Resource Tag: JUDAISM

This article consists of portions of an incomplete manuscript & references for further exploration on the problem of assisted suicide & euthanasia in a Jewish context. Topics addressed include suffering; suicide & murder in the Jewish tradition; patient’s rights & living wills; the definition of “being alive”; & duties regarding medical & general ethics.

The author reviews “A Philosophy of Hope: an Antidote to the Suicidal Pathology of Western Civilization,” by K Kaplan & M Schwartz, in which they attempt to trace the Greco-Roman view of death by suicide, & argue that the Jewish Biblical world view offers a solution for suicide prevention. The current author finds that regardless […]

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For commentary on this article by K Biller, J I Levinson, & T Pytell, please see SIEC #2005-0331

This article presents a religious perspective to the legalization of euthanasia. Transcendantal ethics, types of euthanasia, the notion of exceptional case euthanasia, & physician participation issues are discussed. The author notes that judeo-christian beliefs oppose euthanasia. (7 refs) (SC)

This article reviews research on the psychopathology of Jewish people. The discussion presented is divided into 3 parts: prevalence of mental illnesses in this population; clinical research comparing prevalence among Jewish & non-Jewish populations; & prevalence of deviances such as alcoholism, drug abuse & suicide. The author notes that Durkheim’s research on the low rate […]

This article presents the findings of a study on the impact of parental suicide on surviving children in Israel. It was found that survivors strive to overcome the lasting effects of parental suicide by regaining control over their lives as adults. It was found that the manner in which suicide is perceived by its survivors […]

Data on suicidal behaviour among the Jews confined by the Nazis in the Lodz Ghetto in 1941 & 1942 are reported. The suicide rate was extremely high, increasing from 21.6 per 100,000 per year in 1941 to 84.6 in 1942. The epidemiology of suicide in the Lodz Ghetto is described, including a spring peak & […]

This study attempts to shed light on the hitherto largely neglected subject of Jewish suicide in the years 1933-1945, during which time the suicide rate of German Jews rose to such heights as to take on the character of a mass phenomenon. The concern of this study is not to test the validity of current […]

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This article is an English translation. The original Spanish text is also available.

The attitudes of Reform Judaism & Orthodox Judaism towards suicide are compared in this brief article. In Reform Judaism, suicides are considered as not having been capable of understanding their own actions. All burial rites & mourning customs are therefore observed. In Orthodox Judaism, suicide is still considered a sin & victims are not given […]

Graeco-Roman, Biblical & post-Biblical views on suicide were studied in order to connect the influence of these civilizations to modern thought. The book is in 4 sections: the problem of suicide, individual case studies, family influences & the prevention of suicide. In each of the first 3 sections, the issue of suicide is discussed in […]

Kushner, a rabbi, wrote this book a few years after the death of his son. He wrote for people who still wanted to believe in God after being hurt by life but whose anger made it difficult for them to hold onto their faith & be comforted by religion. Some of the chapters in this […]

This book review is of A. Droge et. al. “A Noble Death: Suicide and Martyrdom Among Christians and Jews in Antiquity.” The reviewer finds the book to be a compelling and incisive attitiudnal study of the concept of voluntary death from ancient times to contemporary issues.

Letter to the editor.

This chapter presents a crisis intervention model developed in Jewish schools which can be modified & used in most religious settings. A crisis is seen as a “teachable moment” & students can learn how to use ritual, prayer, community, & faith to wrestle with life’s crisis. Religious tradition offers a variety of responses to crisis: […]

The author discusses the attitudes toward suicide in the Christian & Jewish religions. Using evidence from the Bible & the Talmud, & Christian & Hebrew practices, it is shown how responses to people who attempted or completed suicide have changed significantly over time. For example, in the Christian church of the first & second centuries, […]