A Survey of Afterlife Beliefs across Jewish Denominations

Afterlife belief is fundamental to religion, yet research has largely overlooked non-Christian perspectives, especially in terms of internal variety of belief. Judaism, for example, encompasses diverse afterlife beliefs across denominations that warrant attention. Survey data (N=1194) from self-identified U.S. Jews, collected in three waves, allows examination of beliefs from Jewish tradition on a 4-point Likert scale. Analysis involved chi-square tests of independence with Monte Carlo simulation for p-values, a non-parametric ANOVA equivalent, post-hoc comparisons, and t-tests to examine demographic differences. Findings from this sample reveal significant denominational differences, with expected high afterlife belief among Orthodox Jews and surprising variability among other groups. These insights suggest that assumptions about Jewish afterlife beliefs in America warrant further examination. This understanding aids professionals, such as healthcare providers, in addressing the full spectrum of Jewish beliefs. While not representative of the entire U.S. Jewish population, this study offers exploratory findings that may serve as a foundation for future, more comprehensive research on this topic.