Advocacy Plan
People who do not identify as Jewish women may be unsure of how to best advocate for them, especially with our nation’s rise in blatant anti-Semitism. Advocacy for Jewish women, and Jews of all genders, does not have to be a large production but can be done through something as small as speaking up when you hear a hateful comment. It can be easy to hear an anti-Semitic or anti-Semitic and sexist comment and think “yikes, that’s not okay” but then do nothing about it. Saying nothing does nothing to stop this kind of hateful rhetoric or educate people about other cultures. Paula Yablonsky, a woman who was raised Roman Catholic but married a Jewish man and is raising her daughter in the Jewish faith, describes a moment where she heard a co-worker make an anti-Semitic comment. She privately told him that she found that offensive, and he accused her of overreacting (Yablonsky, 2002). Do not let the fear of “overreacting” stop you from saying something. Some people do not realize that certain terms are offensive, so try to be calm and respectful when confronting someone about their comments, and turn it into a teaching moment if possible. Unfortunately, there has been a recent spike not just in anti-Semitic comments but in hate crimes as well, and it is important to know how to advocate if these events occur. The Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights advocacy organization that fights anti-Semitism and all forms of hate, provides a guide for what to do if there is an anti-Semitic hate crime on your college campus. This includes documenting the incident with photos if possible and contacting campus police and the university president (Anti-Defamation League, 2018). Overall, it is important to remember that allies of the Jewish community must listen to the people they want to advocate for, and should not speak for them because they are capable of speaking for themselves. Instead, much like the role of a counselor, advocates should walk alongside their Jewish brothers and sisters and provide support and respect.
References:
Yablonsky, P. C. (2002, May). Confronting anti-Semitism: if I don’t respond, who will?. Retrieved from https://www.interfaithfamily.com/news_and_opinion/synagogues_and_the_jewish_community/confronting_anti-semitism_if_i_dont_respond_who_will/.
Anti-Defamation League (2018).Dos and don’ts in responding to anti-Semitism on campus.Retrieved from https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/dos-and-donts-in-responding-to-anti-semitism-on-campus.
Servant Leadership Activity
First and foremost I feel that it is necessary to address the horrific acts of violence that occurred this weekend in Pittsburgh. Thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones as they wrestle with this tragedy. This display of violence further proves that anti-Semitism still exists in the United States, and that advocates within and outside of the Jewish community are needed in order to bring about change to ensure that all Americans have the ability to safely practice their religions. With that in mind, a good way to show support to the Jewish community is by engaging in servant leadership. At the moment, I have not found any opportunities directly related to this weekend’s events, but I will update the website if I discover anything soon. I did find a great organization that is always looking for volunteers and fundraisers which is called Sharsheret, which means “chain” in Hebrew. Sharsheret is an organization that provides support and resources for Jewish women who have been diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer. Jewish women have an especially high susceptibility to hereditary forms of these cancers, as 1 in 40 Jewish women and men carry the BRCA gene mutation (Sharsheret, 2018). Sharsheret assists women and families before, during, and after diagnosis. One way to engage in servant leadership with this organization is to participate in a race as a member Team Sharsheret and donate the money you have raised participating in the race to help women living with cancer. Sharsheret is also a philanthropy partner of the Alpha Epsilon Phi chapter at Ohio State, which means that the women in this sorority hold events to fundraise for Sharsheret. Alpha Epsilon Phi holds an annual basketball tournament, called Phi Trotters, every spring semester, and students can put together teams to participate. The money from the tournament fees is donated to Sharsheret. This is a great opportunity for Ohio State students to be physically and philanthropically active and serve this population. I selected the photo below because it shows how a community of people, including cancer survivors and their families, can come together in support of such an important cause.
References:
Sharsheret (2018).BRCA. Retrieved from https://sharsheret.org/brcagenetics/brca/
Image retrieved from https://sharsheret.org/get-involved/team-sharsheret/
Strengths-Based Needs of Jewish Women
Jewish women have many strengths that have been developed and passed down throughout the generations, despite frequent persecution. They often have a strong sense of identity, and many feel that being a Jew is a fundamental part of herself, not just membership in a religious group. Judaism can be viewed as an ethnicity, religion, and/or culture, so it is important that counselors discover how their Jewish clients interact with these identities (Fairchild, 2010). Jewish people have faced persecution for their beliefs and culture for thousands of years, leading to forcible removal, genocide, and persisting anti-Semitism today. Despite these horrors they have remained resilient, which is an incredible strength. Many Jewish women have relatives who were impacted directly or indirectly by the Holocaust, which greatly affects the way one views the world and raises children. Because of this, counselors must be aware of if and how generational trauma has impacted their Jewish clients, and be educated on the history of Jewish persecution. I chose the image below to represent the strength and resilience that Jewish women have demonstrated throughout history. The women in this photo were members of a resistance group called a partisan, which were formed during World War II by Jews who escaped the Nazis and engaged in sabotage and guerilla warfare against the German forces in Eastern Europe. Although they were not always wanted in the partisans, these women demonstrated strength and resilience and proved that they were valuable assets to these groups, and in the end thousands of women had joined.
Reference:
Fairchild, E. (2010). An overview of Jewish beliefs and traditions for counselors. Education Specialist, 90.http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/edspec201019/90
Image found at: https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/video/every-day-impossible-jewish-women-partisans
Systemic Challenges Faced by Jewish Women
I selected the image below in order to represent a systemic challenge, in this case a stereotype, that many Jewish women face in the United States today. The intersection of their gender, race, and religion brings about a unique form of sexist anti-Semitism (Ginsberg & Sinacore, 2013). The common stereotype of the “Jewish American princess” or “JAP” perpetuates the idea that young Jewish women are spoiled, materialistic, and on the prowl for rich men to marry. Jewish women are also stereotyped as being pushy, bossy, difficult, aggressive, and driven (Ginsberg & Sinacore, 2013). These are often seen as good qualities in men, but when women, in particular Jewish women, display these qualities they are used to discredit them. Society’s systemic stereotyping of Jewish women can take a toll on their mental health, and it is important that counselors be aware that these damaging messages exist within our culture.
Reference:
Ginsberg, F., & Sinacore, A. L. (2013). Counseling Jewish women: a phenomenological study. Journal of Counseling & Development, 91, 131-139. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2013.00081.x
Image from: https://www.crazyedscomics.com/jewish-american-princess-single-and-loving-it/
Annotated Bibliography
Ginsberg, F., & Sinacore, A. L. (2013). Counseling Jewish women: a phenomenological study. Journal of Counseling & Development, 91, 131-139. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2013.00081.x
The purpose of this research study is to explore the self-reported identity and world-view of Jewish women, and to explore how their experiences as Jewish women in America have impacted them psychologically. Jewish women have often been neglected from counseling research and multicultural counseling discourse, and previous research has shown that this lack of awareness has left counselors ill-prepared to fully help Jewish clients. Other literature that was reviewed in this article stated that a woman’s identity as a Jew is a fundamental part of herself, not simply a membership to a religious group. Jewish women also have to face a unique kind of sexist anti-Semitism, with stereotypes such as the “Jewish-American Princess” pervading our culture today. A Jewish woman’s membership in a persecuted group also increases her awareness of a constant lack of safety, which negatively affects her psychologically. The present study used qualitative measures in the form of semi-structured 60 to 90 minute interviews to measure how women experience their Jewish identity. The participants were 12 Ashkenazi, non-Orthodox, Jewish American women between the ages of 31 and 53. All participants had American-born parents and identified English as their first spoken language. In terms of Jewish denomination, eight participants identified as Reform, two as Conservative, one as Reconstructionist, and one had no affiliation. The overall conclusion from this study is that being a Jew informed both how the participants viewed themselves and the ways in which they interacted with and interpreted the broader society. The two major themes that the researchers discovered are Jewishness and being Jewish in a broader social context. The participants’ Jewishness was influenced by Jewish ethics, Jewish family and community life, gender roles (especially those rooted in older traditions) and the Jewish people. Being Jewish in a broader social context was related to being a minority, Jewish stereotypes and anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust, which all affect them physically and psychologically in their everyday lives. Implications for counseling are given based on the results of this study, including that counselor educators should encourage future counselors to study Jewish history, religion, and anti-Semitism, as well as focus on their own self-awareness about any biases and stereotypes they may hold about Jews. Counselors are also cautioned against viewing White Jewish women simply as White, because they do not have the same experiences as White women of other religions/cultures, including experiences of specific sexism within their own communities. Finally, the authors stress the need for counselors to understand that being Jewish is what often leads Jewish women to experience themselves as “being other”, like other racial and ethnic minorities, so it is important to build trust in the counselor-client relationship, especially if the counselor is not a Jewish woman. This study was limited because it only looked at Jewish women from a specific age range who lived in the midwestern United States, where Jews have higher minority status compared to other regions. However, it is an important first step in addressing the experiences and counseling needs of American Jewish women, and is very helpful for my purposes of counseling Jewish women.
Haimov-Kochman, R., & Hochner-Celinkier, D. (2007). Contraceptive counseling for orthodox Jewish women. The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 12(1), 13-18. Doi: 10.1080/13625180601092578
The purpose of this paper is to examine traditional Jewish reproductive practices, review various contraceptive methods, and identify the problems that may occur with their use in the Jewish orthodox society by those who follow the Halachah(Jewish codes of conduct). Previous literature, limited to mostly the 1960’s and 1970’s, has found that use of contraceptives decreased as religiosity among salaried workers increased. In a 1998 survey of 1,751 Israeli women, contraceptive use was reported by 54% of religious women and only 15% of ultra-orthodox women. The authors of this present study start by examining the reproductive concepts and practices in traditional Judaism. Traditionally, contraception is viewed as an act against God’s law from Genesis 1:28 to “be fruitful and multiply”. An exception is if childbearing would endanger the mother’s life; however this risk is determined by a rabbi, not by the woman. Extra-vaginal ejaculation is also seen as a violation of holy law. One of the natural contraceptive options that some orthodox women try is delaying the resumption of sexual activity after their menstrual period, so that their most fertile days are behind them. The most common contraceptive method used by orthodox women (which is not formally viewed as a contraceptive method) is prolonged breast-feeding. Vaginal diaphragms and cervical caps may be used in some cases as well, as they do not provide a direct barrier between the couple during sexual contact, which would be in violation of Genesis 2:24. The authors then discuss modern medical methods of contraception, such as intrauterine devices, Mirena, and oral contraception. Each of these methods had pros and cons in regard to biological reactions and compliance with holy laws. Interestingly, tubal sterilization for women is permitted by Jewish law, whereas vasectomies for men are strictly forbidden. However, tubal sterilization is a very permanent form of contraception, and is typically not utilized unless childbearing endangers a woman’s life or health. The authors conclude that when counseling Jewish orthodox women about contraception, religiosity needs to be considered among other factors such as age, marital status, and frequency of intercourse. It is important to be culturally competent, respectful, and aware of the traditional Jewish concepts and practices surrounding reproduction, which can impact how the client may feel about these contraceptive options. This was very useful for me because I had no concept of what orthodox Jewish beliefs and practices were surrounding contraception, so if I counsel any orthodox women I will be much more informed. These researchers are based in Israel, so it would be interesting to learn what similarities and differences exist between orthodox Jewish women there and in the United States.
Krumrei, E. K., Pirutinksky, S., & Rosmarin, D. H. (2013). Jewish spirituality, depression, and health: an empirical test of a conceptual framework. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 20, 327-336. doi: 10.1007/s12529-012-9248-z
The purpose of this research study was to examine trust/mistrust in God and religious coping and their relationship to depressive symptoms and physical health among Jewish people. There was not much literature prior to this study on this topic with relation to Jewish people. One of the few studies found that there are important differences between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews in regard to spirituality, with Orthodox Jews experiencing a greater variance in mental health due to spirituality. Based on the previous research, the authors of this study hypothesized that a trust in God and positive religious coping would relate to decreased depressive symptoms and better physical health. The participants were a total of 208 Jewish individuals, with 33% identifying as Modern Orthodox, 22% Yeshiva Orthodox, 15% Conservative, 14% Reform, 2% Hassidic, 2% Reconstructionist, 2% Sephardic, 1% Chabad, and 1% Humanistic. The majority (83%) lived in the United States, and 74.5% were female. The authors used a Likert scale called the Brief Trust/Mistrust in God Scale to test the participants trust and mistrust in God. to measure religious coping, they used the 16-item Jewish Religious Coping Scale. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to assess depression levels, and the Physical Component Summary score of the Short Form Health Survey was used to access physical health levels. Lastly, to measure intrinsic religiosity they used the three items that appear as the intrinsic religiosity scale of the Duke Religion Index. The results indicated that the authors’ hypotheses were correct, as both a mistrust in God and negative religious coping were associated with greater depressive symptoms, and both a trust in God and positive religious coping skills were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. This indicates that there is potential clinical significance of spirituality to mental health among Jewish people, and that clinicians working with Jewish clients who have depressive symptoms may find it beneficial to explore if there is a presence of mistrust in God or negative religious coping. The authors addressed that it is also possible that the client’s individual characteristics or experiences may relate to both strained religious characteristics as well as depressive symptoms, so they should explore other contributing factors in the client’s life. This information is useful because if I am counseling a Jewish client with depression, I will know some of the possible factors that are affecting their mental health. I do with the authors would have included in the discussion section if gender had a significant effect on these findings.
Simoni, J. M., Martone, M. G., & Kerwin, J. F. (2002). Spirituality and psychological adaptation among women with HIV/AIDS: implications for counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49(2), 139-147. doi: 10.1037//0022-0167.49.2.139
The purpose of this research study was to explore the relationship between spirituality and psychological adaptation of women living with HIV/AIDS as well as provide implications for best counseling practices with this population. Previous studies on other life-threatening illnesses found that individuals with these illnesses often turn to religion and/or spirituality to cope. Spirituality has been found to positively impact cancer patients’ psychosocial adaptation. For both HIV/AIDS and cancer patients, spirituality provides a sense of meaning while they are facing the threat of their own existence. It often allows them to repair damaged relationships, let go of the past, and achieve a sense of closure while providing hope that they will join their deity after death. For HIV/AIDS specifically, a sense of spirituality has been found to give patients a purpose in life despite being stigmatized, as well as provide meaning from their incurable disease. This study included 230 female participants, 47% of whom identified as Hispanic, 46% as African-American, and 7% as mixed or a different ethnic background. They ranged in age from 24 to 61 years old, and had been diagnosed with HIV between 3 months to 15 years of the time of this study. The researchers used mostly Likert-format scales to access the participants’ demographics, drug use, social support, coping, spirituality, and psychological adaptation. They averaged individual items to form a total score for each scale. Highly structured interviews were also administered by a diverse group of 12 trained women. The participants rated themselves highly on the 13-item spirituality scale, with 38% identifying as Catholic, 26% Baptist, 6% Pentecostal, 1% Jewish, and 22% “Other”. The authors’ analyses of the data indicated that spirituality and HIV-related spirituality based coping were significantly correlated with psychological adaptation. Because of this, the authors propose that counselors should explore spirituality and spirituality based coping as part of a strategy for identifying and bolstering cultural strengths when working with clients with HIV/AIDS. The authors stress that although it may feel uncomfortable for some counselors, being able to discuss a client’s spirituality is an area that is necessary to address in order to be culturally competent. This article was very interesting in that spirituality is not often thought of as a coping mechanism for such a stigmatized disease as HIV/AIDS. However, this study was limited in that only 1% identified as Jewish, so for my purposes it is not as useful as it could have been.
Williams, M. S., Jerome, A., White, K., & Fisher, A. (2006). Making sense of suffering: a preliminary study of changes in religious women adjusting to severe adversity. Counseling and Values, 50, 84-98. doi: 10.1002/j.2161-007X.2006.tb00045.x
The purpose of this research study was to explore how religious women’s views beliefs and attitudes surrounding religion changed as they successfully coped with severe adversity, and to share implications for counseling and research. Previous literature has found that religious and spiritual dimensions have a profound impact in shaping human experience, meaning, and behavior, and that 72% of psychologists in 1991 indicated that they addressed religious or spiritual concerns in treatment. Past studies have indicated that a relationship exists between religion and adjustment to negative life events and positive coping skills, but little is known about how religion does this. The participants of this study were 25 women between the ages of 30 and 60 who lived in the western, Rocky Mountain, and southern regions of the United States. Fourteen identified as Christian, six as Jewish, and five as Muslim. All of the participants had recently experienced or were still experiencing some form of severe adversity, such the unexpected loss of a relationship, health problems, or inability to perform normal life functions. They completed observation and self-reports and were found to be coping well. They were also administered the Outcome Questionnaire-45 as an empirical assessment, which is designed to measure subjective experience of individuals functioning in the domains of symptom discomfort, interpersonal relationships, and social roles. One to two hour interviews were then conducted in the participants’ homes, which was the primary investigative tool. The questions served to illuminate how the women’s religious beliefs influenced their coping response to the trauma they experienced and also how the experience of coping influenced their religious beliefs. The researchers found that all participants scored below a 60 on the Outcome Questionnaire-45, which meant they were coping well. From the interviews, ten themes emerged, and the authors created a table to compare the percentages of women from each religion who agreed with each theme. One theme that I found notable was “developing deeper but more selective friendships”. Fifty percent of Christian participants and forty percent of Muslim participants reported this experience, while none of the Jewish participants did. For “increasing psychological skills”, fifty percent of Christian participants and sixty-seven percent of Jewish participants agreed, while no Muslim participants indicated this was the case for them. This supports the study’s overall finding that women from different religious traditions differ in how they respond to and cope with severe trauma, and implies that turning religious concepts into psychological strategies may not be effective when working with Muslim women. All of this information is important for my purposes of counseling Jewish women that their religion uniquely affects how they cope with adversity. I do wish that the research cited in this article was more recent, but I think that that also speaks to the need for more researchers to explore counseling with women from diverse religions.