Voluntary work with sporting activities for Jewish children and teenagers: commitment to inclusiveness, Jewish identity, and a future Jewish life – an interview study

ABSTRACT

Membership in Jewish congregations seems to be declining and modern society has been described as a challenge to Jewishness and to the future for Jews as a people with shared characteristics and traditions. Activities for children and teenagers have gained increasing attention, since such activities might be a reassurance of a future Jewish life. To arrange such activities is, however, demanding and individuals who commit themselves to voluntary work are essential. In this study, six members of a Swedish Conservative congregation, who were committed to voluntary work with sporting activities for children and teenagers, were interviewed about the way in which they perceived their voluntary work. A thematic analysis was conducted. The volunteers concluded that everyone should feel included in the activities. They had a nuanced view of Jewish identity and also welcomed those who were not considered halakhically Jewish. Moreover, they wanted to support a positive Jewish identity in the new generation. Their work was perceived as meaningful even though they said that congregants who felt that the activities should adhere to Halakhah had criticized them. It is proposed that congregations should support voluntary workers and facilitate their efforts, otherwise experiences of misrecognition might evolve, experiences that are counterproductive for a vital congregational life.

KEYWORDS:

• Voluntary work
• children
• sporting activities
• inclusiveness
• Jewish identity
• community
• congregational life

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCiD

Elisabeth Punzi http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6440-8353

Josef Frischer http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5392-4392

Notes on contributors

Elisabeth Punzi is a licensed psychologist, PhD and a lecturer in the Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg. She teaches psychoanalytic theory, psychology of religion and qualitative research methods, and many other topics. Her research concerns clinical practice, the connection between psychoanalysis and Judaism and Jewish identity and congregational life.

Joseph Frischer is an organizational psychologist who holds a PhD in psychology. He is in private practice. His research concerns learning in higher education, specifically he investigates supervision of PhD students and the characteristics of successful supervision. Methodologically he is interested in action research.