The broad goal of this activity is to understand Judaism in America today as a living religion. We studied the Israelites, the Essenes, and antisemitism, but what we learned so far does not give an accurate picture of Judaism today. Since we are looking at the present in America, we will see the running theme of religion and culture.
I was a bit alarmed at the sources that came up on the first page of Google results, so I plan to give some specific guidance on sources. If you look at other sources, try to check for their bias in comparison with approved sources. For fair and inclusive overviews of Jewish thought, start with myjewishlearning.com. Avoid sponsored results, chabad.org, anything that says Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah, and anything that openly speaks for only one movement. For scientifically run surveys of popular opinion, you can trust Pew Research Center and the Public Religion Research Institute. Be skeptical of unscientific assertions about “most Jews” or anyone claiming to speak for all Jews.
The first research question is to learn about the three major movements/denominations of Jews in North America. What are the theoretical and practical differences?
The second research question is getting at popular practices. The clearest way to get to that is to identify the three most observed or most valued holidays according to surveys of North American Jews. Although many Jewish holidays have roots in the Jewish Bible (Christian Old Testament), pay most attention to the way it is practiced and thought about today. If you were researching Christmas and came up only with baby Jesus in a barn and nothing about trees, presents, Santa Claus, carols, lights, and cookies you would not have captured Christmas in American culture.
Third, I would like you to pursue some question that interests you as you are learning about Judaism in America today. One example might be how the roles of women differ in the three movements. Another might be surveys or studies of how American Jews feel about the war in Gaza (don’t expect a simple answer). Another might be surveys of studies of how American Jews vote in America today, or Jewish contributions to the American Civil Rights Movement, arts, or whatever interests you.