The National Study

To deepen our understanding of today’s Jewish grandparents and their families, the Jewish Grandparents Network, together with 17 partners, undertook a landmark research study.

We are pleased to share the study report, a detailed look at each of the five groups of grandparents identified in the study, and supplementary material to advance a deeper understanding of the findings and their implications. In the months ahead, we plan on releasing additional findings from the study.

In preparing to print the findings of the national study of Jewish Grandparents Lee came up with the wonderful idea of finding an illustrator who would bring the joy and delight of the grandparent/grandchild relationship to the report.  Wonderful fortune led us to Deborah Zemke.

Upon reviewing the scope of her work, we decided that anyone who could turn the letter A into an alligator or depict flying to Saturn in a crabapple tree was “just what the doctor ordered.” Her work celebrates the magic of drawing and writing.  Deborah has written and/or illustrated more than fifty books for young readers including picture books, drawing books and humor books.

Deborah shared her family experience with us: “All four of my grandparents died before I was born, so when my parents moved from Michigan to our small university town in Missouri, it was particularly meaningful to me that our daughter could experience seders (and more!) with her grandparents. We were one of only two multi-generational families in our synagogue.”