Abstract
The chapter presents a contextual picture of death and bereavement from the perspective of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Israel. The role of biblical, historical, and political factors in contributing to death and bereavement among the various segments of the population is noted, while highlighting the intricacies of the cultural and religious traditions that promote resilience and healing. Culturally sensitive frameworks and interventions are recommended to promote the empowerment and integrity of Israel’s Jewish, Muslim, and Christian people.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abbott, D. A. (2009). Violent death: A qualitative study of Israeli and Palestinian families. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 14, 117–128. doi:10.1080/15325020802540462.
Ali, A. Y. (1989). The meaning of the Holy Qur’an (9th ed.). Beltsville, MD: Amana.
Al-Kenai, A., & Graham, J. R. (2000). Culturally sensitive social work practice with Arab clients in mental health settings. Health & Social Work, 25(1), 9–22.
Attic, T. (2000). Relearning the world: Making and finding meanings. In R. A. Niemeyer (Ed.), Meaning reconstruction and the experience of loss (pp. 33–53). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Awed, E. (1999). Between trauma and recovery: Some perspectives on Palestinian’s vulnerability and adaptation. In K. Nader, N. Dubrow, & B. H. Stem (Eds.), Honoring differences: Cultural issues in the treatment of trauma and loss (pp. 234–266). Philadelphia, PA: Brunner/Mazel.
Aziza, F., Ron, P., Shona, M., & Gemini, I. (2010). Death and dying anxiety among elderly Arab Muslims in Israel. Death Studies, 34(4), 351–364. doi:10.1080/07481181003613941.
Bachner, Y. G., O’Rourke, N., & Carmel, S. (2011). Fear of death, mortality communication, and psychological distress among secular and religiously observant family caregivers of terminal Cancer patients. Death Studies, 35(2), 163–187. doi:10.1080/07481187.2010.535390.
Baggerly, J., & Abugideiri, S. (2010). Grief counseling for Muslim preschool and elementary school children. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 38(2), 112–124.
Barakat, H. (1980). Contemporary Arab society. Beirut, Lebanon: Center of Arab Studies.
Bennet, A. (2006). Reincarnation, sect unity, and identity among the Druze. Ethnology, 45, 87–104.
Benore, E. R., & Park, C. L. (2004). Death-specific religious beliefs and bereavement: Belief in an afterlife and continued attachment. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 14, 1–22.
Blank, R. H. (2011). End-of-life decision making across cultures. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 39(2), 201–214.
Central Bureau of Statistics-Israel. (2013). Population, by religion. Retrieved on November 22, 2013 from http://www1.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_02&CYear=2013
Central Bureau of Statistics-Israeli. (2013). Press Release: 5th Independence Day-more than 8 million residents in the state of Israel. CBI. Retrieved November 22, 2013 from http://www1.cbs.gov.il/www/hodaot2013n/11_13_097e.pdf
Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). The world fact book: Israel. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/is.html
Cohen-Almagor, R. (2011). Fatal choices and flawed decisions at the end-of-life: Lessons from Israel. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 54(4), 578–594.
Dwairy, M. (2006). The psychosocial function of reincarnation among Druze in Israel. Culture, Medicine & Psychiatry, 30(1), 29–53. doi:10.1007/s11013-006-9007-1.
Faraj-Falah, J. (2009). Widows in Druze Society. Gender Issues, 26(3/4), 247–252. doi:10.1007/s12147-009-9079-7.
Ferziger, A. S. (2008). Religion for the secular: The new Israeli rabbinate. Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 7(1), 67–90. doi:10.1080/14725880701859928.
Gal, I. (2009). MDA launches ‘Ambulance for Wishes’ for terminally ill. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3792423,00.html
Glick, S. M. (1997). Unlimited human autonomy: A cultural bias? New England Journal of Medicine, 336, 954–956.
Hamdan, A. (2007). A case study of a Muslim client: Incorporating religious beliefs and practices. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 35(2), 92–100.
Hirschprung, M. (2012). Terminal stress: An analysis of Jewish and common law doctrines related to the effects of stress on seriously ill patients. Journal of Medicine & Law, 16(3), 401–428.
Kristensen, P., Weisæth, L., & Heir, T. (2012). Bereavement and mental health after sudden and violent losses: A review. Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes, 75(1), 76–97. doi:10.1521/psyc.2012.75.1.76.
Lebel, U. (2011). Militarism versus security? The double-bind of Israel’s culture of bereavement and hierarchy of sensitivity to loss. Mediterranean Politics, 16(3), 365–384. doi:10.1080/13629395.2011.61367.
Littlewood, R. (2001). Social institutions and psychological explanations: Druze reincarnation as a therapeutic resource. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 74(2), 213–222.
Lobra, S. L., Youngblut, J. M., & Brooten, D. (2006). Cross-cultural beliefs, ceremonies, and rituals surrounding death of a loved one. Pediatric Nursing, 32(1), 44–50.
Malkinson, R., & Bar-Tur, L. (1999). The aging of grief in Israel: A perspective of bereaved parents. Death Studies, 23(5), 413–431. doi:10.1080/074811899200939.
Philips, A. A. B. (2005). Funeral rites in Islam (2nd ed.). Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: International Islamic Publishing House.
Possick, C., Buchbinder, E., Etzion, L., Yehoshua-Halevi, A., Fishbein, S., & Nissim-Frankel, M. (2007). Reconstructing the loss: Hantzacha commemoration following the death of a spouse in a terror attack. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 12, 111–126. doi:10.1080/15325020600945947.
Ravitsky, V. (2005). Timers on ventilators. British Medical Journal, 330(7488), 415–417. doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7488.415.
Shalev, C. (2010). Reclaiming the patient’s voice and spirit in dying: An insight from Israel. Bioethics, 24(3), 134–144. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8519.2009.01790.x.
Smith, J. I., & Haddad, Y. Y. (2002). The Islamic understanding of death and resurrection. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Somer, E., Klein-Sela, C., & Or-Chen, K. (2011). Beliefs in reincarnation and the power of fate and their association with emotional outcomes among bereaved parents of fallen soldiers. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 16(5), 459–475. doi:10.1080/15325024.2011.575706.
Sprung, C. L. (2012). The Israeli Terminally Ill Patient Law: Medical ethics and the end of life (Power point & Audio Download). Oxford University Chabad Society, http://www.chabad.org
Sprung, C. L., Maia, P., Bulow, H. H., Ricou, B., Armaqanidis, A., Baras, M., et al. (2007). The importance of religious affiliation and culture on end-of-life decisions in European intensive care units. Intensive Care Medicine, 33(10), 1732–1739.
Stadler, N. (2006). Terror, corpse symbolism, and taboo violation: The ‘Haredi disaster victims identification team in Israel (Zaka). Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (N.S.), 12, 837–858.
Stadler, N., Ben Ari, E., & Mesterman, E. (2005). Terror, aid and organization: The Haredi disaster victim identification teams (‘ZAKA’) in Israel. The Anthropological Quarterly, 78, 619–651.
Ventura, J. (2012). Conflict and strife on the way to Gethsemane. Israel Affairs, 18(2), 234–249. doi:10.1080/13537121.2012.659078.
World Health Organization. (2002). 2nd ed. Geneva: World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/cancer
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Younes, M.N. (2015). Death and Bereavement in Israel: Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Perspectives. In: Cacciatore, J., DeFrain, J. (eds) The World of Bereavement. International and Cultural Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13945-6_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13945-6_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-13944-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-13945-6
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)