Studies of Jews in Society – serie

Despite consensus about the importance of multigenerational analysis for studying the long-term impact of immigration, most studies in Israel have focused on the integration of first-generation migrants, neglecting key changes (in economic, social, linguistic, and identity outcomes) that occur intergenerationally. Rebeca Raijman tackles this important but untold story with respect to Jewish South African immigration in Israel. By collecting data from three generational cohorts, Raijman analyzes assimilation from a comparative multigenerational perspective. She also combines both quantitative and qualitative evidence with in-depth interviews and participant observation, thereby providing a rich and more complete picture of the complex process of migrant assimilation.While the migrant subpopulation of South Africa has not received the attention that immigrant populations from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia have, as English-speaking migrants they are a powerful and significant group. Given the status of English as an international language, this study has important implications for understanding the expected assimilation trajectories of Anglophone immigrants in Israel as well as in other non-English-speaking societies. South African Jews in Israel not only contributes empirical material concerning immigrants in Israeli society but also articulates a theoretical understanding of the social mechanisms underlying the integration of various generations of immigrants into a variety of societal domains.

In 2010 approximately 15 percent of all new marriages in the United States were between spouses of different racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds, raising increasingly relevant questions regarding the multicultural identities of new spouses and their offspring. But while new census categories and a growing body of statistics provide data, they tell us little about the inner workings of day-to-day life for such couples and their children.JewAsian is a qualitative examination of the intersection of race, religion, and ethnicity in the increasing number of households that are Jewish American and Asian American. Helen Kiyong Kim and Noah Samuel Leavitt’s book explores the larger social dimensions of intermarriages to explain how these particular unions reflect not only the identity of married individuals but also the communities to which they belong. Using in-depth interviews with couples and the children of Jewish American and Asian American marriages, Kim and Leavitt’s research sheds much-needed light on the everyday lives of these partnerships and how their children negotiate their own identities in the twenty-first century.

In 2010 approximately 15 percent of all new marriages in the United States were between spouses of different racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds, raising increasingly relevant questions regarding the multicultural identities of new spouses and their offspring. But while new census categories and a growing body of statistics provide data, they tell us little about the inner workings of day-to-day life for such couples and their children.JewAsian is a qualitative examination of the intersection of race, religion, and ethnicity in the increasing number of households that are Jewish American and Asian American. Helen Kiyong Kim and Noah Samuel Leavitt’s book explores the larger social dimensions of intermarriages to explain how these particular unions reflect not only the identity of married individuals but also the communities to which they belong. Using in-depth interviews with couples and the children of Jewish American and Asian American marriages, Kim and Leavitt’s research sheds much-needed light on the everyday lives of these partnerships and how their children negotiate their own identities in the twenty-first century.

In 2010 approximately 15 percent of all new marriages in the United States were between spouses of different racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds, raising increasingly relevant questions regarding the multicultural identities of new spouses and their offspring. But while new census categories and a growing body of statistics provide data, they tell us little about the inner workings of day-to-day life for such couples and their children.JewAsian is a qualitative examination of the intersection of race, religion, and ethnicity in the increasing number of households that are Jewish American and Asian American. Helen Kiyong Kim and Noah Samuel Leavitt’s book explores the larger social dimensions of intermarriages to explain how these particular unions reflect not only the identity of married individuals but also the communities to which they belong. Using in-depth interviews with couples and the children of Jewish American and Asian American marriages, Kim and Leavitt’s research sheds much-needed light on the everyday lives of these partnerships and how their children negotiate their own identities in the twenty-first century.

When people discuss food in Israel, their debates ask politically charged questions: Who has the right to falafel? Whose hummus is better? But Yael Raviv's Falafel Nation moves beyond the simply territorial to divulge the role food plays in the Jewish nation. She ponders the power struggles, moral dilemmas, and religious and ideological affiliations of the different ethnic groups that make up the "Jewish State" and how they relate to the gastronomy of the region. How do we interpret the recent upsurge in the Israeli culinary scene—the transition from ideological asceticism to the current deluge of fine restaurants, gourmet stores, and related publications and media?Focusing on the period between the 1905 immigration wave and the Six-Day War in 1967, Raviv explores foodways from the field, factory, market, and kitchen to the table. She incorporates the role of women, ethnic groups, and different generations into the story of Zionism and offers new assertions from a secular-foodie perspective on the relationship between Jewish religion and Jewish nationalism. A study of the changes in food practices and in attitudes toward food and cooking, Falafel Nation explains how the change in the relationship between Israelis and their food mirrors the search for a definition of modern Jewish nationalism.

When people discuss food in Israel, their debates ask politically charged questions: Who has the right to falafel? Whose hummus is better? But Yael Raviv's Falafel Nation moves beyond the simply territorial to divulge the role food plays in the Jewish nation. She ponders the power struggles, moral dilemmas, and religious and ideological affiliations of the different ethnic groups that make up the "Jewish State" and how they relate to the gastronomy of the region. How do we interpret the recent upsurge in the Israeli culinary scene—the transition from ideological asceticism to the current deluge of fine restaurants, gourmet stores, and related publications and media?Focusing on the period between the 1905 immigration wave and the Six-Day War in 1967, Raviv explores foodways from the field, factory, market, and kitchen to the table. She incorporates the role of women, ethnic groups, and different generations into the story of Zionism and offers new assertions from a secular-foodie perspective on the relationship between Jewish religion and Jewish nationalism. A study of the changes in food practices and in attitudes toward food and cooking, Falafel Nation explains how the change in the relationship between Israelis and their food mirrors the search for a definition of modern Jewish nationalism.

This book examines the fundamentals of Jewish demography and sociology around the world. It is not only concerned with documenting patterns of population change but also with an intriguing and ever-present issue like "Who is a Jew?" The latter transcends the limits of quantitative assessment and deeply delves into the nature, boundaries, and quality of group identification. A growing challenge is how to bridge between concept – related to ideals and theory – and reality – reflecting field research. Divided into six sections, the book discusses historical demography, immigration and settlement, population dynamics, social stratification and economy, family and Jewish identity in the U.S., and Jewish identity in Israel. The volume represents the dynamic and diverse nature of the study of world and local Jewish populations. It shows how that field of study provides an important contribution to the broader and now rapidly expanding study of religious and ethnic groups. Scholarsin disciplines such as history, geography, sociology, economics, political science, and especially demography follow and analyze the social and cultural patterns of Jews in different places around the globe, at various times, and from complementary perspectives. They make use of historical sources that have recently become accessible, utilize new censuses and surveys, and adopt advanced analytical methods. While some of their observations attest to consistency in the Jews’ demographic and identificational patterns, others evolve and ramify in new directions that reflect general processes in the areas and societies that Jews inhabit, internal changes within Jewish communities, and intergenerational trends in personal preferences of religious and ethnic orientations. This volume brings together contributions from scholars around the world and presents new and updated research and insights.

This book addresses the educational, occupational, and income progress of Jews in the American labor market. Using theoretical and statistical findings, it compares the experience of American Jews with that of other Americans, from the middle of the 19th century through the 20th and into the early 21st century.Jews in the United States have been remarkably successful; from peddlers and low-skilled factory workers, clearly near the bottom of the economic ladder, they have, as a community, risen to the top of the economic ladder. The papers included in this volume, all authored or co-authored by Barry Chiswick, address such issues as the English language proficiency, occupational attainment and earnings of Jews, educational and labor market discrimination against Jews, life cycle and labor force participation patterns of Jewish women, and historical and methodological issues, among many others. The final chapter analyzes alternative explanations for theconsistently high level of educational and economic achievement of American Jewry over the past century and a half. The chapters in this book also develop and demonstrate the usefulness of alternative techniques for identifying Jews in US Census and survey data where neither religion nor Jewish ethnicity is explicitly identified. This methodology is also applicable to the study of other minority groups in the US and in other countries.

This book addresses the educational, occupational, and income progress of Jews in the American labor market. Using theoretical and statistical findings, it compares the experience of American Jews with that of other Americans, from the middle of the 19th century through the 20th and into the early 21st century.Jews in the United States have been remarkably successful; from peddlers and low-skilled factory workers, clearly near the bottom of the economic ladder, they have, as a community, risen to the top of the economic ladder. The papers included in this volume, all authored or co-authored by Barry Chiswick, address such issues as the English language proficiency, occupational attainment and earnings of Jews, educational and labor market discrimination against Jews, life cycle and labor force participation patterns of Jewish women, and historical and methodological issues, among many others. The final chapter analyzes alternative explanations for theconsistently high level of educational and economic achievement of American Jewry over the past century and a half. The chapters in this book also develop and demonstrate the usefulness of alternative techniques for identifying Jews in US Census and survey data where neither religion nor Jewish ethnicity is explicitly identified. This methodology is also applicable to the study of other minority groups in the US and in other countries.

This collected volume is based on the proceedings of a symposium held in 2018 at York University, Canada, which was held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Israel. This symposium highlighted contemporary Jewish identity, Israel-Diaspora relations, and how Jewish life has been transformed in light of various types of antisemitism. The book considers the diasporic Jewish experiences through examining the intersections between various Jewish communities sociologically, historically, and geographically.The text covers world Jewry in general, and each of the diaspora and Israeli Jewries more specifically in the context of mutual responsibility, but also focuses on areas of tension concerning values and political matters. The challenges of antisemitism, racism, and nationalism are explored in terms of the relationship of the Jewish diasporas to their host countries. This text also covers antisemitism, which may take the form of traditional antisemitism or of the new antisemitism in the era of anti-Israel activity related to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. The latter movement is especially prevalent on university campuses and has an impact on students, faculty, and staff.  This volume is unique in its international perspective in examining issues of Jewish identity, Israel-diaspora relations, and antisemitism and will appeal to students and researchers working in the field.

This collected volume is based on the proceedings of a symposium held in 2018 at York University, Canada, which was held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Israel. This symposium highlighted contemporary Jewish identity, Israel-Diaspora relations, and how Jewish life has been transformed in light of various types of antisemitism. The book considers the diasporic Jewish experiences through examining the intersections between various Jewish communities sociologically, historically, and geographically.The text covers world Jewry in general, and each of the diaspora and Israeli Jewries more specifically in the context of mutual responsibility, but also focuses on areas of tension concerning values and political matters. The challenges of antisemitism, racism, and nationalism are explored in terms of the relationship of the Jewish diasporas to their host countries. This text also covers antisemitism, which may take the form of traditional antisemitism or of the new antisemitism in the era of anti-Israel activity related to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. The latter movement is especially prevalent on university campuses and has an impact on students, faculty, and staff.  This volume is unique in its international perspective in examining issues of Jewish identity, Israel-diaspora relations, and antisemitism and will appeal to students and researchers working in the field.

This book argues that the way to ensure that American Jewish life flourishes is to create vibrant local communities and that the ability to thrive will be won or lost in the trenches of each locality. For every generalization about the Jews of America, one can say, “maybe, but it depends where.” In the United States, Jewish life is up close and personal where local variations on national themes make a huge difference.The author presents case studies using in-depth analysis of data from nine Jewish community studies to illuminate eleven critical American Jewish policy issues. The analysis is used to formulate a range of policy options for different types of communities.This book is for anyone who cares about the future of American Jewry. It should be of particular interest to the lay leaders and professionals who play a role in Jewish nonprofits. It is also of great interest to researchers and students of Jewish studies and Jewish communal service.

This book argues that the way to ensure that American Jewish life flourishes is to create vibrant local communities and that the ability to thrive will be won or lost in the trenches of each locality. For every generalization about the Jews of America, one can say, “maybe, but it depends where.” In the United States, Jewish life is up close and personal where local variations on national themes make a huge difference.The author presents case studies using in-depth analysis of data from nine Jewish community studies to illuminate eleven critical American Jewish policy issues. The analysis is used to formulate a range of policy options for different types of communities.This book is for anyone who cares about the future of American Jewry. It should be of particular interest to the lay leaders and professionals who play a role in Jewish nonprofits. It is also of great interest to researchers and students of Jewish studies and Jewish communal service.

This book explores the state of the American Jewish world in the early 21st century, after decades of accelerating change that has transformed it and all other religious groups in the United States. It reveals a community in an unparalleled state of flux grappling with a society in which religious identity is more and more considered an individual choice, rather than an inheritance, and where fewer adults feel impelled to identify with any religious tradition at all. In chapters written by leading experts, the book examines the community’s evolving demographics, the direction of the principal denominational movements, contemporary religious trends, interactions with other American religious communities and engagements in the country’s secular politics. This text uniquely covers all these aspects of Judaism in America making it appealing to students and researchers in such fields as the sociology of religion, Judaism, and American history.

This book explores the state of the American Jewish world in the early 21st century, after decades of accelerating change that has transformed it and all other religious groups in the United States. It reveals a community in an unparalleled state of flux grappling with a society in which religious identity is more and more considered an individual choice, rather than an inheritance, and where fewer adults feel impelled to identify with any religious tradition at all. In chapters written by leading experts, the book examines the community’s evolving demographics, the direction of the principal denominational movements, contemporary religious trends, interactions with other American religious communities and engagements in the country’s secular politics. This text uniquely covers all these aspects of Judaism in America making it appealing to students and researchers in such fields as the sociology of religion, Judaism, and American history.

This book contains a collection of chapters about the Jewish family across different parts of the world, with contributions representing Africa (Ivory Coast and Ethiopia), Latin America, Australia, Europe (Germany), Russia, Israel, Canada, Indian families in Canada, and a comparative chapter of Ba’a lot Teshuva in the US and Argentina. Where much existing research and literature on the dynamic process of intermarriage and (Jewish) family life has taken primarily a historical approach, here the authors together present a broad, global, comparative approach.The book uses an open systems model to organize comparisons between Jewish families the world over. Each case study focuses on Jewish family life in a particular country or region of the world and, taken together, cover an extensive range of topics – including but not limited to: demographic and socio-economic description of the Jewish families; immigration patterns; family roles; family engagement in Jewish life; marriage formation; interfaith families; same-sex couples/parenting – surveying the extant research and/or reporting on new research about contemporary families, within the historical context. The book therefore presents a novel framework for understanding the variations in Jewish families to highlight what Jewish families the world over have in common (whether within the microsystem of the family or in the family’s relationships with the environment), as well as using the open systems model to explain main types of difference between the various regions.

This book contains a collection of chapters about the Jewish family across different parts of the world, with contributions representing Africa (Ivory Coast and Ethiopia), Latin America, Australia, Europe (Germany), Russia, Israel, Canada, Indian families in Canada, and a comparative chapter of Ba’a lot Teshuva in the US and Argentina. Where much existing research and literature on the dynamic process of intermarriage and (Jewish) family life has taken primarily a historical approach, here the authors together present a broad, global, comparative approach.The book uses an open systems model to organize comparisons between Jewish families the world over. Each case study focuses on Jewish family life in a particular country or region of the world and, taken together, cover an extensive range of topics – including but not limited to: demographic and socio-economic description of the Jewish families; immigration patterns; family roles; family engagement in Jewish life; marriage formation; interfaith families; same-sex couples/parenting – surveying the extant research and/or reporting on new research about contemporary families, within the historical context. The book therefore presents a novel framework for understanding the variations in Jewish families to highlight what Jewish families the world over have in common (whether within the microsystem of the family or in the family’s relationships with the environment), as well as using the open systems model to explain main types of difference between the various regions.

This book offers an original and unprecedented in-depth analysis of the demography and identity American Jewry. It discusses crucially important issues for the understanding of the contemporary status, with an adequate historical background – which often lacks in much research work. The volume consists of both brand new chapters and partly relies on several scholarly works in the field that were published over the course of more than 40 years have been revised, updated, split and merged so to form newly conceived content.This text provides a critical and unique approach to the major scholarly trends in American Jewish demography and sociology. It is divided into a number of parts, dealing with population trends, Jewish identification patterns, and yet more specific groups or sub-populations. Each section is preceded by a short introduction. A post-script provides a serious debate about the future of US Jewry and its position and role among World Jewry. This volume appeals to students and researchers working in Jewish Studies.

This book offers an original and unprecedented in-depth analysis of the demography and identity American Jewry. It discusses crucially important issues for the understanding of the contemporary status, with an adequate historical background – which often lacks in much research work. The volume consists of both brand new chapters and partly relies on several scholarly works in the field that were published over the course of more than 40 years have been revised, updated, split and merged so to form newly conceived content.This text provides a critical and unique approach to the major scholarly trends in American Jewish demography and sociology. It is divided into a number of parts, dealing with population trends, Jewish identification patterns, and yet more specific groups or sub-populations. Each section is preceded by a short introduction. A post-script provides a serious debate about the future of US Jewry and its position and role among World Jewry. This volume appeals to students and researchers working in Jewish Studies.

This book offers an examination of an expanding set of options for being Jewish in contemporary American society. It examines the evolution of Jewish identity across five epochs of Jewish civilization as well as the transformation of the American Jewish experience across four centuries. In addition, an institutional history and a geographic, demographic, and religious profile of American Jews are presented, including an outline of contemporary Jewish options to express Jewish identity in twenty-first century America. Readers will gain an understanding of how these options developed via the provision of a socio-historical and a social scientific analysis of each option in one integrated volume. The book also discusses contemporary challenges to the continuity of American Jewish community and identity including the issues of education, interfaith marriage, and philanthropy.

This book offers an examination of an expanding set of options for being Jewish in contemporary American society. It examines the evolution of Jewish identity across five epochs of Jewish civilization as well as the transformation of the American Jewish experience across four centuries. In addition, an institutional history and a geographic, demographic, and religious profile of American Jews are presented, including an outline of contemporary Jewish options to express Jewish identity in twenty-first century America. Readers will gain an understanding of how these options developed via the provision of a socio-historical and a social scientific analysis of each option in one integrated volume. The book also discusses contemporary challenges to the continuity of American Jewish community and identity including the issues of education, interfaith marriage, and philanthropy.

This book provides contemporary insight into what characterizes, sustains and transforms the connectedness of Australian Jewish young adults. Whether ethnocultural or religious, the variability in identity choices of young people who seem to have common upbringing experiences makes identity a bit of a black box. Catalysts of Connectedness argues that Jewish education significantly affects young adults' Jewish connectedness, but that without Jewish peers, communal involvement and a sense of homeland, this effect is negligible. It also suggests that Jewish parents, particularly the ways they raise their children, either by exerting warming or cooling the effects of the Jewish education and critical Jewish experiences, tend to be more influential than the communal programs designed to promote their children's Jewish socialization. Offering insight into identity formation, bicultural minorities and Australian Jewry, this book is a must for scholars of contemporary Jewry.

This deeply researched volume uncovers the untold story of the North American men and women who joined Israel’s 1948 fight for independence. Known as Mahal (Volunteers from Abroad), these individuals risked their lives, citizenships, and futures to serve in Aliyah Bet and what became the Israel Defense Forces—the army, navy, and air force. Drawing from a 1992 questionnaire, as well as supplementary documents and research reports, this study uses a sociological lens to explicate the volunteers’ motives, backgrounds, and lasting impressions which for many was a transformative experience. From covert operations in the Mediterranean to makeshift airfields around Tel Aviv, these volunteers defied U.S. embargoes, navigated the tensions of dual loyalties, and helped shape a nation in its most vulnerable hour. It is a perfect read for historians, scholars, and students of Jewish studies and diaspora identities.

This book offers new ways of conceiving religious and cultural practices, as well as Jewish identities in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It brings together scholars from a number of fields, transcending the frontiers of Jewish studies. The volume tackles questions about how Jewish life, identities, and religious practices have been transformed amid various changes and challenges in Finnish society, and further considers the experiences of local Jewry through an interdisciplinary prism. Covering a wide range of subjects, the book examines how the customs, practices, and identities of Jews living in Finland have evolved amid cultural, religious, and economic transformations shaped by intercultural and interreligious encounters, recent historical events, gender, migration, and other contemporary influences. It also addresses the challenges of antisemitism in its traditional and contemporary forms and examines its effect on Jewish religious lives in contemporary Finland. This book is a must for scholars looking to deepen their understanding of Nordic Jewry.