Cultural Competency - Multicultural Health Generalizations: Jewish
Judaism and Health
Traditional Judaic Dying Customs
- In traditional Judaism, the spirit leaves the body at the time of death.
- If possible, the dying person is encouraged to recite the confessional or the affirmation of faith (shema) before death.
- A family member may wish to perform this ritual if the dying person is unable to do so.
- By religious law, someone should stay with the dying person so the soul will not feel alone.
- Judaic law also requires the body not be left alone after death. If death occurs on the Sabbath, the family may request that the body be moved until the Sabbath is over.
- The entire body is prepared as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours, for burial.
- The body may be ritually washed after death by members of the Ritual Burial Society; the son or nearest relative may desire to close the eyes and mouth of the deceased; and arms and hands are extended at the sides of the body, incisions covered, and the body draped with a sheet.
- Beginning with a 7-day mourning period called shiva, mourning extends over one year and includes practices that influence all aspects of life.
Sources: Purnell, L. D., & Paulanka, B. J. (1998). Transcultural health care: A culturally competent approach. Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company
Lipson, J.G., Dibble, SL& Minarik, P.A. (eds). (1998). Culture and Nursing Care: A pocket guide. San Francisco: University of California San Francisco Nursing Press.
Orthodox Jewish Birthing Rituals
- Due to laws dictating separation of men and women during any type of vaginal bleeding, some Orthodox Jewish husbands may believe in restraining themselves from touching their wives during labor.
- If the husband participates in the delivery, support may be shown
through verbal means instead of touching. - If possible, male nurses should not be assigned to female patients.
- However, laws are waived so male physicians are allowed to attend to female patients.
- A family member or friend of the family will usually stay with the
hospitalized newborn at all times.
Source: Cultural, Ethnic, and Religious Reference Manual for Health Care Providers, 1995 Edition, by Janice D. Andrews
Jewish Dietary Laws
Jewish dietary laws, also known as the laws of kashrut or kosher laws, are very important in Judaism. These laws regulate virtually every aspect of eating, including:
- which animals may be eaten. Animals that may be eaten are those that part the hoof, and are cloven-footed, and chew the cud, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. Sea creatures that have fins and scales are also acceptable. While most non-predatory fowl are permitted, only eggs from kosher fowl may be eaten. Animals that do not meet these criteria, such as pigs, are forbidden.
- the method of slaughter (the laws of shechitah which are designed to lessen the suffering of animals) by a trained religious person known as a schochet. However, these laws do not apply to fish or invertabrates.
- the method of preparing meat and poultry (known as kashering), which primarily involves removing as much of the blood as possible.
- a prohibition against cooking or eating dairy products along with meat (fish is excluded from this prohibition). This prohibition has been extended by the rabbis so that religious Jews have separate sets of dishes, pots, and utensils for meat and dairy dishes, and do not wash anything used for meat along with anything used for dairy products. Jews also wait a number of hours (the amount depending on the tradition of the individual) after eating meat (again fish is excluded) before consuming any dairy product.
- the prohibition of certain foods during the festival of Pesach (Passover). Any food or food product containing fermented grain products (chametz) may not be used or remain in a Jew's possession on Passover. Jews of Eastern European descent might also not eat many legumes (kitniot) and products containing them as ingredients throughout Passover.
While not strictly part of the kosher laws, there are other laws and traditions associated with eating, including the ritual washing of hands, with an associated blessing, blessings over various foods, and bircat hamazon (blessings of gratitude and praise recited after the meal).
Sources: Purnell, L. D., and Paulanka, B. J. 1998. Transcultural Health Care: A culturally competent approach. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company.
Schwartz, R., Ph.D. Vegetarianism and the Jewish dietary laws. (Online). http://schwartz.enviroweb.org/dietlaws.html (disabled) (2002, Aug. 23).
Redirected to: http://www.jewishveg.com/schwartz/dietlaws.html
Jewish-American Health-seeking Beliefs
- According to people who interpret Jewish law, each person has a duty to keep themselves in good health (Latner, 1981, as cited in Purnell & Paulanka, 1998). This encompasses physical and mental well-being, as well as early treatment for illness and prevention.
- "Judaism does not permit refusing medication and treatment if there is any chance that it will make the patient well" (Latner, 1982, p.313, as cited in Purnell & Paulanka, 1998).
- In ultra-Orthodox denominations of Judaism, the taking of medication on the Sabbath, that is not necessary to preserve life, may be viewed as "work" (i.e., an action performed with intention of bringing about a change in existing conditions), and would therefore be unacceptable.
- Halakhah (Jewish Law) differentiates a non-life-threatening illness from a "slight illness" or "mere discomfort." For the non-life-threatening illness, the commandments may be modified (Schwartz & Spero, 1983).
- All Jewish denominations recognize that religious requirements may be laid aside if a life is at stake or if an individual has a life-threatening illness.
- "Hospice care is fully consonant with Jewish ethics, Jewish customs, and Jewish law" (Rosner, 1993, p. 9).
- All individuals are considered to have value regardless of their condition. This includes individuals with developmental disabilities and AIDS. Judaism opposes discrimination against persons with AIDS (Vorspan, 1992).
Source: Purnell, L. D., & Paulanka, B. J. (1998). Transcultural health care: A culturally competent approach. Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company.
Jewish Fertility Practices and Views toward Pregnancies
- Because children are considered a blessing, sterility is regarded as a curse.
- According to traditional Jewish law, a man may not abstain from procreation until he has children.
- Unless pregnancy jeopardizes the life or health of the mother, contraception is not looked on favorably among the ultra-Orthodox (Klein, 1992).
- To the Orthodox, it is important to know the mechanism of action of the birth control.
- The birth control pill does not result in any permanent sterilization, nor does it prevent semen from traveling its normal route. Therefore, use of this method is the least objectionable to most branches.
- Most religious denominations within Judaism accept the practice of artificial insemination if the donor is the husband of the woman being impregnated.
- Recognizing that Judaism’s primary focus is the sanctity of life, it is important to identify when life begins. The fetus is not considered to be a living soul or person until it has been born. Birth is determined when the head or “greater part” is born (Klein, 1992). Until that time, it is merely part of the mother’s body and has no independent identity.
- The newborn in traditional Judaism still does not have all the rights of a person and is not considered fully viable until 30 days after birth (Rosner, 1972).
- All branches of Judaism would favor abortion if the fetus endangers the mother’s health (Bial, 1971).
- Random abortion is not permitted by the Orthodox branch because the fetus is a potential human being.
- Abortion would also be denied because it entails wounding oneself, which is not permitted, and it would place the mother in some danger.
Source: Purnell, L. D., & Paulanka, B. J. (1998). Transcultural health care: A culturally competent approach. Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company
