Judaism - Cross-Cultural Nursing Database

Food culture taboos, etc.

• Animals that ruminate and have split hooves (e.g., cattle, goats, sheep, deer) are permitted, but camels, pigs, hares, raccoons, and shrews are prohibited.
• Fish with fins and scales are permitted, but all other aquatic animals (eels, shellfish, shrimp, etc.) are prohibited.
• Meat is processed in a unique way.
• It is forbidden to cook and eat meat and milk together. It is also forbidden to cook and eat fish and meat together for health reasons. Animal by-products such as milk and eggs are also permitted for human consumption, but only if they come from permitted animals. The only exception is honey.
• Since it is also forbidden to eat insects and larvae, vegetables and fruits that may have these attached to them must be thoroughly examined and washed before being consumed.
• In addition to this, there are common prohibitions regarding mixing different species of seeds, sowing grain seeds in vineyards, and grafting different species of trees.

(Jews: Their Faith and Their Lives, by Alan Unterman, translated by Koichiro Ishikawa and Yutaka Ichikawa, 1983, published by Chikuma Shobo Co.)

Other customs and culture

The Sabbath is the most important day in the Jewish calendar. In Judaism, the Sabbath is a memorial day to remember that God created the heavens and the earth, that God saved the history of the Jewish people, and that the Jewish people are God's people. Since no labor is allowed on the Sabbath, strict Jews prepare their meals before sundown on Friday and do not cook on Saturday, the Sabbath day. (Wikipedia: Sabbath)

Customs related to childcare

• Circumcision is performed on an eight-day-old boy to remove the foreskin of the glans. This is said to teach that man must perfect himself, that he must serve God through every organ of his body, that he must not be content with his natural state, and that he must keep himself pure so that he will not be tainted by the corrupt environment. It is seen as an atonement for Adam's sin, a sign of Israel's transcendence over nature, and an emblem of Jewish election.
• It is believed that children should be taught the chapters and verses of the Bible beginning at the age of three, when they begin to speak.
• Until the age of three, boys are allowed to play around without regard to gender, but from the age of three, boys are required to have their hair cut, begin wearing tasseled inner garments, and wear a round cap on their heads. Girls are not required to make any particular ceremonial distinctions for their future role as Jewish women, but from this age onward, they are considered women sexually.
  (Jews: Their Faith and Their Lives, by Alan Unterman, translated by Koichiro Ishikawa and Yutaka Ichikawa, 1983, published by Chikuma Shobo Co.)
• They should be breastfed for at least 24 months.
  ("The Culture and Truth of Breastfeeding" by Naomi Pommeslag, Dia L. Mitchells, published by Medica Publishing in 2003)

Customs related to end of life, funerals and burials

• There is no sacrament to be performed on a dying person. However, those who are around to care for him tell him that there are many people who have confessed their sins and continue to live, and that, in any case, confession of sins is a guarantee of reward in the world to come, and they ask him if he has any sins to confess.
• It is also considered a duty to accompany the dying person so that he or she does not die alone. At the time of death, those present tear off their clothes, accept the righteousness of God's judgment, and pray, "Blessed be the true judgment. Any and all water that is around it must be drained from its vessel. For it is believed that the angel of death defiles it, and that drinking it brings danger.
• Once death is confirmed, preparations for the funeral must be made immediately, since it is forbidden to delay the burial. A white linen cloth is prepared, the body is thoroughly wiped clean, and sprinkled with the religiously prescribed amount of water. Then the body is anointed with perfumed oil.
• Orthodox Jews do not practice cremation, but Reform Judaism is not opposed to it.
• Close relatives mourn for their relatives. The duration and extent of mourning depends on the depth of one's relationship to the deceased, with mourning for one's parents being the most severe. From the time of death, mourners are called neon, and may not eat meat or drink wine, and may not perform any of the usual Jewish religious rites.
• For seven days after the burial ceremony, the bereaved family is in a state of complete mourning. They stay in their homes and pray there. They wear a ripped robe, sit on a low chair, do not shave their heads, do not shave their beards, and do not wear leather shoes. During this period, the bereaved are forbidden to have sex, wash, work, study Torah, or listen to or enjoy music, but they may leave their homes and participate in synagogue services only on Shabbat, when mourning is prohibited in public.
• Relatives, friends, and neighbors gather at the mourner's home to join in prayer and comfort the bereaved family. After this period, the mourners enter a period of anti-mourning that lasts until the 30th day counting from the funeral. During this period, the bereaved do not shave their heads, do not wear new clothes, and do not sit in their regular synagogues, regardless of the celebration. They are allowed to return to work and resume their social life. Mourning for the death of a spouse, child, or sibling ends at the end of this period, but in the case of the death of a parent, mourning continues for a full year. However, if the hair on the head becomes unsightly, it may be trimmed after two to three months.

(Many of the regulations governing mourning, which can be quite restrictive on the economic and social life of the bereaved, are not followed except by those who adhere to the tradition. The duration of Reform Jewish mourning is usually reduced and the content is usually lessened.)
(Jews: Their Faith and Their Lives, by Alan Unterman, translated by Koichiro Ishikawa and Yutaka Ichikawa, 1983, published by Chikuma Shobo Co.)

Other customs and culture

The Sabbath is the most important day in the Jewish calendar. In Judaism, the Sabbath is a memorial day to remember that God created the heavens and the earth, that God saved the history of the Jewish people, and that the Jewish people are God's people. Because labor is not permitted on the Sabbath, strict Jews prepare their meals before sundown on Friday and do not cook on Saturday, the Sabbath day.
(Wikipedia: Sabbath)