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Coping with Illness and Threat: Why Non-religious Jews Choose to Consult Rabbis on Healthcare Issues

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Abstract

Whereas modern and advanced medical services are available and accessible to all citizens of Israel, the phenomenon of consulting Orthodox rabbis (Jewish clerics) on healthcare issues is gaining ground among populations that do not identify themselves as religious. The objective of the research was to enquire why non-religious Jews choose to consult rabbis on medical issues. Fifty semi-structured open-ended interviews were conducted during 2009–2011 in northern Israel. The article presents the respondents’ main motives, expectations, beliefs, and modes of consulting both physicians and rabbis. This study aims to contribute to discussion about conflating modern medicine with spiritual-religious beliefs in modern-secular society.

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Notes

  1. “Masorti” is a Hebrew term that refers to people who do not necessarily view themselves as being religious, but rather observe Jewish tradition, including certain religious elements.

  2. “Kosher” is a concept primarily used to designate the kinds of food that Jews may eat. However, kosher is also widely used to designate the rabbinic properness of a wide range of objects, products, activities, ideas, institutions, and so on, including medical procedures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Western Galilee Academic College, P.O.B. 2125, Acre, 24121, Israel

    Yael Keshet & Ido Liberman

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  1. Yael Keshet
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  2. Ido Liberman
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Correspondence to Yael Keshet.

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Keshet, Y., Liberman, I. Coping with Illness and Threat: Why Non-religious Jews Choose to Consult Rabbis on Healthcare Issues. J Relig Health 53, 1146–1160 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9711-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9711-4

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