This article explores gender differences in the religious experiences of 416 Jewish emerging adults . Prior research has indicated that women are more religious than men cross-culturally. The purpose of this study was to investigate if such gender differences remain applicable to Jewish-American emerging adults given both the changing role of women in society and emerging adults’ prolonged search for identity. Findings reveal that most gender differences in the religious values and experiences of Jewish-American emerging adults are statistically insignificant and (...) when significant, are specific to subgroup. Furthermore, it was found that gender analyses of composite scores do not necessarily accurately report the presence or lack thereof of gender differences in religious development. It is therefore suggested that future research may benefit from the analysis of individual religious items and that efforts be made to explore within-group and between-group differences. (shrink)

The purpose of this essay is to show how, on a wide variety of issues, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein broke new ground with the established Orthodox rabbinic consensus and blazed a new trail in Jewish medical ethics. Rabbi Feinstein took power away from the rabbis and let patients decide their treatment, he opened the door for a Jewish approach to palliative care, he supported the use of new technologies to aid in reproduction, he endorsed altruistic living organ donation and recognized brain (...) death (thus laying the groundwork for Orthodox Jewish acceptance of heart transplantation), he downplayed the value of social worth in triage decisions, and was a fierce defender of the rights of the fetus. I develop broader theological principles from Rabbi Feinstein's ethical positions and compare them to those of his Jewish and Christian contemporaries. (shrink)