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Running head: THE TWELVE DOMAINS OF JEWSH RELIGION AND CULTURE

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THE TWELVE DOMAINS OF JEWISH RELIGION AND CULTURE

The Twelve Domains of Jewish Religion and Culture

Vanessa Van Steyn

California State University, Stanislaus

Introduction

Although I have known her all my life, I decided to interview one of my very closest friends Hanna Kanofsky, who was raised Jewish. I decided to call her and ask her to dinner, and asked if I would be able to interview her for a project I was doing for my Transcultural nursing class and she agreed! We met for dinner at Jacks Restaurant in Pleasant Hill, California, and discussed all aspects of her Jewish heritage including religion, gender roles, language and ceremonies she and her family participate in.

Overview

A person is considered Jewish if their mother is Jewish, or if they have converted into the Jewish religion. Therefore, the Jewish population is very diverse, both educationally and ethnically, as a whole. Many of the worlds Jewish population lives in Israel, which is known as the promised land, although Jewish people can be found world-wide after fleeing Europe during the Holocaust.

Communication

Historically, Jewish culture has included many languages including Yiddish, Ladino, Aramaic, and Biblical Hebrew (My Jewish Learning, 2002). Many modern Jewish families read Hebrew out of the Torah, and learn to speak Hebrew during religious celebrations. Hanna said that right before she turned 13, she began attending religious classes in preparation for her Bat Mitzvah, which is a celebration of coming of age for Jewish teenagers. During her Bat Mitzvah she was required to read Hebrew out of the Torah, and participate in prayers and songs of worship also in Hebrew, which took many hours of practice. Outside of religious gatherings, Hannas family speaks English, and reserves Hebrew mostly for prayer and worship. When it comes to names, Hanna was unsure about the formatting of names in her culture, but mentioned that traditionally it is very different than how her family or church tends to name their new members. According to Jewfaq.org the naming of a Jewish child takes place at his circumcision or at the synagogue for her, and the Hebrew name will usually take the format childs name bat/ben fathers name (Rich, 2012).

Family Roles & Organization

Hanna explained Jewish gender roles to be very similar to any other gender roles, with her father being the main provider, and her mother staying home to take care of her and her sister. Their main family goal is having a very close family that is also close to god. Children are expected to behave, and help out around the house; just as any other children are required to. Jewish children are also expected to go through a Bat or Bar Mitzvah at 13 years old, which is a coming of age ceremony for them and allows them to be considered adults in the eyes of their church and families. Hanna told me that many children are very excited about their Bat Mitzvah, because they are able to earn extraordinary amounts of money that can be used for college later on.

Workforce issues

Although Hanna hasnt experienced many problems in the workplace due to her culture, she explained that she could see how many problems could arise due to diet, especially as many Jewish people follow a kosher diet which is often very strict and doesnt leave much room for error. Those who eat kosher must abide by these rules, along with many others, which may not be available at a common workplace cafeteria. Hanna told me that her family also abides by Shabbat, explained in the Torah as God saying on the seventh day his people should rest, so on Shabbat her family cannot work, which could cause friction in some work places. Also, she has heard from family and friends about stories of people experiencing anti-Semitism in the workplace, which could obviously cause conflict between coworkers and leave Jewish coworkers feeling unsafe while at work. In fact, in 2011 in Britain there was a new of incidence of hate towards Jewish citizens, so much so that author Tony Kushner labeled it Judeophobia (Kushner, 2013).

Biocultural ecology

When discussing Judaism with Hanna, she explained to me that being Jewish is both a religion and a culture. Hannas family has ancestors who were born and raised in Israel, and because of this she considers herself, culturally and religiously Jewish. However the skin color and looks of Jewish people, according to Hanna, can range all over the spectrum. She has some friends that look classically Middle Eastern, but also has Jewish friends who are pale skinned with light hair and freckles. She was unsure about health problems, besides the normal health conditions plaguing all citizens of the United States, that specifically affect Jewish people but spoke about how many of her Jewish friends and family eat very healthy and exercise very often, living to be very old without major complications. According to Judaism.about.com, there are a few genetic disorders that typically affect Jewish people more than other citizens, including Bloom Syndrome, Gaucher Disease, Niemann-Pick Disease type A, Crohns Disease, and rarely Thalassemia (About.com, 2013).

High Risk Behaviors

Hanna was unaware of any high risk behaviors specific to Jewish culture besides the fasting typically taking place during Yom Kippur. She believes Jewish people are healthy, happy, and unwilling to put themselves at risk in order to live long happy lives with their families.

Nutrition

Discussed above, some Jewish families follow a kosher diet, which calls for strict practices regarding meat handling, preparation and selection. In order to eat kosher, you can only eat certain types of meat including those with hooves and that chew its cud. You also cannot mix meat and dairy on the same plate, in the same meal, or even use the same utensils to cook non-kosher and kosher foods. Although kosher diets are very strict, they still provide Jewish families with all the nutrients needed for a balanced and healthy lifestyle and will not lead to deficiencies as long as dairy is provided away from the protein (Rich, 2012).

Hannas family is not kosher, however they follow a vegetarian diet, therefore bypassing many of the areas brought to attention in the Torah. According to Hanna, food is very important to Jewish families and often religious ceremonies are centered on sharing food with your family and friends. She offered an example; in September many Jewish families celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which is their celebration of the Jewish New Year. It is often a time that they will share many sweet foods with each other in order to guarantee a sweet new year. Another example is Yom Kippur, which is a full day fast, in which many Jewish families will not eat or drink anything from sunset the day before Yom Kippur to sunset on Yom Kippur. Certain people, including the sick, elderly, young, and pregnant are not allowed to fast in order to maintain their health (Rich, 2012).

Pregnancy & Childbearing Practices

Pregnancy is highly celebrated in Jewish culture, however traditionally most women will try to wait to celebrate the babys arrival until after its birth due to superstition surrounding miscarriages and still births (Rich, 2012).

Hanna said that more Orthodox Jewish families will wait to name their children until the father brings the baby girl to the synagogue or the son gets circumcised, and they also usually will assign godmothers and fathers to the children to help guide the children down a religious path. In Jewish families, all baby boys will be circumcised shortly after birth by a religious authority. When it comes to what the Torah allows and doesnt allow when it comes to contraception and birthing procedures, all Hanna knows is that all medical procedures are acceptable in order to promote health and safety for mom and baby.

Death

Although death is usually makes her sad, Hanna explains that death is Jewish culture is just seen as a part of life. Jewish people believe in an afterlife where if you were good on earth, you will be rewarded for eternity, the same can be said for those who were evil during life and will be punished throughout eternity. Traditionally, autopsies are not preformed (unless necessary), nor are cremations and the body is not viewed at the service (Rich, 2012).

Spirituality

Judaism is their dominant belief and it is the belief that there is one god, and that prayer in Jewish culture should be directed solely to God. There are also 13 principals of faith that the Jewish religion follows, that in their most basic forms say: the good shall be rewarded, the bad shall be punished, God is watching, and the dead will be resurrected (Rich, 2012).

Hanna said that as with many other religions there are all different ways to worship. For some Orthodox Jewish people, they may believe the only way to properly worship God is to attend multiple services daily at the synagogue where others, such as Hannas family, worship more privately. Hannas family and friends take turns hosting what they call a Chaverah, which is basically time for family and friends to get together, share meals, worship and discuss the Torah. Hanna told me that the Chaverah was something she looked forward to every week as a child, and something she would love to continue for future generations to come.

Health-care Practices

Hanna says that she has never really heard of any health rated issues in her faith, except when it came to the use of pork related transplants for Jewish patients, which are not considered kosher. Generally, the Synagogue believes that no restrictions should be placed on people who need medical help in order to help save