Gila Silverman | Case Western Reserve University (original) (raw)

Papers by Gila Silverman

In recent years, the Jewish prayer for healing, the Mi Sheberach (literally, "the one who bl... more In recent years, the Jewish prayer for healing, the Mi Sheberach (literally, "the one who blessed"), has become a central element of North American liberal (non-Orthodox) religious and ritual life. The growing centrality of these prayers comes at a time when American Judaism has shifted away from congregational and communal life to a more personalized approach to Jewish beliefs, practices and identities; participation in both ritual and prayer practices is now based in personal choice and the desire for an individually-meaningful experience, as well as communal obligation or belief in God. This dissertation seeks to understand the meanings and impacts of these Jewish prayers for healing, by using ethnography as a tool for understanding the lived experience of religious practices, beliefs, and identities. Based in two years of ethnographic field-work in Southern Arizona, it places the relationship between Judaism and healing within the larger social, communal and historical contexts in which both of these concepts acquire meaning. I describe the complexities and contradictions inherent in modern liberal American Jewishness, demonstrating that these modern Jewish American selves are multiply-situated, multi-voiced, and characterized by diversity and dissonance. My research shows that, among liberal American Jews, the individual's search for meaning blends with the collectivist nature of Judaism, in an ongoing process of interpretive interaction between text, tradition, personal experience, and other members of the community. I find that Jewish representations of God are also complex and contradictory. Many people have difficulty articulating their thoughts about God, and their views are dynamic and inconsistent. Furthermore, Jewish belief develops in a multifaceted relationship to Jewish ritual and communal practice. Within this context, healing prayer becomes become one site, among many, through which relationships to Jewish traditions, practices and communities are negotiated and constructed. Healing prayer leads to a feeling of connection to community, ancestors and traditions; it transforms fear and anxiety into comfort, strength and acceptance; promotes spiritual transcendence; and provides a sense of agency and control at times of vulnerability and helplessness. Healing in a liberal Jewish context may involve the physical body, but it more often involves emotions, spirit, relationships to other people, and relationships to Judaism. Prayer may refer to a dialogue with the divine, but it is also a dialogue between the individual and the community, and between Jewish history and modernity. Finally, this dissertation contributes to discussions of religion and secularism, demonstrating that these analytical categories, which emerged out of European Protestantism, are neither sufficient, nor appropriate, for the study of modern Jewish life

Contemporary Jewry, Mar 31, 2016

Modern American Judaism is often characterized by complex negotiations about practices, beliefs, ... more Modern American Judaism is often characterized by complex negotiations about practices, beliefs, affiliations and identities. This article uses ethnographic research on one ritual practice-the Mi Sheberach prayer for healing-to explore these processes of meaning-making and identity construction, through the lens of lived experience. While survey data tell us which practices, beliefs and affiliations are most commonly adopted by liberal American Jews, this ethnographic research examines why these choices are made, what they represent, and how they are integrated into the broader lifeworlds of this population. I demonstrate that prayers for healing are an inherently social process, inextricably linked to relationships with other people, the community, God, and tradition. Prayer means something different to each of the participants in this study, yet for all, the Mi Sheberach becomes one site, among many, through which relationships to Judaism and Jewishness are negotiated and constructed. Study participants choose, and maintain, those Jewish practices, like the Mi Sheberach, that resonate emotionally and/or spiritually and that fit within the larger context of their lifeworld-in this case, the search for meaning, comfort, strength and connection during times of illness and healing. Yet at the same time, an essential part of this resonance is the experience of community, connection and tradition. The individual's search for meaning is synthesized with the collectivist nature of Judaism, in an ongoing and continually evolving process of interpretive interaction between text, tradition and personal experience.

Death Studies, Dec 4, 2020

Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a ... more Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a death, which provide an organized framework for meaning-making, constructing continuing bonds, and establishing the memory of the deceased within the community. After reviewing traditional Jewish customs, this article uses ethnographic examples to explore the diverse ways in which these religious and cultural frames manifest in the lived experiences of American Jews, whose Jewish identities and practices are often fluid, contradictory, and continually evolving as they search for personally-meaningful experiences. I demonstrate how individuals, and communities, synthesize Jewish discourses of death and of mourning with the secular, medicalized discourses prevalent in American society.

Arizona Anthropologist, Apr 28, 2016

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, May 1, 2016

Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion an... more Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Beliefs may seem to be less important to Jews. Indeed, recent national surveys suggest that even some observant Jews report disbelief in God. Yet there are historical, philosophical, theological, and cultural reasons to suggest that Jewish beliefs about God are complex and may not be adequately measured as a yes/no survey response. Using both qualitative (in-depth interviews) and quantitative data (2 new measures of God representations), we show that Jews are quite likely to believe that God exists and that they hold diverse representations of God as a benevolent personal being, as a mystical cosmic force, and as ineffable— unknowable and incomprehensible. Jewish God representations appear to be relatively unstable and indefinite compared with the God representations of certain other religious groups. Our findings suggest that more nuanced research methods are needed in assessing religiosity, generally, and beliefs about God among Jews, specifically. Implications for the study of relational spirituality are discussed.

Funding for the initial printing of this resource was provided by the

Death Studies, 2020

Abstract This introduction to the special issue on Anthropology and grief explores the contributi... more Abstract This introduction to the special issue on Anthropology and grief explores the contributions of an ethnographic approach to the interdisciplinary study of grief. After a brief overview of previous anthropological research, we identify key themes emerging from this global collection of case studies: the benefits of long-term fieldwork in nuancing the complexity of grief and complicating cultural narratives that surround it; the ways in which emotional aspects of grief are shaped by cultural norms and by the manner of death; and the relationships between the living and dead, including ontologies of the dead and culturally sanctioned forms of remembering and forgetting.

Death Studies, 2020

Abstract Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year... more Abstract Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a death, which provide an organized framework for meaning-making, constructing continuing bonds, and establishing the memory of the deceased within the community. After reviewing traditional Jewish customs, this article uses ethnographic examples to explore the diverse ways in which these religious and cultural frames manifest in the lived experiences of American Jews, whose Jewish identities and practices are often fluid, contradictory, and continually evolving as they search for personally-meaningful experiences. I demonstrate how individuals, and communities, synthesize Jewish discourses of death and of mourning with the secular, medicalized discourses prevalent in American society.

Culture and Religion, 2016

Abstract Debates about religion and secularism have called attention to the multiplicities of rel... more Abstract Debates about religion and secularism have called attention to the multiplicities of religions and secularisms that exist in modern societies. In this article, I draw on an ethnographic study of prayer, healing and identity among liberal American Jews, to demonstrate that studying Judaism as a religion obscures our understanding of multiply situated and continually evolving Jewish selves. These selves are best viewed as mosaics integrating diverse elements from Jewish religion, culture, ethnicity, history and peoplehood, as well as modern secular society. This Judaism is the product of individual agency and also embedded in communal frameworks, generated through a reflexive process of bricolage and an active engagement with multiple sources of authority, including imagined ones. It does not fit comfortably within existing analytical categories of religion and secularism, demonstrating that these categories, based on European Protestantism, are only partially appropriate to the study of modern Jewish life.

On a Saturday morning mid-way through my dissertation fieldwork, I was sitting in a synagogue in ... more On a Saturday morning mid-way through my dissertation fieldwork, I was sitting in a synagogue in Tucson, participating/observing in the Shabbat morning service as part of my research on Jewish prayers for healing. When the time came for the congregation to sing the Mi Sheberach, the Jewish prayer for healing, the rabbi asked anyone who had someone in their life in need of healing to stand up and share the name. I stood up and said my mother’s Hebrew name, as is the custom at this more traditional synagogue. My mother had been diagnosed a few weeks earlier with a recurrence of cancer and was about to begin treatment. As I sat back down, the congregation began to sing the familiar melody and my voice caught in my throat. In my head, I heard a snippet from an interview I had done a few months earlier. The man had told me, “When I stand up and say a name out loud during the service, it’s a public acknowledgement that someone I love is really sick. It makes it real.” In that moment, I re...

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2016

Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion an... more Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Beliefs may seem to be less important to Jews. Indeed, recent national surveys suggest that even some observant Jews report disbelief in God. Yet there are historical, philosophical, theological, and cultural reasons to suggest that Jewish beliefs about God are complex and may not be adequately measured as a yes/no survey response. Using both qualitative (in-depth interviews) and quantitative data (2 new measures of God representations), we show that Jews are quite likely to believe that God exists and that they hold diverse representations of God as a benevolent personal being, as a mystical cosmic force, and as ineffable— unknowable and incomprehensible. Jewish God representations appear to be relatively unstable and indefinite compared with the God representations of certain other religious groups. Our findings suggest that more nuanced research methods are needed in assessing religiosity, generally, and beliefs about God among Jews, specifically. Implications for the study of relational spirituality are discussed.

Death Studies, 2021

Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a ... more Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a death, which provide an organized framework for meaning-making, constructing continuing bonds, and establishing the memory of the deceased within the community. After reviewing traditional Jewish customs, this article uses ethnographic examples to explore the diverse ways in which these religious and cultural frames manifest in the lived experiences of American Jews, whose Jewish identities and practices are often fluid, contradictory, and continually evolving as they search for personally-meaningful experiences. I demonstrate how individuals, and communities, synthesize Jewish discourses of death and of mourning with the secular, medicalized discourses prevalent in American society.

Death Studies, 2021

This introduction to the special issue on Anthropology and grief explores the contributions of an... more This introduction to the special issue on Anthropology and grief explores the contributions of an ethnographic approach to the interdisciplinary study of grief. After a brief overview of previous anthropological research, we identify key themes emerging from this global collection of case studies: the benefits of long-term fieldwork in nuancing the complexity of grief and complicating cultural narratives that surround it; the ways in which emotional aspects of grief are shaped by cultural norms and by the manner of death; and the relationships between the living and dead, including ontologies of the dead and culturally sanctioned forms of remembering and forgetting.

Debates about religion and secularism have called attention to the multiplicities of religions an... more Debates about religion and secularism have called attention to the multiplicities of religions and secularisms that exist in modern societies. In this article, I draw on an ethnographic study of prayer, healing and identity among liberal American Jews, to demonstrate that studying Judaism as a religion obscures our understanding of multiply situated and continually evolving Jewish selves. These selves are best viewed as mosaics integrating diverse elements from Jewish religion, culture, ethnicity, history and peoplehood, as well as modern secular society. This Judaism is the product of individual agency and also embedded in communal frameworks, generated through a reflexive process of bricolage and an active engagement with multiple sources of authority, including imagined ones. It does not fit comfortably within existing analytical categories of religion and secularism, demonstrating that these categories, based on European Protestantism, are only partially appropriate to the study of modern Jewish life.

Modern American Judaism is often characterized by complex negotia- tions about practices, beliefs... more Modern American Judaism is often characterized by complex negotia- tions about practices, beliefs, affiliations and identities. This article uses ethno- graphic research on one ritual practice—the Mi Sheberach prayer for healing—to explore these processes of meaning-making and identity construction, through the lens of lived experience. While survey data tell us which practices, beliefs and affiliations are most commonly adopted by liberal American Jews, this ethnographic research examines why these choices are made, what they represent, and how they are integrated into the broader lifeworlds of this population. I demonstrate that prayers for healing are an inherently social process, inextricably linked to rela- tionships with other people, the community, God, and tradition. Prayer means something different to each of the participants in this study, yet for all, the Mi Sheberach becomes one site, among many, through which relationships to Judaism and Jewishness are negotiated and constructed. Study participants choose, and maintain, those Jewish practices, like the Mi Sheberach, that resonate emotionally and/or spiritually and that fit within the larger context of their lifeworld—in this case, the search for meaning, comfort, strength and connection during times of illness and healing. Yet at the same time, an essential part of this resonance is the experience of community, connection and tradition. The individual’s search for meaning is synthesized with the collectivist nature of Judaism, in an ongoing and continually evolving process of interpretive interaction between text, tradition and personal experience.

Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion an... more Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Beliefs may seem to be less important to Jews. Indeed, recent national surveys suggest that even some observant Jews report disbelief in God. Yet there are historical, philosophical, theological, and cultural reasons to suggest that Jewish beliefs about God are complex and may not be adequately measured as a yes/no survey response. Using both qualitative (in-depth interviews) and quantitative data (2 new measures of God representations), we show that Jews are quite likely to believe that God exists and that they hold diverse representations of God as a benevolent personal being, as a mystical cosmic force, and as ineffable— unknowable and incomprehensible. Jewish God representations appear to be relatively unstable and indefinite compared with the God representations of certain other religious groups. Our findings suggest that more nuanced research methods are needed in assessing religiosity, generally, and beliefs about God among Jews, specifically. Implications for the study of relational spirituality are discussed.

In this essay, I reflect on the experience of conducting anthropological fieldwork "at home". I e... more In this essay, I reflect on the experience of conducting anthropological fieldwork "at home". I explore the ways in which research and personal life merge and disconnect, the synergistic relationship between studying and living through illness and healing, and the blurry lines between data and friendship.

T h e K a l s m a n I n s t i t u t e o n J u d a i s m a n d H e a l t h

Essays by Gila Silverman

Fresh Ideas from HBI: The HBI Blog, 2018

A personal reflection on sexual harassment, academic careers, and multigenerational feminism.

In recent years, the Jewish prayer for healing, the Mi Sheberach (literally, "the one who bl... more In recent years, the Jewish prayer for healing, the Mi Sheberach (literally, "the one who blessed"), has become a central element of North American liberal (non-Orthodox) religious and ritual life. The growing centrality of these prayers comes at a time when American Judaism has shifted away from congregational and communal life to a more personalized approach to Jewish beliefs, practices and identities; participation in both ritual and prayer practices is now based in personal choice and the desire for an individually-meaningful experience, as well as communal obligation or belief in God. This dissertation seeks to understand the meanings and impacts of these Jewish prayers for healing, by using ethnography as a tool for understanding the lived experience of religious practices, beliefs, and identities. Based in two years of ethnographic field-work in Southern Arizona, it places the relationship between Judaism and healing within the larger social, communal and historical contexts in which both of these concepts acquire meaning. I describe the complexities and contradictions inherent in modern liberal American Jewishness, demonstrating that these modern Jewish American selves are multiply-situated, multi-voiced, and characterized by diversity and dissonance. My research shows that, among liberal American Jews, the individual's search for meaning blends with the collectivist nature of Judaism, in an ongoing process of interpretive interaction between text, tradition, personal experience, and other members of the community. I find that Jewish representations of God are also complex and contradictory. Many people have difficulty articulating their thoughts about God, and their views are dynamic and inconsistent. Furthermore, Jewish belief develops in a multifaceted relationship to Jewish ritual and communal practice. Within this context, healing prayer becomes become one site, among many, through which relationships to Jewish traditions, practices and communities are negotiated and constructed. Healing prayer leads to a feeling of connection to community, ancestors and traditions; it transforms fear and anxiety into comfort, strength and acceptance; promotes spiritual transcendence; and provides a sense of agency and control at times of vulnerability and helplessness. Healing in a liberal Jewish context may involve the physical body, but it more often involves emotions, spirit, relationships to other people, and relationships to Judaism. Prayer may refer to a dialogue with the divine, but it is also a dialogue between the individual and the community, and between Jewish history and modernity. Finally, this dissertation contributes to discussions of religion and secularism, demonstrating that these analytical categories, which emerged out of European Protestantism, are neither sufficient, nor appropriate, for the study of modern Jewish life

Contemporary Jewry, Mar 31, 2016

Modern American Judaism is often characterized by complex negotiations about practices, beliefs, ... more Modern American Judaism is often characterized by complex negotiations about practices, beliefs, affiliations and identities. This article uses ethnographic research on one ritual practice-the Mi Sheberach prayer for healing-to explore these processes of meaning-making and identity construction, through the lens of lived experience. While survey data tell us which practices, beliefs and affiliations are most commonly adopted by liberal American Jews, this ethnographic research examines why these choices are made, what they represent, and how they are integrated into the broader lifeworlds of this population. I demonstrate that prayers for healing are an inherently social process, inextricably linked to relationships with other people, the community, God, and tradition. Prayer means something different to each of the participants in this study, yet for all, the Mi Sheberach becomes one site, among many, through which relationships to Judaism and Jewishness are negotiated and constructed. Study participants choose, and maintain, those Jewish practices, like the Mi Sheberach, that resonate emotionally and/or spiritually and that fit within the larger context of their lifeworld-in this case, the search for meaning, comfort, strength and connection during times of illness and healing. Yet at the same time, an essential part of this resonance is the experience of community, connection and tradition. The individual's search for meaning is synthesized with the collectivist nature of Judaism, in an ongoing and continually evolving process of interpretive interaction between text, tradition and personal experience.

Death Studies, Dec 4, 2020

Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a ... more Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a death, which provide an organized framework for meaning-making, constructing continuing bonds, and establishing the memory of the deceased within the community. After reviewing traditional Jewish customs, this article uses ethnographic examples to explore the diverse ways in which these religious and cultural frames manifest in the lived experiences of American Jews, whose Jewish identities and practices are often fluid, contradictory, and continually evolving as they search for personally-meaningful experiences. I demonstrate how individuals, and communities, synthesize Jewish discourses of death and of mourning with the secular, medicalized discourses prevalent in American society.

Arizona Anthropologist, Apr 28, 2016

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, May 1, 2016

Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion an... more Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Beliefs may seem to be less important to Jews. Indeed, recent national surveys suggest that even some observant Jews report disbelief in God. Yet there are historical, philosophical, theological, and cultural reasons to suggest that Jewish beliefs about God are complex and may not be adequately measured as a yes/no survey response. Using both qualitative (in-depth interviews) and quantitative data (2 new measures of God representations), we show that Jews are quite likely to believe that God exists and that they hold diverse representations of God as a benevolent personal being, as a mystical cosmic force, and as ineffable— unknowable and incomprehensible. Jewish God representations appear to be relatively unstable and indefinite compared with the God representations of certain other religious groups. Our findings suggest that more nuanced research methods are needed in assessing religiosity, generally, and beliefs about God among Jews, specifically. Implications for the study of relational spirituality are discussed.

Funding for the initial printing of this resource was provided by the

Death Studies, 2020

Abstract This introduction to the special issue on Anthropology and grief explores the contributi... more Abstract This introduction to the special issue on Anthropology and grief explores the contributions of an ethnographic approach to the interdisciplinary study of grief. After a brief overview of previous anthropological research, we identify key themes emerging from this global collection of case studies: the benefits of long-term fieldwork in nuancing the complexity of grief and complicating cultural narratives that surround it; the ways in which emotional aspects of grief are shaped by cultural norms and by the manner of death; and the relationships between the living and dead, including ontologies of the dead and culturally sanctioned forms of remembering and forgetting.

Death Studies, 2020

Abstract Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year... more Abstract Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a death, which provide an organized framework for meaning-making, constructing continuing bonds, and establishing the memory of the deceased within the community. After reviewing traditional Jewish customs, this article uses ethnographic examples to explore the diverse ways in which these religious and cultural frames manifest in the lived experiences of American Jews, whose Jewish identities and practices are often fluid, contradictory, and continually evolving as they search for personally-meaningful experiences. I demonstrate how individuals, and communities, synthesize Jewish discourses of death and of mourning with the secular, medicalized discourses prevalent in American society.

Culture and Religion, 2016

Abstract Debates about religion and secularism have called attention to the multiplicities of rel... more Abstract Debates about religion and secularism have called attention to the multiplicities of religions and secularisms that exist in modern societies. In this article, I draw on an ethnographic study of prayer, healing and identity among liberal American Jews, to demonstrate that studying Judaism as a religion obscures our understanding of multiply situated and continually evolving Jewish selves. These selves are best viewed as mosaics integrating diverse elements from Jewish religion, culture, ethnicity, history and peoplehood, as well as modern secular society. This Judaism is the product of individual agency and also embedded in communal frameworks, generated through a reflexive process of bricolage and an active engagement with multiple sources of authority, including imagined ones. It does not fit comfortably within existing analytical categories of religion and secularism, demonstrating that these categories, based on European Protestantism, are only partially appropriate to the study of modern Jewish life.

On a Saturday morning mid-way through my dissertation fieldwork, I was sitting in a synagogue in ... more On a Saturday morning mid-way through my dissertation fieldwork, I was sitting in a synagogue in Tucson, participating/observing in the Shabbat morning service as part of my research on Jewish prayers for healing. When the time came for the congregation to sing the Mi Sheberach, the Jewish prayer for healing, the rabbi asked anyone who had someone in their life in need of healing to stand up and share the name. I stood up and said my mother’s Hebrew name, as is the custom at this more traditional synagogue. My mother had been diagnosed a few weeks earlier with a recurrence of cancer and was about to begin treatment. As I sat back down, the congregation began to sing the familiar melody and my voice caught in my throat. In my head, I heard a snippet from an interview I had done a few months earlier. The man had told me, “When I stand up and say a name out loud during the service, it’s a public acknowledgement that someone I love is really sick. It makes it real.” In that moment, I re...

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2016

Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion an... more Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Beliefs may seem to be less important to Jews. Indeed, recent national surveys suggest that even some observant Jews report disbelief in God. Yet there are historical, philosophical, theological, and cultural reasons to suggest that Jewish beliefs about God are complex and may not be adequately measured as a yes/no survey response. Using both qualitative (in-depth interviews) and quantitative data (2 new measures of God representations), we show that Jews are quite likely to believe that God exists and that they hold diverse representations of God as a benevolent personal being, as a mystical cosmic force, and as ineffable— unknowable and incomprehensible. Jewish God representations appear to be relatively unstable and indefinite compared with the God representations of certain other religious groups. Our findings suggest that more nuanced research methods are needed in assessing religiosity, generally, and beliefs about God among Jews, specifically. Implications for the study of relational spirituality are discussed.

Death Studies, 2021

Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a ... more Jewish tradition prescribes rituals and prohibitions for the first week, month, and year after a death, which provide an organized framework for meaning-making, constructing continuing bonds, and establishing the memory of the deceased within the community. After reviewing traditional Jewish customs, this article uses ethnographic examples to explore the diverse ways in which these religious and cultural frames manifest in the lived experiences of American Jews, whose Jewish identities and practices are often fluid, contradictory, and continually evolving as they search for personally-meaningful experiences. I demonstrate how individuals, and communities, synthesize Jewish discourses of death and of mourning with the secular, medicalized discourses prevalent in American society.

Death Studies, 2021

This introduction to the special issue on Anthropology and grief explores the contributions of an... more This introduction to the special issue on Anthropology and grief explores the contributions of an ethnographic approach to the interdisciplinary study of grief. After a brief overview of previous anthropological research, we identify key themes emerging from this global collection of case studies: the benefits of long-term fieldwork in nuancing the complexity of grief and complicating cultural narratives that surround it; the ways in which emotional aspects of grief are shaped by cultural norms and by the manner of death; and the relationships between the living and dead, including ontologies of the dead and culturally sanctioned forms of remembering and forgetting.

Debates about religion and secularism have called attention to the multiplicities of religions an... more Debates about religion and secularism have called attention to the multiplicities of religions and secularisms that exist in modern societies. In this article, I draw on an ethnographic study of prayer, healing and identity among liberal American Jews, to demonstrate that studying Judaism as a religion obscures our understanding of multiply situated and continually evolving Jewish selves. These selves are best viewed as mosaics integrating diverse elements from Jewish religion, culture, ethnicity, history and peoplehood, as well as modern secular society. This Judaism is the product of individual agency and also embedded in communal frameworks, generated through a reflexive process of bricolage and an active engagement with multiple sources of authority, including imagined ones. It does not fit comfortably within existing analytical categories of religion and secularism, demonstrating that these categories, based on European Protestantism, are only partially appropriate to the study of modern Jewish life.

Modern American Judaism is often characterized by complex negotia- tions about practices, beliefs... more Modern American Judaism is often characterized by complex negotia- tions about practices, beliefs, affiliations and identities. This article uses ethno- graphic research on one ritual practice—the Mi Sheberach prayer for healing—to explore these processes of meaning-making and identity construction, through the lens of lived experience. While survey data tell us which practices, beliefs and affiliations are most commonly adopted by liberal American Jews, this ethnographic research examines why these choices are made, what they represent, and how they are integrated into the broader lifeworlds of this population. I demonstrate that prayers for healing are an inherently social process, inextricably linked to rela- tionships with other people, the community, God, and tradition. Prayer means something different to each of the participants in this study, yet for all, the Mi Sheberach becomes one site, among many, through which relationships to Judaism and Jewishness are negotiated and constructed. Study participants choose, and maintain, those Jewish practices, like the Mi Sheberach, that resonate emotionally and/or spiritually and that fit within the larger context of their lifeworld—in this case, the search for meaning, comfort, strength and connection during times of illness and healing. Yet at the same time, an essential part of this resonance is the experience of community, connection and tradition. The individual’s search for meaning is synthesized with the collectivist nature of Judaism, in an ongoing and continually evolving process of interpretive interaction between text, tradition and personal experience.

Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion an... more Belief in a personal God has been central in research and theory in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Beliefs may seem to be less important to Jews. Indeed, recent national surveys suggest that even some observant Jews report disbelief in God. Yet there are historical, philosophical, theological, and cultural reasons to suggest that Jewish beliefs about God are complex and may not be adequately measured as a yes/no survey response. Using both qualitative (in-depth interviews) and quantitative data (2 new measures of God representations), we show that Jews are quite likely to believe that God exists and that they hold diverse representations of God as a benevolent personal being, as a mystical cosmic force, and as ineffable— unknowable and incomprehensible. Jewish God representations appear to be relatively unstable and indefinite compared with the God representations of certain other religious groups. Our findings suggest that more nuanced research methods are needed in assessing religiosity, generally, and beliefs about God among Jews, specifically. Implications for the study of relational spirituality are discussed.

In this essay, I reflect on the experience of conducting anthropological fieldwork "at home". I e... more In this essay, I reflect on the experience of conducting anthropological fieldwork "at home". I explore the ways in which research and personal life merge and disconnect, the synergistic relationship between studying and living through illness and healing, and the blurry lines between data and friendship.

T h e K a l s m a n I n s t i t u t e o n J u d a i s m a n d H e a l t h

Fresh Ideas from HBI: The HBI Blog, 2018

A personal reflection on sexual harassment, academic careers, and multigenerational feminism.

The Forward.com, October 24, 2017

Fresh Ideas from HBI: The HBI Blog, August 3, 2017

Everyone who says kaddish for a parent for the full 11-months required by Jewish tradition has st... more Everyone who says kaddish for a parent for the full 11-months required by Jewish tradition has stories. Most people have at least one story of being welcomed at a synagogue far from home, feeling supported in their grief by the strangers in the minyan. But for women who say kaddish, there is also another kind of story. Most of us have at least one story of feeling uncomfortable or excluded, of a time when we were forced to confront the deep gendering embedded in Jewish tradition.

The Forward, May 30, 2017

Sarah and I are sitting in her living room, with a beautiful view of Tucson's cactus-covered moun... more Sarah and I are sitting in her living room, with a beautiful view of Tucson's cactus-covered mountains. As we sip our tea, she reclines in a large armchair that protects her fragile back, still recovering from the bone fractures that arose unexpectedly several years after her cancer treatment.

Prayer for healing typically connotes a conversation with God, requesting a cure for a physical a... more Prayer for healing typically connotes a conversation with God, requesting a cure for a physical ailment. Modern liberal (non-Orthodox) Jewish prayers for healing problematize and challenge these assumptions. In this paper, I draw on ethnographic research with liberal Jews in the American Southwest to ask: What is the meaning of prayer, when it is often unrelated to belief in God? What is healing, when physical cure is not expected? Taking a phenomenological approach, I explore why non-religious Jews pray, and why they pray for healing, when they are fully invested in biomedicine. Examining the growing prominence of the Mi Sheberach, the Jewish prayer for healing, in liberal ritual life, I shed light on experiences of prayer and healing, and the complexities of being Jewish in America today.

On a day of record-breaking heat in early November 2009, thousands of Tucsonans waited in line at... more On a day of record-breaking heat in early November 2009, thousands of Tucsonans waited in line at Tucson Electric Park, a baseball stadium usually home to Major League Baseball spring training and minor league games. Pregnant women, families with children of all ages, grandparents, mothers and fathers, all stood in the 95-degree heat, some carrying umbrellas or wearing big hats, waiting patiently for up to 5 hours. Some had brought folding chairs; others had toys for the children to play with. Some set up picnics that they shared with their neighbors in line. A woman walked up and down the line, which snaked for almost a mile around the stadium, handing out forms. A man pushed a garbage can filled with water bottles,