Voluntary work with sporting activities for Jewish children and teenagers: commitment to inclusiveness,Jewish identity,and a future Jewish life – an interview study

Membership in Jewish congregations seems to be declining and modern society has been described as a challenge to Jewishness and to the future for Jews as a people with shared characteristics and traditions. Activities for children and teenagers have gained increasing attention, since such activities might be a reassurance of a future Jewish life. To arrange such activities is, however, demanding and individuals who commit themselves to voluntary work are essential. In this study, six members of a Swedish Conservative congregation, who were committed to voluntary work with sporting activities for children and teenagers, were interviewed about the way in which they perceived their voluntary work. A thematic analysis was conducted. The volunteers concluded that everyone should feel included in the activities. They had a nuanced view of Jewish identity and also welcomed those who were not considered halakhically Jewish. Moreover, they wanted to support a positive Jewish identity in the new generation. Their work was perceived as meaningful even though they said that congregants who felt that the activities should adhere to Halakhah had criticized them. It is proposed that congregations should support voluntary workers and facilitate their efforts, otherwise experiences of misrecognition might evolve, experiences that are counterproductive for a vital congregational life.     

In Memoriam: Edward Clemmens, M.D. (1914–2003)

Note

In Memoriam: Edward Clemmens, M.D. (1914–2003)     

Flanders and Helmand: chaplaincy,faith and religious change in the British Army, 1914–2014

Abstract

The year 2014 marked the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War and the end of eight years of major British combat operations in Afghanistan. Against the background of profound religious changes in British society over the course of the intervening century, this article examines the continuities and discontinuities between British army chaplaincy on the Western Front from 1914 to 1918 and in southern Afghanistan from 2006 to 2014, and explores the religious beliefs and practices of British soldiers caught up in the deadly and protracted struggles on the Western Front and in Helmand Province. While acknowledging major differences in the operational contexts involved and seismic shifts in British religious life over the course of the twentieth century, besides important divergences this article identifies striking degrees of continuity between the ministry of army chaplains and the religious attitude and behaviour of soldiers themselves.     

Latin America 1520–1600: a page in the history of the study of religion

This article examines the texts written by the first generation of missionaries on the beliefs and mores of the indigenous people of what came to be called Mexico and Peru, supplemented by some accounts written by travelers in Brazil. These works claimed to put forward knowledge about ‘the others’. It is argued that they were important precursors for the study of religion and should receive more attention as such. The issue of location is shown to be always present in this early material, along with the biological notion of hybridization. The conclusion asks whether the contemporary pursuit of knowledge can move from the biological unity of the human race to a view of the race as a social whole with common interests.     

Metropolitan migration in the past: Labour markets, commerce, and cultural interaction in Europe, 1600–1914

This article challenges the “imaginary ethnography” of European urban population as monocultural and non-migrating. Pre-1800 European migrations are discussed first, next changing patterns in the 19th century are summarized. In the third section immigration to industrializing cities at the height of nationalism is exemplified by Czech migration to Vienna, Polish migration to the cities of the Ruhr District, and the multicultural and immigrant character of Budapest and of Paris. Immigrant insertion, conflict, migrants, and economic niches, as well as the reaction of host societies and community formation are discussed. In conclusion, older theories of disorganization are contrasted with recent concepts of acculturation and transcultural lives.     

Jewish Primary Schools in a Multicultural Society: Responding to diversity?

In February 2001 the British government announced its commitment to increase the number of schools run by the churches and other religious groups where there was 'clear local demand from parents and the community'. The decision met with approval in some quarters, but was condemned elsewhere on the grounds that such schools, in a multicultural society, are inevitably divisive. In the course of exploring the response of Jewish primary schools in England to cultural pluralism, this article sheds light on the charge of divisiveness. It describes a study that offers little support to the critics, for it highlights the wide variation in attitudes and practices that characterised the schools with regard to the multicultural dimension of citizenship education.     

Health Impact of Jewish Religious Observance in the USA: Findings from the 2000–01 National Jewish Population Survey

Using data from the 2000–01 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) (N = 5,148), effects of eight religious measures were investigated in relation to two health outcomes, standard single-item indicators of self-rated health and presence of an activity-limiting health condition. Seven of the religious measures were associated bivariately with one or both health indicators. Through two-step OLS regression of each health indicator onto all of the religious measures, adjusting for age and other sociodemographic correlates, two measures of synagogue involvement remained statistically significant. Follow-up analysis revealed a net health impact of religious observance primarily limited to Orthodox and Conservative Jews.