Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted ethnic minorities in the global north, evidenced by higher rates of transmission, morbidity, and mortality relative to population sizes. Orthodox Jewish neighbourhoods in London had extremely high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rates, reflecting patterns in Israel and the US. The aim of this paper is to examine how responsibilities over health protection are conveyed, and to what extent responsibility is sought by, and shared between, state services, and ‘community’ stakeholders or representative groups, and families in public health emergencies.
The study investigates how public health and statutory services stakeholders, Orthodox Jewish communal custodians and households sought to enact health protection in London during the first year of the pandemic (March 2020–March 2021). Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted across these cohorts. Findings demonstrate that institutional relations – both their formation and at times fragmentation – were directly shaped by issues surrounding COVID-19 control measures. Exchanges around protective interventions (whether control measures, contact tracing technologies, or vaccines) reveal diverse and diverging attributions of responsibility and authority.
The paper develops a framework of public health relations to understand negotiations between statutory services and minority groups over responsiveness and accountability in health protection. Disaggregating public health relations can help social scientists to critique who and what characterises institutional relationships with minority groups, and what ideas of responsibility and responsiveness are projected by differently-positioned stakeholders in health protection.
Abstract: The initiatives that took place to support Israeli families temporarily in the UK
started within three days after 7th October.
• Key organisations in the Jewish Community came together to help: JAFI, UJIA,
PaJeS, CST.
• They were supported by other organisations in various ways, e.g. JVN, and by
many individuals.
• There was a huge gap between the large number of expressions of interest in
school places and eventual places taken up.
• Each Local Education Authority Admissions process was different from each other,
and LEAs waived usual procedures to be accommodating and speed up the
admissions processes.
• Almost all temporary Israeli families were able to visit their UK school prior to
accepting a place and starting school.
• By November, more than 100 children had been placed in schools, mostly in the
primary sector.
• Whilst each school dealt uniquely with the situation of having temporary families in
their schools, there were many commonalities, e.g. acquiring school uniform,
communication, pairing with other Hebrew speakers.
• Relating to the school system in the UK has been a steep learning curve for these
families.
• PaJeS has been significantly involved in providing support, especially in
admissions advice, Hebrew, wellbeing, funding and resources.
• A concern at the beginning, which was that the regular school population would be
disadvantage by schools accepting these additional families, has not materialised.
• By the beginning of December 2023, although some families are still arriving, the
number of Israelis temporarily in UK schools has already begun to decrease.
• Some families who are leaving, want an option to return and want schools to “save”
their places for them, which challenges the schools.
Topics: Main Topic: Other, Jewish Community, Jewish Organisations, Strategic Planning, Policy, Demography, Haredi / Strictly Orthodox Jews, Care and Welfare, Health, Children, Youth, Poverty, Housing, Elderly Care, Age and Generational Issues
Abstract: At 28,075 Jewish people, Greater Manchester recorded the largest Jewish population in the UK
outside of London and adjacent Hertfordshire. At first sight, it appears to have grown by 12%
between 2011 and 2021, most likely driven largely by high birth-rates among the strictly Orthodox
community. Similarly, if the data eventually proves to be accurate, this constitutes a growth of 29%
over the twenty years between 2001 and 2021. Provisional estimates of the Haredi community
based on other data sources (such as Manchester Connections) suggest that the Haredi community
could be as large as 22,778 but, again, further analysis is needed before any firm conclusions can be
drawn. Whatever the final numbers, it is clear that Greater Manchester, which includes the largest
Eruv in the UK with a perimeter of more than 13 miles, covering parts of Prestwich, Crumpsall and
Higher Broughton, is an important and growing centre of Jewish life.
This report was commissioned by Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Regions
(GMJRC) to research and analyse community strengths and provide a mapping of Jewish
organisations in the Greater Manchester area. It was overseen by the GMJRC strategic group – a
group that was formed of Councils and organisations across the Jewish religious spectrum as a
response to the pandemic. It reviews services in seven themes: Children & Young People; Adult
Services; Older People; Health; Employment; Emergency Response; and Housing. As well as looking
at delivery, governance, leadership, and building assets, it also tries to understand where the gaps
and support needs are. As the demographics and relative sizes of the mainstream and strictly
Orthodox Jewish populations continue to change, this study represents an important examination
of both the challenges and opportunities of how the respective communities work together. As
these populations change across the UK, and beyond, the study will have significance to other cities
where these Jewish communities exist side by side.
The Institute of Jewish Policy Research (JPR) used a variety of data sources to identify organisations
delivering in each theme and built maps of that data which can be seen throughout this report.
Mobilise Public Ltd use several methods to gather data from these organisations in each theme.
The main approach was qualitative, using stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions with a
purposely selected sample of these organisations, and the evidence collected was supplemented
with a short survey which was issued to a larger number of organisations. The research was
coproduced with a subset of the strategic group through a series of facilitated sessions and was
designed to build a good understanding of delivery in each theme as well as an understanding of
challenges and opportunities in readiness for the strategic group to develop a more integrated
strategy for the Greater Manchester Jewish community
Abstract: This paper analyses how the Jewish community in Bratislava dealt with the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic that took place between the 1st March 2020 and 30 May 2021. Because the public health measures in force at the time rendered traditional ethnological research methods inapplicable, the author’s main source of information was the online communication of the leadership and administration of the Bratislava Jewish Religious Community (JRC) with its members. On the 9th March 2020, the government implemented the first battery of public health measures. Already on the same day, the JRC released a newsletter encouraging its members to observe the authorities’ guidance. It also cancelled all of its scheduled activities. The leadership would go on to distribute masks and hygiene supplies to the oldest members of the community, facilitate the vaccination of Holocaust survivors. Part of Slovak society compared restrictions on social contacts, a mask mandate, and a limitation on free movement to the suffering of the Jews in the Wartime Slovak State, highlighting this supposed parallel by wearing yellow stars. The effective limits on social contacts brought communal life within the community to a standstill, which had a particular effect on the older generations. The pandemic also inevitably led to a ban on communal worship and necessitated adjustments in the observance of traditional Jewish holidays, particularly Pesach. In many families, the communal Seder supper was held online via Zoom or Skype. The community had also to improvise during Hannukah, with an Orthodox or liberal rabbi assisting in the lighting of candles in the homes of members who requested it.
Abstract: В этом небольшом очерке автор говорит об основных принципах еврейской благотворительности, а также дает краткую характеристику ее основных направлений в современной России. Подчеркивается, что деятельность еврейских благотворительных организаций направлена в основном на помощь пожилым и нуждающимся людям. В то же время, как отмечает автор, люди с ограниченными возможностями здоровья, как правило, оказываются вне поля зрения таких организаций, как и государственных социальных служб. Далее Е. Э. Носенко-Штейн рассказывает о руководителе одной из таких организаций — А. Е. Кирносе и о том, как его приход туда связан с еврейской самоидентификацией. По мнению автора, такая самоидентификация — одна из существующих в современной России. Автор называет ее
носителей Хранителями, поскольку они сохраняют некоторые элементы традиционной еврейской культуры и исторической памяти. Ниже с небольшими сокращениями публикуется интервью, которое автор провела с А. Е. Кирносом в июле 2020 г.
Abstract: На основе архивных данных, региональной периодики и материалов работы автора в еврейской
общине Челябинска рассматривается ее история в 1989–2002 гг., а также наиболее значимые тенденции ее развития: языковая среда и специфика идентичности еврейского населения Челябинска,
создание культурно-просветительских и благотворительных организаций, возрождение традиционных институтов еврейских общин. Не последнюю роль в рассматриваемых процессах играли связи с
Израилем, международными благотворительными еврейскими организациями («Джойнт», «Сохнут»,
«Хабад Любавич Ор-Авнер»), которые оказывали общине помощь для удовлетворения культурных и
образовательных потребностей. Исследование еврейских общин в рамках диаспорной традиции перспективно для понимания как антропологии еврейских общин в бывшем СССР, так и иных феноменов, связанных с образом жизни в диаспоре.
Abstract: Статья посвящена анализу текущей ситуации в еврейской общине Еврейской автономной области, анализу роли и места «еврейского фактора» в социальной структуре ЕАО. Основные исследовательские методы,
использованные при подготовке материала, – методы наблюдения (в том числе включенного наблюдения) и глубинного интервью. Исследование стало возможным благодаря гранту Фонда социальных исследований
«Хамовники».
Несмотря на незначительное по формальным показателям количество проживающих в области евреев, «еврейский фактор», который не сводится к этничности, является в жизни области весьма заметным. Евреи присутствуют во всех районах автономной области и составляют важную часть ее управленческой, культурной и бизнес-элиты. Именно евреи и еврейство являются звеном, связующим лоскутную территорию
области с ее разнородной экономико-географической и этносоциальной структурой. На еврейской основе формируется уникальная новая этнокультурная общность со своими особыми чертами и самоидентификацией. Неевреи по происхождению зачастую воспринимают еврейскую культуру, историю, этническую особенность Еврейской автономной области как часть своей собственной идентичности. Внутри этой новой общности существует и развивается традиционная еврейская общинная инфраструктура с синагогой, кошерным общепитом, образованием и т. п. Наличие небольшой, но живой, функционирующей по
всем строгим правилам еврейской религиозной общины способствует сохранению еврейского ядра и еврейского характера автономной области, а также консолидирует более широкие слои евреев и неевреев, в
том числе представителей власти, вокруг еврейского историко-культурного наследия области.
Функционирование еврейских общин способствует формированию в Еврейской автономной области «многонационального еврейского народа», согласно концепции С.Г. Кордонского Развитие еврейских общин и консолидация вокруг них разноэтничного населения обеспечивает укрепление этносоциального потенциала Еврейской автономной области в целом.
Abstract: В статье рассматривается история и современное состояние краснодарских еврейских некоммерческих организаций, деятельность которых имеет светский, а не религиозный характер. Таковыми являются две институции – общество еврейской культуры «Шалом» и благотворительная организация «Хэсэд».
История данных объединений начинается в 1990-е гг., когда тяжесть социально-экономической жизни евреев города, относящихся к социально незащищенным категориям населения, побудила еврейских активистов к созданию обществ, которые способствовали бы консолидации евреев. В статье описывается процесс создания каждой из организаций, особенности их работы. Общество «Шалом» нацелено прежде всего на просвещение и репрезентацию еврейской общины в городе, для «Хэсэда» главные задачи сосредоточены в социальной сфере: оказание помощи нуждающимся еврейским семьям, материальная
поддержка. Кроме того, автор указывает на важность сотрудничества «Хэсэда» с международной благотворительной организацией «Джойнт» и описывает, как оно складывалось, а также рассматривает отношения «Хэсэда» и «Шалома» с религиозной общиной города. В настоящее время две рассмотренные в статье организации являются ядром светской еврейской общины Краснодара
Abstract: The Fifth Survey of European Jewish Community Leaders and Professionals, 2021 presents the results of an online survey offered in 10 languages and administered to 1054 respondents in 31 countries. Conducted every three years using the same format, the survey seeks to identify trends and their evolution in time.
Even if European Jewish leaders and community professionals rank antisemitism and combatting it among their first concerns and priorities, they are similarly committed to expanding Jewish communities and fostering future sustainability by engaging more young people and unaffiliated Jews.
The survey covers a wide variety of topics including the toll of COVID-19 on European Jewish communities and a widening generational gap around pivotal issues. Conducted every three years since 2008, the study is part of JDC’s wider work in Europe, which includes its partnerships with local Jewish communities and programs aiding needy Jews, fostering Jewish life and leaders, resilience training.
The respondents were comprised of presidents and chairpersons of nationwide “umbrella organizations” or Federations; presidents and executive directors of private Jewish foundations, charities, and other privately funded initiatives; presidents and main representatives of Jewish communities that are organized at a city level; executive directors and programme coordinators, as well as current and former board members of Jewish organizations; among others.
The JDC International Centre for Community Development established the survey as a means to identify the priorities, sensibilities and concerns of Europe’s top Jewish leaders and professionals working in Jewish institutions, taking into account the changes that European Jewry has gone through since 1989, and the current political challenges and uncertainties in the continent. In a landscape with few mechanisms that can truly gauge these phenomena, the European Jewish Community Leaders Survey is an essential tool for analysis and applied research in the field of community development.
Abstract: The main purpose of this article is to consider the dynamics and features of Jewish communities and organisations in Ukraine in the context of current socio-cultural and socio-political processes. This involves the following tasks: to reveal the principles and nature of the so-called "umbrella" Jewish organisations that unite local communities and to reconstruct the dynamics of the Jewish segment in Ukrainian society. The analysis is based on a systematic reconstruction of theoretical models of religious phenomena and their connection with modern research subjects in the field of practical religious studies. The author argues that the activities of Jewish religious organisations and communities are manifested in various spheres of life, particularly education, charity, and social work. At the same time, the article identifies challenges that remain relevant for religious communities and organisations, such as financing initiatives, the assistance in reducing the level of anti-Semitism in the country, and raising the level of Jewish education. The study of the functioning of Jewish religious communities in Ukraine in connection with the development of civic institutions allows to investigate the actualisation of this type of activities, as well as their impact on public life. That is why, in the context of the analysis and the goals formulated in this work, specific examples of the dynamic functioning of Jewish religious communities have been considered.
Abstract: After the decades of discrimination against organized Jewish life in the Soviet Union, the present period shows creation and rapid development of Jewish national organizations and institutional infrastructure of Jewish communities in most of the post-Soviet states, especially in Russia and Ukraine. Not a few of these organizations were rooted in history of Jewish life in the USSR after World War II, including the experience of the creation and existence of legal (state-sponsored), illegal (underground national and human rights organizations), and quasi-legal (religious communities) Jewish social institutions in a hostile social and political environment. The Jewish organizations, including local/sectarian institutions, municipal/regional federations, as well as nationwide «umbrella» structures, that were established in the USSR successor states, had to meet the challenge of new conditions of Jewish life in post-communist countries which included a demand for services normally provided by a Jewish community (education, welfare, synagogues, cultural activities, etc.) and a need for an adequate institutional framework which reflected local Jewish identity (whether ethnic nationalism or cultural/religious affiliation)...
Abstract: As soon as the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic became evident, concern began to be expressed in the Jewish community about how its effects might damage aspects of Jewish life. Our July 2020 survey of Jews across the UK was designed to investigate some of these effects and bring some data into policy discussion about the future of the community.
Part of that discussion involves community income, and specifically whether Jews will feel able to donate to charities in the ways they have previously, or if they will continue to pay membership fees to synagogues or make voluntary contributions to cover the Jewish studies programmes, security and other supplementary activities in Jewish schools.
This paper looks at these issues first by examining respondents’ giving behaviours in 2019, and comparing them to their actual or expected behaviours during the first few months of the pandemic. It finds that, as of July 2020, its effects were found to be rather limited – while charitable giving, synagogue membership fees and voluntary contributions to schools were all expected to take a hit, a strong majority indicated no change in their giving behaviour at this time. Moreover, there are some indications that a shift has taken place in people’s tendency towards giving to Jewish charities over general ones. Whether this is part of a longer-term trend or simply a response to the pandemic is unclear.
The study then investigates those who said they were planning to make a ‘negative switch’ in their giving behaviour, to explore the extent to which that change was due to economic factors caused by the pandemic, or two alternative possibilities: their economic situation prior to it, or the strength/weakness of their Jewish identity.
It finds that changes in behaviour are heavily influenced by the economic impact of the pandemic, particularly with respect to synagogue membership fees, but that Jewish identity also plays a part, most acutely in relation to making voluntary contributions to schools.
Topics: Main Topic: Other, Jewish Identity, Jewish Revival, Antisemitism, Jewish Culture, Jewish Heritage, Rabbis, Kashrut, Shechita / Ritual Slaughter, Jewish Organisations, Care and Welfare
