Researching vernacular Judaism: reflections on theory and method

Abstract

This article presents the ethnographically driven multi-method research perspective of vernacular religion and analyses its potential to contribute to the theoretical advancement of Jewish studies. The ongoing discussion on religion and change within the study of religions in general and Jewish studies in particular is outlined and structured around three 'turns' identified in the re search on vernacular religiosity. To exemplify these theoretical and methodological considerations, a recently initiated research project focusing on vernacular Judaism in Finland is presented. This project seeks to examine central ideas of boundaries as they are negotiated and interpreted among Finnish Jewry, to compare the emerging patterns with Nordic counterparts and thus contribute to a more nuanced perception of Jewish identities in these contexts. The article concludes with a discussion on the advances of such an approach, pointing to the relative novelty of research into vernacular religion within Jewish studies and the exceptionality of the Finnish Jewish context.

Yidishe tates forming Jewish families

“…After 1977, the conversion rates of adults in the local congregations started to increase, and today, conversionary inmarriages 11 are very frequent in the local congregations (Czim balmos 2020b). Over recent decades, the congregational membership has changed signi ficantly, and the rapid globalisation of Finnish society has affected the Jewish communities as well (Weintraub 2017;Illman 2019). There is a high number of female con verts in the congregations -especially the Jew ish Community of Helsinki -making the conversions a gendered phenomenon, par tially because of the issue of matrilineal versus patrilineal descent, which I have already elaborated on in two earlier contributions (Czimbalmos 2020a(Czimbalmos , 2020b.…”

The making of Jewish authenticity: The hybrid discourse of authenticity of New Age Judaism and the complexities of religious individualization

“…The NAJ, a specific subculture within the wider New Age culture, embraces these features and simultaneously adapts them to its needs. As such it is a radical Jewish illustration of both the consumerization of Jewish life (Niculesco, 2013) and the "subjective turn" which has brought about the rejection of external authority: rabbinic and halachic (legal), and with it, the turn toward the self (Cohen and Eisen, 2000;Illman, 2019). The current scholarship on Jewish identity and religion and Jewish spirituality illuminates the individualization of Jewish life, identity, and religion (Cadge and Davidman, 2006;Kelman et al, 2017).…”

“…The current scholarship on Jewish identity and religion and Jewish spirituality illuminates the individualization of Jewish life, identity, and religion (Cadge and Davidman, 2006;Kelman et al, 2017). These studies underscore the turn to individualized modes of Jewish worship which allow each Jew to interpret and mold their own Judaism to suit their personal needs (Cohen and Eisen, 2000;Illman, 2019). According to Cohen and Eisen, even mainstream Jews today adopt a "pick-and-choose" approach whereby "the only criterion governing the selection is what is meaningful to the self" (Cohen and Eisen, 2000: 193).…”

“…The efforts of the NAJ participants at bringing about a Jewish spiritual renewal by picking and mixing traditional Jewish resources and New Age techniques reflect current two orientations in Jewish life: the "subjective turn," noted by Cohen and Eisen (2000) and the "turn to tradition" (Illman, 2019;Kelman et al, 2017). These two directions may seem contradictory.…”

“…These two directions may seem contradictory. The subjective turn directs the individual inward-to reflect over and to find personal meanings in his religious practice by paying attention to its emotional and embodied dimensions; to focus on the authentic self and its expression; and to form highly individualized forms of worship by revising the Jewish tradition (Illman, 2019). The second is directed outward, to the Jewish tradition, understood broadly, in order to form meaningful practices and ways of relating to one's Jewish identity (Kelman et al, 2017).…”