Abstract
The concept of “parental heritage” focuses attention on the deliberate transmission of parents’ values and characteristics to their children, yet little empirical research has considered this dimension of the socialization of children. The importance of parental heritage is demonstrated in this study of 815 parents whose children were attending Jewish day or afternoon schools. The parents’ ratings of the importance of nine dimensions of Jewish identity in their own lives and in the lives of their children when they grow up show remarkable consistency between the two. Yet several striking differences also exist: parents place greater importance on knowledge and less on friends for their children than for themselves. The meaning of these findings is discussed along with the value of this method for understanding parents’ transmission of values and identity to their children.
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Address communications to Dr. Lasker, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Lehigh University, 681 Taylor St., Bethlehem, Pa 18015
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Lasker, A.A., Lasker, J.N. Do they want their children to be like them?: Parental heritage and Jewish identity. Cont Jewry 12, 109–126 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02965537
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02965537