We begin with how Dr. Levin fell into the world of religion & health and his more specific interest in what is going on in the world of Judaism.  He relates a rather fortuitous story of seeing an advertisement for a panel on Judiasm and healing at Hebrew Union College.  Although he had been writing on religion and health for awhile, this event prompted him to begin exploring what had been happening in the Jewish community with respect to health.  This journey took him back into the Torah and Midrash, taking notes on anything he saw written about health, as well as an examination of the contemporary Jewish scene.

We then cover a variety of topics that bridge the link Judaism and health starting with bioethics.  Jeff connects this to historical interpretations (the “responsa” literature) of Jewish law (halakhah).  Tony observes that we seem to be on the cusp of a new set of bioethical debates that were unimaginable just a few decades ago including genetic engineering.  Jeff then talks about how the rabbinical community is addressing these issues within the tradition of Jewish law.  A brief detour is taken to address the Jewish response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was not surprisingly varied within the Jewish community.  Another aspect of Jewish health we examine is the growing institutionalization of pastoral care, including Jewish hospices and the creating of organizations designed to aging-related issues given that the US Jewish demographic is aging faster than most other demographics.  Tony wonders if this specific emphasis on building formal institutions is related to the “new diaspora” to suburbs and how this might threaten Jewish solidarity.  Jeff responds to this query and it leads us to an interesting discussion of the Jewish community in Waco where we learn that Jews were instrumental in the settlement of central Texas.  We finish off with Jeff’s empirical work on Judiaism and health, noting how active observance in the Jewish faith actually has positive health outcomes (i.e, a protective factor) for individuals.  Recorded: December 12, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Jeff Levin’s bio at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

Judaism & Health: A Handbook of Practical, Professional, and Scholarly Resources, edited by Jeff Levin.

Divine Love: Perspectives from the World’s Religious Traditions, edited by Jeff Levin and Stephen Post.

National Center for Jewish Healing.

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeff Levin on Religion & Health.

Rodney Stark on How Religion Benefits Everyone, Even Atheists.

Proeschold-Bell and Adams on Clergy Mental Health.

What are the various cost constraints with being Jewish in America?  Prof. Carmel Chiswick, a research professor of economics at George Washington University, uses the lens of economics to reveal the various constraints facing a religious minority in the United States and how this affects Jewish culture.  We walk through her book Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition.

We start the conversation with a general overview of Jews in America, including the size of the population, their immigration history, and other demographic features.  It is pointed out that Jews are both an ethnic group, and a group with a distinct religion.  We chat a bit about how Jewish (in terms of religion) Jews are in America.  Prof. Chiswick then discusses the difference between Great Tradition and small tradition Judaism.  The former focuses on the essential religious components of Judaism, including the Torah,  Talmud, Mishnah and several key holy days.  Small tradition Judaism, on the other hand, is a reflection of different cultural practices and emphases that can vary across different groups of Jews (e.g., Spehardi or Ashkenazi) and across time.  This is mixed with some personal reflection on her own life growing up Jewish, which gives this academic topic a much more personal touch.  Carmel explains why she chose to write her book with these personal stories, noting that she uses economics everyday to understand her own daily choices.

We then begin a discussion of how economics is used to explain Jewish behavior and traditions.  Carmel gives us a good introduction of how actions not only have a financial cost but a time cost as well, resulting in what economists call the “full price” (or “real cost”).  She points out that there are a variety of constraints on Jews in America that affect how they make decisions about worship and other aspects of life.  For example, as an individual becomes wealthier, the cost of their time also increases and this has an impact on how synagogue worship has been conducted given that Jews have been an upwardly mobile community.  We also talk about the issue of human capital and education and the constrained choices that have to be made here.  Carmel reflects upon her family’s decision whether to send their children to Hebrew or public school, as well as the reliance upon summer camps and other activities that are designed to preserve Jewish religious culture in an environment where time becomes more valuable for professional parents.

Carmel next lays out some of the contemporary challenges facing Jews in America.  Most notable among these challenges are the new demographic categories that are emerging, principally “young adult singles” and “empty nesters.”  With marriage ages increasing quite substantially over the past few decades, there is a growing population of individuals in their 20s and early 30s who are not married, do not have children, and who do not feel as connected to the synagogue.  Whereas people often connect with religious institutions when they have children, and synagogues often cater to the needs of this group, the decade or so wherein individuals are not married or having children becomes a time when they can drift away from their faith.  We also discuss the issue of intermarriage and how that might affect the Jewish population in the future.  Interestingly, the rise of “young adult singles” also gives rise to another demographic group known as “empty nesters” who are not actively raising kids yet are not grandparents either.  Once again, this becomes a life cycle point where people do not feel as connected to the synagogue.  (Note: These issues arise again in next week’s podcast with Daniel Libenson, who discusses some attempts to deal with this new environment.)

We finish off with some of Carmel’s personal observations on what she has learned in her years studying the economics of religion, being Jewish in America, and writing her highly readable book.  Recorded: April 7, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Carmel Chiswick’s bio at the George Washington University.

Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition, by Carmel U. Chiswick.

Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture (ASREC).

RELATED PODCASTS

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism.

Daniel Libenson on the Jewish Future.

Linda Weiser Friedman on Jewish Humor.

Colleen Haight on Jewish Peddlers in 19th Century America.

Larry Iannaccone on Sacrifice, Stigma, and the Economics of Religion.

Jeff Levin on Judaism and Health.

Mark Glickman on the Cairo Genizah.

Mark Koyama on the Economics of Jewish Expulsions.

Ken Wald on the Puzzling Politics of American Jews.

Ellie Estrin on the Traditions of Chanukah.

Rajdeep Singh on American Sikhs and Religious Liberty.

We start the conversation with a general overview of Jews in America, including the size of the population, their immigration history, and other demographic features.  It is pointed out that Jews are both an ethnic group, and a group with a distinct religion.  We chat a bit about how Jewish (in terms of religion) Jews are in America.  Prof. Chiswick then discusses the difference between Great Tradition and small tradition Judaism.  The former focuses on the essential religious components of Judaism, including the Torah,  Talmud, Mishnah and several key holy days.  Small tradition Judaism, on the other hand, is a reflection of different cultural practices and emphases that can vary across different groups of Jews (e.g., Spehardi or Ashkenazi) and across time.  This is mixed with some personal reflection on her own life growing up Jewish, which gives this academic topic a much more personal touch.  Carmel explains why she chose to write her book with these personal stories, noting that she uses economics everyday to understand her own daily choices.

We then begin a discussion of how economics is used to explain Jewish behavior and traditions.  Carmel gives us a good introduction of how actions not only have a financial cost but a time cost as well, resulting in what economists call the “full price” (or “real cost”).  She points out that there are a variety of constraints on Jews in America that affect how they make decisions about worship and other aspects of life.  For example, as an individual becomes wealthier, the cost of their time also increases and this has an impact on how synagogue worship has been conducted given that Jews have been an upwardly mobile community.  We also talk about the issue of human capital and education and the constrained choices that have to be made here.  Carmel reflects upon her family’s decision whether to send their children to Hebrew or public school, as well as the reliance upon summer camps and other activities that are designed to preserve Jewish religious culture in an environment where time becomes more valuable for professional parents.

Carmel next lays out some of the contemporary challenges facing Jews in America.  Most notable among these challenges are the new demographic categories that are emerging, principally “young adult singles” and “empty nesters.”  With marriage ages increasing quite substantially over the past few decades, there is a growing population of individuals in their 20s and early 30s who are not married, do not have children, and who do not feel as connected to the synagogue.  Whereas people often connect with religious institutions when they have children, and synagogues often cater to the needs of this group, the decade or so wherein individuals are not married or having children becomes a time when they can drift away from their faith.  We also discuss the issue of intermarriage and how that might affect the Jewish population in the future.  Interestingly, the rise of “young adult singles” also gives rise to another demographic group known as “empty nesters” who are not actively raising kids yet are not grandparents either.  Once again, this becomes a life cycle point where people do not feel as connected to the synagogue.  (Note: These issues arise again in next week’s podcast with Daniel Libenson, who discusses some attempts to deal with this new environment.)

We finish off with some of Carmel’s personal observations on what she has learned in her years studying the economics of religion, being Jewish in America, and writing her highly readable book.  Recorded: April 7, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Carmel Chiswick’s bio at the George Washington University.

Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition, by Carmel U. Chiswick.

Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture (ASREC).

RELATED PODCASTS

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism.

Daniel Libenson on the Jewish Future (forthcoming April 19).

Linda Weiser Friedman on Jewish Humor.

Colleen Haight on Jewish Peddlers in 19th Century America.

Jeff Levin on Judaism and Health.

Mark Glickman on the Cairo Genizah.

Mark Koyama on the Economics of Jewish Expulsions.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/secularization/carmel-chiswick-on-the-economics-of-american-jews-2/feed 2 http://www.researchonreligion.org/social-issues/health-disease/jeff-levin-on-judaism-and-health http://www.researchonreligion.org/social-issues/health-disease/jeff-levin-on-judaism-and-health#comments Sun, 29 Dec 2013 09:00:48 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=3027 Judaism is certainly good for the soul, but can it also be good for what else ails ya?  Dr. Jeff Levin, the University Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health at Baylor University and a Distinguished Senior Scholar at the Institute for Studies of Religion, brings his recent edited volume on Judaism and health to life in this interesting interview.

We begin with how Dr. Levin fell into the world of religion & health and his more specific interest in what is going on in the world of Judaism.  He relates a rather fortuitous story of seeing an advertisement for a panel on Judiasm and healing at Hebrew Union College.  Although he had been writing on religion and health for awhile, this event prompted him to begin exploring what had been happening in the Jewish community with respect to health.  This journey took him back into the Torah and Midrash, taking notes on anything he saw written about health, as well as an examination of the contemporary Jewish scene.

We then cover a variety of topics that bridge the link Judaism and health starting with bioethics.  Jeff connects this to historical interpretations (the responsa literature) of Jewish law (halakhah).  Tony observes that we seem to be on the cusp of a new set of bioethical debates that were unimaginable just a few decades ago including genetic engineering.  Jeff then talks about how the rabbinical community is addressing these issues within the tradition of Jewish law.  A brief detour is taken to address the Jewish response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was not surprisingly varied within the Jewish community.  Another aspect of Jewish health we examine is the growing institutionalization of pastoral care, including Jewish hospices and the creating of organizations designed to aging-related issues given that the US Jewish demographic is aging faster than most other demographics.  Tony wonders if this specific emphasis on building formal institutions is related to the “new diaspora” to suburbs and how this might threaten Jewish solidarity.  Jeff responds to this query and it leads us to an interesting discussion of the Jewish community in Waco where we learn that Jews were instrumental in the settlement of central Texas.  We finish off with Jeff’s empirical work on Judiaism and health, noting how active observance in the Jewish faith actually has positive health outcomes (i.e, a protective factor) for individuals.  Recorded: December 12, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Jeff Levin’s bio at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

Judaism & Health: A Handbook of Practical, Professional, and Scholarly Resources, edited by Jeff Levin.

Divine Love: Perspectives from the World’s Religious Traditions, edited by Jeff Levin and Stephen Post.

National Center for Jewish Healing.

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeff Levin on Religion & Health.

Rodney Stark on How Religion Benefits Everyone, Even Atheists.