Dr. Chaim Waxman, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Rutgers University�and Chairman of Behavioral Science at Hadassah College, delivered an electrifying presentation�at the Center for Kehillah Development in which he revealed new findings that Orthodox drop-�out rates are falling and retention rates are rising.� �Increasingly, Orthodox Jews are choosing to�remain Orthodox,� he told the crowd of avreichim at the CKD.� After a decade of dire alarms�over Orthodox drop-outs, trends have changed and Orthodoxy now has the highest retention rate�of any denomination, followed by the Reform and then the Conservative.

Describing Orthodoxy as the most vibrant of the movements, Dr. Waxman said that the�Orthodox community is going to increase in size dramatically in coming years for many reasons.��It is not just that more Orthodox are remaining Orthodox,� he explained, �It is also that�Orthodox birthrates far outpace those of every other Jewish denomination.�� His research�indicates that Chassidishe Jew have 12 times as many children as the non-Orthodox, and even�the Modern Orthodox have 4 times the number of children as the non-Orthodox.� �They are a�community on the rise,� Dr. Waxman observed.

According to Rabbi Leib Kelemen, founder of the CKD, this sudden growth in Orthodoxy�requires urgent action.� �Read the handwriting on the wall,� he said.� �Unless we help talmidei�chochomim who haven�t yet taken leadership positions increase their knowledge of psak and�communal leadership skills, the existing rabbonim could be overwhelmed by their growing�communities and the growing number of new communities.� Rabbi Kelemen said that some�rabbonim already feel challenged to give enough personal attention to every member of their�kehillos, and the ongoing Orthodox success-story could make instances like these more�common.� Rabbi Kelemen also warned that the need for a lot of rabbonim could tempt us to�place people with weaker backgrounds into rabbinic positions, while the responsible strategy�would be to help the biggest talmidei chochomim get the background and skills they need to�assume communal leadership.� �We have giants in Torah who have tremendous maalos and�beautiful middos,� Rabbi Kelemen said, �and many would be excited to take responsibility for�the Klal.�� This is precisely the mission CKD has accepted � in Rabbi Kelemen�s words: �To�give chashuve avreichim the time and training they need to become quality leaders.�� Rabbi�Kelemen said that CKD is currently accepting applications for their five-year learning�fellowship, and he encourages qualified talmidei chochomim to apply at www.c4kd.org.

Dr. Waxman also shared data suggesting that the yeshivishe world is not just among the fastest�growing, but also in some ways the most spiritually strong.� When asked, �How important is�religion in your life?�, 82.8 percent of the Ultra-Orthodox said �Very Important compared to�77.4 percent of Modern Orthodox 44.3 percent of the Conservative, and only 17.2 percent of the�Reform.� When asked �How certain are you about your belief in God?�, 91.9 percent of the�Ultra-Orthodox answered �Absolutely Certain,� compared to 87.4 percent of the Modern�Orthodox, 47.5 percent of the Conservative, and 39.6 percent of the Reform.

In an astounding projection, Dr. Waxman indicated that current data suggest the possibility that�the majority of all Jews in the world will live in Israel within less than 20 years.� If that were�realized it would be the first time this has happened since the destruction of Bayis Sheni.� He�pointed out that this could have major repercussions in halachah.

Dr. Waxman concluded his talk to the CKD avreichim by encouraging them to remain aware of�trends in Jewish sociology: �You are going to lead Jewish communities, and in that role you will�need to know what is happening both inside and outside the Orthodox community.�