Jewish

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Historical and Cultural Background
This guide will focus on Jewish families living in the US whose origins is either from Israel or is Soviet Jewish. The term "Jew" includes the activities related to practicing Judaism, family heritage, or simply having the identity of being Jewish.

Historically, much of the Jew's ancient history can be gleaned from the Old Testament. From Abraham, to Moses, to David, and beyond, the Jewish people have a rich and theologically deep history. However, the Jews are very familiar to being under conquest and in exile.

The Jewish people have had a historic longing for their home country. After WWII in 1948, Israel once again become an official country. Since Israel declared statehood it has suffered times of peace and times of attack from her neighbors. Israel has persevered and become stronger despite the violent actions of her neighbors. At this point in time Israel is strong and continues to accept Jews from all over the world. Israel is known for her cultural advancements and artistic achievements.

Soviet Jews

 * Jewish people came to Russian in the early 17th century when Poland was divided among the Russian, Prussian and Hungarian dynasties.
 * Settled there and made their home.
 * As the government began falling apart in the 19th century, the leaders placed the blame on the Jews.
 * The Jews were persecuted and many were killed by the secret police.
 * They were allowed to emigrate to Israel but the Six Day War in 1967 prevented them from entering. After the fighting settled down they were allowed to enter, but by this time many had been killed.

Anti-Semitism
As Jews immigrated, they faced many forms of discrimination.
 * Were limited in numbers for enrollment in higher education
 * Were not given senior management positions in large companies
 * Were not allowed membership in clubs and organizations
 * Sometimes hid their ethnicity so they could succeed in America
 * Have made money and achieved success in America despite discrimination

Values and Social Customs
Hebrew is the primary language spoken in Israel, but the spoken language today is a more modern version than the biblical Hebrew of the Old Testament. Yiddish is a German dialect with Hebrew elements and is spoken in many Jewish communities in Europe and in the US.
 * Tikkun olam - “World Repair”


 * mitzvoth – doing good deeds
 * Tzedakah – charity; a whole notion of community, based on social action.


 * K'rov Yisrael- Kin of Israel. Used when describing gentile family members.


 * beth din – Rabbinical Court Consisting of three rabbis.


 * The Get- process by which a divorce is carried out.


 * Atzut - depression
 * Simchah – joy
 * Kosher- fit or proper
 * Bar Mitzvah- son of the commandment
 * Bat Mitzvah – daughter of the commandment

Family

 * Family is a central value for the Jewish people.
 * Most Jews have a traditional view of family structure: husband, wife, and one child or more.
 * After a Jewish couple is married, they generally stay close to their extended family.
 * Orthodox Jews and many practicing Jews view the Jewish community as family.
 * The father is the head of the household and supports his family by providing for their needs. He hold the highest authority.
 * The mother honors her husband by showing respect and obedience. She is devoted wife and mother and is the primary educator for the children.
 * Children honor and obey their parents. They honor them through accomplishments.
 * Having children is very important for Jewish families. Couples who wait to have children are frowned upon. Orthodox Jews view having children as so important that they do not believe birth control should be used.
 * Parents sometimes live vicariously through their children, feeling validated through the child's success and shamed.
 * Jewish parents tend to be permissive, overprotective, and overly concerned about the happiness of their children.
 * The opinions of children are highly valued, and children are often included in solving family problems.

Marriage

 * High pressure for Jews to get married
 * Jews have a higher marriage rate than non-Jews but only a slightly lower divorce rate.
 * For Jews, marriage is the fulfillment of one of God's purposes and all are meant to experience it.
 * Parents see getting their children married as a primary responsibility.
 * Orthodox Jews see a prolonged bachelorhood as unacceptable.
 * While intermarriage has received an increasing amount of acceptance among American Jews, most Jews still feel an obligation to marry other Jews.
 * Israeli Jews do not tolerate intermarriage at all.
 * Divorce is viewed as a tragedy and is discouraged.

Counseling Methods and Considerations

 * Many different backgrounds based on
 * Geography
 * Religious beliefs
 * Level of assimilation


 * Unlikely to seek counseliing
 * Look to family, friends, rabbi first
 * Need to keep up appearances

Common Problems

 * Jewish males have higher rates of depression than non-Jewish males.
 * Gender-roles in the family
 * Parenting
 * Anxiety over finding the right mate
 * Shame over infertility
 * Intermarriage
 * Israeli Americans experience shame and regret about leaving Israel.
 * Israeli families may experience conflict when one member wishes to return to Israel and another wishes to stay in the U.S.
 * Anti-Semitism
 * Jewish identity

Counseling Techniques
Due to the diversity among Jewish cultures, it is difficult to narrow down culturally appropriate methods of treatment. Jewish Americans are generally more comfortable with therapy than other ethnic groups, but the therapist will have to approach each Jewish group differently.

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)- IPT is a structured psychological therapy that focuses on problems in personal relationships and the skills needed to deal with these. IPT is based on the idea that relationship problems can have a significant effect on someone experiencing depression, and can even contribute to the cause. IPT helps you recognize patterns in your relationships that make you more vulnerable to depression. Identifying these patterns means you can focus on improving relationships, coping with grief and finding new ways to get along with others.

MoodGYM- Uses techniques drawn from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to help people learn how to prevent and cope with depression. Developed by the National Institute for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University, the interactive program teaches the principles of CBT, as well as relaxation and meditation techniques. It also works through dealing with issues such as stress and relationship breakdown.

Behavior Therapy- While behavior therapy is a major component of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), unlike CBT it doesn’t attempt to change beliefs and attitudes. Instead it focuses on encouraging activities that are rewarding, pleasant or satisfying, aiming to reverse the patterns of avoidance, withdrawal and inactivity that make depression worse.

Additional Resources
http://www.cjfm.org/