme Court turned away a religious vaccine appeal for kindergartener.
* The UK barred imports from Israeli West Bank settlements citing 'ethnic cleansing.'
* Japan’s temples are seeking new ways to survive.
* China ordained an 18th bishop under Vatican agreement.
* Gilda embodies Argentina’s enduring faith in folk saints (30 years after her death).
* Thousands from the Sikh community gathered in downtown Winnipeg for Nagar Kirtan.
* A long-shrouded temple in Utah opened its doors.

Executive Summary

The Jewish High Holidays begin Friday night and conclude on September 21st with Yom Kippur, a day traditionally observed with fasting by adults. A Pew Research Center survey from 2020 indicated that 46% of Jewish Americans fasted all or part of the previous Yom Kippur. Among Jewish groups, Orthodox Jews were significantly more likely than those identifying with Conservative (68%) or Reform Judaism (45%) or no specific branch (24%) to have fasted the previous Yom Kippur. Furthermore, the youngest Jewish adults (under age 30) were more likely to have fasted on Yom Kippur compared to the oldest group.
In international news, mosques have more than doubled since September 11th, though Muslims report facing fierce opposition. Other reported events include the Supreme Court turning away a religious vaccine appeal for kindergartener, the UK barring imports from Israeli West Bank settlements citing 'ethnic cleansing,' Japan's empty temples seeking new survival methods, China ordaining an 18th bishop under Vatican agreement, Gilda embodying Argentina’s faith in folk saints, and an investigation in Paris regarding the hiding of women from a Hindu delegation. There were also public gatherings for the Sikh community in Winnipeg and a temple opening in Utah.

Full Take

The information presents a juxtaposition of deeply personal religious observance, geopolitical tensions, and institutional shifts across diverse global contexts. The focus on Jewish High Holidays reveals internal variation in practice—specifically the fasting ritual—highlighting how identity markers (Orthodox vs. Reform) correlate with observable behavior among different age cohorts, suggesting that religious adherence is not monolithic but subject to internal stratification. This contrasts sharply with the external narratives concerning religion, such as the fear of backlash felt by Muslims post-9/11 versus demographic expansion, and the tension between state actions (UK import bans) and religious claims ('ethnic cleansing'). The pattern observed across the international news items—temples seeking survival, shifting ecclesiastical authority in China, and investigations into religious accommodation in Paris—suggests a pervasive dynamic where established religious structures navigate external political and social pressures. A key implication is recognizing that 'public life' encompasses both codified ritual practice and lived existential negotiations regarding belonging and security. The central tension lies in the gap between documented statistical data on internal rituals and the high-stakes, often polarized public discourse surrounding these same identities. What mechanisms are at play when internal religious practices become framed as external political conflicts? What does the variance in fasting behavior reveal about the resilience or vulnerability of specific communal identities under contemporary stress?

Sentinel — Human

Confidence

The text reads like a curated digest compiling factual data and linked headlines, consistent with standard journalistic reporting practices.

Signals Detected

Moderate sentence length variance; standard journalistic report style.

Clear, factual structure linking data points and news headlines without excessive hedging.

Straightforward presentation of statistics and disparate news items; no overtly templated argumentation.

Claims are attributed to established sources (Pew, AP, Reuters) regarding verifiable events.

Human Indicators

The mix of specific, disparate international and domestic news items, coupled with quantitative social data, suggests human editorial compilation rather than pure LLM synthesis.