Jewish Participants Research Articles

Factors associated with major adverse cardiovascular events among Arabs and Jews in Israel: a population-based cohort study

Abstract Introduction Arabs in Israel are at higher risk of cardiovascular mortality; however, there are no data on factors associated with disparities in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) incidence among Arabs and Jews. Purpose To study factors associated with MACE incidence among Arabs and Jews in Israel. Materials and Methods This is a cohort study carried out in urban localities of Hadera District in Israel. The study sample included 1,100 participants, stratified in equal numbers by ethnicity (Arab and Jewish), sex, and five 10-year age group (mean age: 51 years, range: 26-77). Data collected via in-person interviews conducted between 2001-2006 included socio-demographic characteristics and health-related behaviors (smoking, physical activity, and diet). Data on baseline diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease were collected from interviews and participants' health records. Information on MACE occurring during follow-up was determined based on hospital discharge diagnoses, recorded in the Israel Ministry of Health hospital admission database. MACE was defined as an acute coronary, cerebrovascular or peripheral artery event, or invasive procedure for its treatment. Factors associated with the time to first MACE were tested in Cox proportional hazards models. Sensitivity analysis included death from any cause as a competing risk, using Fine and Gray’s model. Results During a median follow-up period of 20 years, there were 221 first MACE during follow-up; 91 among Jewish participants and 130 among Arab participants, hazard ratio (HR) Arab vs. Jewish: 1.59; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22, 2.09, adjusted for age and sex. Arab ethnicity was no longer significantly associated with MACE, following further adjustment for years of education; HR: 1.32; 95%CI 0.95, 1.84. The HR (95%CI) associated with ethnicity after additional adjustment for health-related behaviors, body weight and baseline chronic morbidity was 1.02 (95%CI: 0.73, 1.42). A subgroup analysis among 950 participants, who did not have a baseline diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, produced similar results. These participants experience 147 first MACE during follow-up. The age and sex-adjusted HR (95%CI) associated with Arab ethnicity was 1.72 (1.23, 2.40), compared to 1.08 (0.72, 1.64) in a fully adjusted model. Competing risk analysis did not materially change these results. Conclusions Arabs in Israel are at higher risk for MACE. Lower socioeconomic position and higher prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors may explain the excess risk of MACE among Arabs. Improving cardiovascular health among Arabs should consider social determinants of health and cultural aspects.

From the lab to the field and back: the effects of need satisfaction on reconciliation among Germans and Israelis.

Previous lab experiments supported the needs-based model of reconciliation, which posits that discussing historical transgressions enhances the need for acceptance in groups perceived as perpetrators and empowerment in groups perceived as victims. Addressing these needs (e.g., through accepting or empowering messages from outgroup members) increases willingness to reconcile. This study tests this model in a real-world settings. Study 1 examined 143 German and Israeli Jewish participants from youth exchange programs, measuring their feelings of acceptance/empowerment, program satisfaction, outgroup attitudes, and keeping in touch with outgroup members. Study 2 examined 293 Israeli Jews, manipulating the salience of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in a pre-registered laboratory experiment and measuring responses to accepting versus empowering messages from Germans. As expected, Study 1 (N =143) found Germans' feelings of acceptance were linked to program satisfaction, positive outgroup attitudes, and keeping in touch. For Israeli Jews, feelings of empowerment were linked to satisfaction and positive attitudes, but keeping in touch was unexpectedly linked to acceptance. This unexpected effect maybe because keeping in touch is done mainly through social networks that focus on the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, often with a focus on Israel's transgressions against Palestinians. Consistent with this explanation, Study 2 (N=293, pre-registered) showed that Israeli Jews viewed accepting messages from Germans as more conciliatory when presented with transgressions against Palestinians, and empowering messages as more effective when presented with reminders of historical victimization by Nazis. The findings from Study 1 partially support the needs-based model of reconciliation and additionally suggest that reconciliation needs vary with context. Implications for people-to-people peace-building interventions are discussed.

The impact of 24/7 news coverage on the mental health of Israelis in the 'Iron Swords' War: A cross-sectional analysis among television audience.

This study aims to assess the impact of continuous 24/7 news broadcasting on the mental well-being of Jewish Israelis during the 'Iron Swords' War and compare it to findings from the 2014 Conflict. An internet-based cross-sectional panel survey was conducted on 11-12 October 2023, during the 'Iron Swords' War. The study focused on Israel's adult Jewish population, enabling comparisons with a previous 2014 study. Participants reported news consumption changes, attitudes towards newscasts (burdensome, relaxing, stressful, addictive, Fear Of Missing Out [FOMO], avoidance), opinions on 24/7 news, and anxiety symptoms. Among 802 adult Jewish participants in Israel, 83.8% increased news consumption. While more than 70% of respondents found the newscast stressing at least a medium level, more than 40% said they do not try to avoid them at all. Nearly 24% found it much addictive. Women and younger individuals reported more FOMO, stress, and addiction. More than 70% reported experiencing at least one anxiety symptom, and 21% of all four. Linear regression explained 42.9% of the variance of reported anxiety, with gender, age, news stress, addiction, and FOMO as predictors. The current study results show an increase in all measurements compared to a separate study conducted using the same tools in 2014. Jewish Israelis struggled with news consumption during the recent war, harming mental health. Heightened anxiety was observed, compared to 2014, and affected all demographics.

Plasma proteomic profile of abdominal obesity in older adults.

This study examines the plasma proteomic profile of abdominal obesity in older adults. The association of abdominal obesity (waist circumference [WC]) with 4265 plasma proteins identified using the SomaScan Assay was examined in 969 Ashkenazi Jewish participants (LonGenity cohort), aged 65 years and older (mean [SD] age 75.7 [6.7] years, 55.4% women), using regression models. Pathway analysis, as well as weighted correlation network analysis, was performed. WC was determined from the proteome using elastic net regression. A total of 480 out of 4265 proteins were associated with WC in the linear regression model. Leptin (β [SE] = 12.363 [0.490]), inhibin β C chain (INHBC; β [SE] = 24.324 [1.448]), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2; β [SE] = -12.782 [0.841]), heparan-sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase 3 (H6ST3; β [SE] = -39.995 [2.729]), and matrix-remodeling-associated protein 8 (MXRA8; β [SE] = -27.101 [1.850]) were the top proteins associated with WC. Cell adhesion, extracellular matrix remodeling, and IGF transport pathways were the top enriched pathways associated with WC. WC signature determined from plasma proteins was highly correlated with measured WC (r = 0.80) and was associated with various metabolic and physical traits. The study unveiled a multifaceted plasma proteomic profile of abdominal obesity in older adults, offering insights into its wide-ranging impact on the proteome. It also elucidated novel proteins, clusters of correlated proteins, and pathways that are intricately associated with abdominal obesity.

PTSD and public stigma: Examining the relationship between public stigmas attached to PTSD and self-esteem, spirituality, and well-being.

The main goal of the present study was to examine the association between personal characteristics and public stigma toward posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) survivors. Two hundred and ninety (N = 290) Israeli participants completed a survey that included demographic, self-esteem, spirituality, well-being, and stigma questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, correlations, linear regressions, and structural-equation modeling were conducted in order to examine the study model and hypotheses. The study findings demonstrate that self-esteem is associated with higher levels of belief that mental-health professionals can provide effective treatment for PTSD survivors, that survivors can recover and maintain normal relationships, and that survivors are not inclined to neglect their appearance and feel comfortable and calm with PTSD survivors. Spirituality is associated with a belief in professionals' ability to effectively treat PTSD and lower levels of belief that survivors are easily noticeable. Well-being is associated with a belief that survivors are careless with their hygiene and feel anxious around PTSD survivors. Muslim participants were more likely than Jewish participants to believe that survivors can fully recover, are careless with their hygiene, and that it is relatively easy to spot survivors. They were also more likely to feel anxious around survivors. Acquaintance with a PTSD survivor was associated with lower levels of belief that it would be difficult to maintain a relationship with a survivor and a stronger belief that survivors are relatively easy to spot. These findings make an important contribution to our understanding of the relationship between personal characteristics and the public stigmas attached to PTSD survivors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Negotiating Transnational Belonging: Post-WWII Migration as Life Experience and Collective Memory

AbstractThis article explores the subjective experience of nationality and (trans)national belonging based on biographical interviews with two groups of Jewish participants born in Bulgaria before the Second World War, and residing in Bulgaria and in Israel, respectively. I focus on their retrospective accounts of the mass exodus to Israel in 1948–1949 and the maintenance of transnational family and kinship ties thereafter, during the Cold War. The comparison brings into relief the challenges of their integration into the respective national contexts, and the ways in which the memory cultures in the two countries have molded biographical reminiscences. I argue that despite these differences, a unique case of a transnational generation is at hand, formed by their past experiences as well as by the re-negotiation of these experiences, which was made possible from the 1990s on.

The impact of conspiracy beliefs on a targeted group: Perceived popularity of Jewish-targeted conspiracy beliefs elicits outgroup avoidant behaviours.

In three studies with Jewish participants, we explored the consequences of intergroup conspiracy theories on those targeted. In Study 1 (N = 250), perceived Jewish conspiracy theory popularity was positively associated with intergroup threat and negatively associated with the closeness of contact with non-Jewish people. Study 2 (n = 194) employed an experimental design where Jewish participants were exposed to the idea that many (vs. few) non-Jewish people believe in Jewish conspiracy theories. A path model demonstrated that exposure to the many (vs. few) manipulation increased intergroup threat, which was then positively associated with emotional reactions. Intergroup anxiety and ingroup anger were then positively associated with avoidance, whilst ingroup anxiety was positively associated with approach tendencies. Study 3 (n = 201) used the same experimental design, and a path model revealed that conspiracy popularity increased intergroup threat, which, in turn, was positively associated with ingroup anger and anxiety. Ingroup anxiety was then associated with intentions to help ingroup members. Notably, conspiracy popularity rendered participants less likely to interact with a non-Jewish partner in a behavioural task. Our work provides evidence that conspiracy beliefs, especially when perceived to be widely held, are likely to significantly impact targeted ingroup members.

Factors associated with attempting and succeeding in smoking cessation following a National Tobacco Control Plan: Analysis of two nationwide surveys (2010 and 2017)

IntroductionLower rates of smoking cessation among disadvantaged groups contribute to widening health-disparities. With this recognition, in 2010 free-of-charge/subsidized smoking cessation services became available to all Israeli residents through the not-for-profit health plans. MethodsBased on two cross-sectional National Social Surveys, data on adult ever-smokers were used (n = 2,998 in 2010 and 2,859 in 2017). The outcome variable comprised three categories: no quit attempt, unsuccessful quit attempt and successful quit attempt. Changes over-time and demographic, socioeconomic, health- and smoking-related factors associated with quitting attempts and success were tested in the pooled sample, using multivariable multinomial logistic regression models. ResultsThe pooled sample of the two surveys included 2,611 participants (44.2%) who were successful quitters, 1,941 (32.7%) who reported an unsuccessful quit attempt, and 1,305 (23.1%) smokers who did not attempt to quit. Compared to 2010, ever-smokers in 2017 were less likely to report an unsuccessful quit attempt (adjusted OR = 0.81, 95%CI: 0.70–0.94). The likelihood of successfully quitting was similar in both surveys. Older age and self-reported health problem were associated with higher likelihood of quitting attempt. Meeting living expenses, being overweight/obese, engaging in physical activity and heavy smoking were associated with higher likelihood of successful smoking cessation; while environmental tobacco exposure was associated with 43% lower likelihood of successful cessation. Finally, there was an interaction between education and ethnicity. Higher education level was associated with a greater likelihood both to attempt to quit smoking and to succeed among Jewish participants, while the opposite phenomenon was observed among Arab smokers. ConclusionsDespite the availability of subsidized smoking cessation services, social disparities in smoking cessation rates persist. Efforts should focus on proactively reaching subpopulations with low cessation rates, using tailored strategies for successful smoking cessation. Promoting smoke free homes and workplaces should be prioritized.

Examining Ethnic Disparities in Digital Healthcare Services Utilization: Insights from Israel.

The purpose of this study was to examine ethnic disparities in the utilization of digital healthcare services (DHS) in Israel and explore the characteristics and factors influencing DHS use among the Arab minority and Jewish majority populations. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed to collect data from 606 Israeli participants, 445 Jews, and 161 Arabs. Participants completed a digital questionnaire that assessed DHS utilization, digital health literacy, attitudes towards DHS, and demographic variables. The findings reveal significant disparities in DHS utilization and attitudes between these ethnic groups, with Jewish participants demonstrating higher rates of utilization and positive attitudes toward DHS. The study also explores the predictive role of digital health literacy and attitudes in DHS use while considering ethnicity as a potential moderator. Significant predicting factors related to DHS utilization among Jews include positive attitudes and high health literacy. Among the Arabs, only attitudes towards DHS significantly predict the extent of DHS use. Digital health literacy affects the extent of use through attitudes at the two groups of the moderator significantly, but it is stronger among the Arab group. To improve healthcare outcomes and reduce disparities, efforts should focus on ensuring equitable access to DHS for the Arab minority population. Targeted interventions, including digital literacy education, removing technology access barriers, offering services in Arabic, and collaborating with community organizations, can help bridge the gap and promote equal utilization of DHS.

Transgenerational Transmission of Privilege and Trauma: Locating Jewish Experience in Racial Reckoning within Psychoanalysis

In the context of psychoanalytic culture, the transgenerational transmission of trauma that marks Jewish experience is accompanied by a transgenerational transmission of privilege that inheres from the history and process of psychoanalysis itself. While all members of dialogues addressing racial reckoning are confronted simultaneously with multiple self-other configurations that may be consciously in conflict with each other and/or unconscious and dissociated, my sense that this seemingly discordant coupling of privilege and trauma with regard to Jewish experience generally remains unspoken, is sometimes disavowed, and often results in confusing interactions that stem from split off affect states. Analogous to the analytic situation, the aim of this article is to engage these dissociated, disavowed and/or conflicted parts, such that they become accessible not just to Jewish participants, but to all participants, thereby deepening mutual understanding and expanding self-awareness.

Fostering emotional intelligence and intergroup empathy: an intervention program for Jewish and Arab adolescents

ABSTRACT The current study examined a unique uninational intervention program, conducted separately for Jewish and Arab adolescents, with the aim of cultivating emotional intelligence skills and empathy. 287 adolescents aged 16–17 (115 Jews and 172 Arabs) participated in the program and the study to assess its initial effects. All participants completed self-administered questionnaires; the researcher conducted observations and focus groups. For the Arab participants, the findings showed an improvement in emotional intelligence, empathy towards Arabs and Jews, and relationships with Israeli Jews. Among the Jewish participants, although no statistically significant change in emotional intelligence was observed, there were positive changes in empathy, as well as relationships with Israeli Arabs. The degree of improvement was stronger among Arab participants.

Abstract P575: Self-Rated Health and Mortality in the Elderly: A Comparison Between Jewish and Arab Populations in Israel

Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) has been shown to predict morbidity and mortality across the lifespan. However, its predictive value might differ between populations, affected by socioeconomic and cultural factors. We investigated the association between SRH and mortality among the elderly population in Israel, comparing the Jewish and Arab ethnic groups. Methods: A prospective cohort study based on the first National Health and Nutrition Survey of Older Adults (“Mabat Zahav” 2005-2006, n=1761), consisting of Jewish (n=1463) and Arab (n=298) participants. SRH was measured on a 4-point scale. Mortality data were retrieved from the National Death Registry (through 2019). Survival analysis was performed using Cox regression models, adjusted for sociodemographic factors and comorbidity burden. Results: Mean age (SD) was 75 (±6) and 72 (±5) years in the Jewish (54% women) and Arab (50% women) groups, respectively. Jewish participants were more likely to rate their health as not good or poor than Arab participants (35% vs. 29% and 11% vs. 8%, respectively, P=0.01). During a median follow-up of 13 (IQR: 8-13) years, 896 deaths occurred, 152 in the Arab group. The age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for mortality in the Arab vs. Jewish participants was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.12-1.60). Mortality HRs associated with SRH by ethnicity are shown in the Table. A stepwise increase in the adjusted risk was observed with increasing SRH in both ethnic groups, with no interaction detected. Conclusions: Although Jewish participants had poorer SRH, their survival rate was higher than the Arab participants. Poor SRH was equally associated with higher mortality in both groups. Further research is warranted to understand better the factors influencing SRH gradings in Jewish vs. Arab older adults.

Does racism toward nurses increase as treatment invasiveness rises?

One of the unspoken issues in public discourse in most countries is the racism of patients toward nurses who originate from a different ethnic group than theirs. The aim of the present study is to examine whether patients' racism toward nurses increases as the invasiveness of treatment rises. This study was conducted in Israel, a highly conflictual society where Jews and Arabs live together and meet in the same health facilities. Despite the tension and sometimes animosity caused by the political situation, members of each group regularly encounter members of the other group during the provision of health-care, both as patients and as medical and nursing staff. A study questionnaire which presented nine nursing treatments of diverse levels of invasiveness was filled out by Arab and Jewish participants. They were asked to convey their preference for an Arab or a Jewish nurse for each treatment. Results of Logistic Regression Analyses reveal that in both sectors, racism toward nurses increases as the treatment invasiveness rises. These findings are discussed in light of the concept of social distance, and serve as an empirical basis for several proposed practical recommendations for eradicating racism against nurses.

Hate Crimes and the Safety Needs of Second and Third Generation Jewish Immigrants

There were many Jewish immigrants fled from different countries during World War II and migrated to the United States. They came from Poland, Russia, Cuba, Brazil, France, Syria, Israel, and other countries, hoping to find a more tolerant and secure place to raise their families. However, anti-Semitic violence and incidents have occurred over the years. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of the second and third-generation Jewish immigrants toward their views of anti-Semitic violence and discrimination and safety needs. Additionally, this research relied on Social Identity Theory to understand the causes of the conflicts among the different groups. The author used a quantitative methodology, the author will collect information on participants’ perceptions toward anti-Semitism and safety needs. This study gathered 300 participants of the second and third Jewish immigrant generations in Florida. The results indicated that over 64.7% of Jewish participants strongly agreed or agreed they were more worried about encountering anti-Semitism or discrimination in neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, or other places now than in the past ten years. Moreover, this study provided explicit recommendations for different groups dealing with anti-Semitism and discrimination.

Understanding Covenants and Communities: Jews and Latter-day Saints in Dialogue

Understanding Covenants and Communities: Jews and Latter-day Saints in Dialogue

Exceptional Whites, Bad Jews: Racial Subjectivity, Anti-Zionism, and the Jewish New Left

Abstract: It is often assumed that the 1967 Arab-Israeli War led to the "wholesale conversion of the Jews to Zionism," as Norman Podhoretz famously phrased it. This "conversion" is equally, if often less explicitly, said to coincide with the end of the era of Jewish marginality in the U.S. and West more broadly, as Jews of European descent were half-included, half-conscripted, into normative structures of whiteness, class ascension, and citizenship. While this epochal shift in Jewish racial formation and political allegiance is undeniable especially in the context of large Jewish secular and religious institutions, at the time this "conversion" was seen as anything but inevitable. Many Jewish liberals, including Irving Howe, Seymour Lipset, and Nathan Glazer, and reactionaries such as Meir Kahane, saw Jewish overrepresentation and hypervisibility in New Left organizations such as Students for a Democratic Society, the Youth International Party, and the Socialist Workers Party as a sign that Jewish youth rejected Zionism as well as the Jewish rise into the middle class. That retrospectively we see Jewish racial formation and political alignment after 1967 as a fait accompli often relies on the erasure not only of mass Jewish participation in the New Left, but also the erasure of the New Left's anti-imperialist political commitments, including critique of expansive Israeli militarism and the settler colonial assumptions underlying Zionism. Looking at memoirs, pamphlets, histories, and original interviews with Jewish participants in the New Left, this article excavates the political alignments of Jewish New Left activists, exploring opposition to the U.S.'s new support of the Israeli state as well as the changing Ashkenazi Jewish racial assignment. Rather than finding Third World and Black Power critiques of Israel antisemitic, it was precisely the Jewish New Left's politics of international and multiracial solidarity that encouraged their support for Black Power critiques of Zionism. In this way, Jewish members of the New Left also attempted to critically challenge their own whiteness, aligning support for Israel after 1967 with support for the racial and economic structures of militarism and capitalism at home.

Perceived partial social integration, levels of distress and resilience, and COVID-19 vaccine rejection of Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel.

The present study examines the role of perceived partial social integration (PPSI) in determining the rejection of the COVID-19 vaccine of Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. The research hypotheses are examined using a relatively large sample of the Israeli public, including 208 Arab and 600 Jewish adults, who have responded to an anonymous questionnaire pertaining, among other issues, to partial social integration and the individual level of vaccine uptake. Higher levels of PPSI were found to be associated with higher levels of vaccine rejection, in both Jewish and Arab samples. The Arab minority group regards themselves as less socially integrated into the Israeli society and therefore rejects the COVID-19 vaccine to a greater extent than the majority group. The Arab respondents expressed a higher level of psychological distress and a lower level of resilience compared with the Jewish participants. The perceived partial social integration score significantly predicted the levels of distress and resilience of the Jewish but not the Arab sample. The study indicates that increasing the vaccination rates depends more substantially on trust in the authorities than on leveraging greater pressure on individuals that reject the vaccine. Increased trust in the authorities and regarding oneself as an integral component of society are two vital conditions for vaccine acquiescence. Insufficient social integration is a major reason for vaccine rejection.

The Nun in the Synagogue: Judeocentric Catholicism in Israel - Emma O’Donnell Polyakov

Reviewed by: The Nun in the Synagogue: Judeocentric Catholicism in Israel by Emma O'Donnell Polyakov Elena Procario-Foley The Nun in the Synagogue: Judeocentric Catholicism in Israel. By Emma O'Donnell Polyakov. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2020. 242 pages. $30.00 (paper). In a public lecture at Iona College, a Catholic religious brother named Jack said, "when I am in Jerusalem, I am Jack, just Jack. Not a brother, not a former college president, I'm just Jack and some of the best times are simply going to my favorite café and we are all there—Muslim, Jewish, Christian—and maybe we can find each other over a cup of coffee; maybe we can contribute to peace." He then proceeded to lead a Jewish-Catholic text study at an American Catholic college for members of the local community. He employed the Jewish method of havruta. He was so excited to bring Jews and Catholics together over texts from the Torah. The text study may not have occurred in the same ways one might have expected in a synagogue or yeshiva, but Jack intended for Jews and Christians to learn from each other that night, and he especially wanted Christians to understand the text in its original Jewish context. Both Jewish and Catholic participants found the time together enlightening and constructive. Jack had studied Judaism for years; perhaps his commitment to living in Israel and to understanding the rich spirituality and history of Judaism contributed to the trust [End Page 406] the Jewish participants offered him during that evening havruta session. I experienced the gift of knowing Jack, who died well before Emma O'Donnell Polyakov began her research for The Nun in the Synagogue: Judeocentric Catholicism in Israel. I think Polyakov would agree that he belongs among the people she has identified as Judeocentric Catholics. I could not help but think of him as I read Polyakov's fascinating and cutting-edge study, and I was grateful for the opportunity to reflect anew on his life and contributions to Jewish-Catholic dialogue by placing him in the context of this "new phenomenon" of Judeocentric Catholicism. This new category of Christian practice, identified by Polyakov, is "characterized by the study of Jewish texts and traditions, by the contemplation of the theological relationships between Christianity and Judaism, and by practices of praying for the ongoing thriving of the Jewish people" (5). Despite the title of the book, Polyakov interviewed 80 women and men in vowed religious life living in Israel (ix). Not just cloistered nuns, the participants were monks, priests, and religious brothers and sisters in a variety of apostolic orders. She notes that of these mostly Catholic Christians, 25 exhibited the characteristics listed above that would identify them as Judeocentric Catholics (208, note 1). Additionally, her subjects were all from Europe or North America and had made a long-term commitment to living in Israel; they "engage deeply and intentionally with Judaism," and some maintain a Christocentric theology while others are pluralist (6). Her book is an ethnographic study based on these 25 interviews, but it is also "a book about people and about relationships" (8). The reader discovers, in the intensely personal reflections of the men and women Polyakov interviews, a "meditation on faith and identity" drawn from the "experiences of many who continually walk, in some form or another, along the border between Judaism and Christianity" (16). The Nun in the Synagogue is a remarkable work asking hard questions based on the lives of people who have chosen to step outside the mainstream of their religious tradition and the tradition [End Page 407] of their families. Polyakov has identified Judeocentric Catholicism as "a new religious and cultural phenomenon that has arisen from post-Holocaust reflection on the part of Christians and is characterized by developments of 'praying for the Jews'" (4–5). Even while recognizing the many efforts Christian denominations have made after the Shoah to eschew anti-Jewish theology, Polyakov wants to explore whether the new efforts to pray for the Jews can ever be free of supersessionist theology and conversionary intent. Polyakov is a very talented writer, adeptly, consistently, and seamlessly weaving insights...

The Use of Porcine-Derived Materials for Medical Purposes: What do Muslim and Jewish Individuals Know and Opine About It?

Porcine-derived medical products represent an effective solution for a wide range of human suffering, yet this may contradict Muslim and Jewish religious prohibitions against consuming pig. The present study evaluated the level to which Muslim and Jewish participants are knowledgeable about the conditions permitting porcine-based treatments and explored their attitudes toward the permissibility of these treatments. A questionnaire that presented fifteen medical uses of porcine-derived products was completed by 809 Muslims and 714 Jews. Neither Muslim nor Jewish participants are knowledgeable about the religious rulings of their religions which permit the use of pig for life saving. Participants of both groups objected to the view that porcine-derived materials should be permitted. The findings imply that the attitude toward porcine-derived materials for medical use is contingent upon the knowledge or lack thereof that individuals have regarding the permissibility of such use. We offer useful recommendations to improve the informed consent process before conducting porcine-based treatments.

Alzheimer's Disease Polygenic Risk Score Is Not Associated With Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

ObjectivesMultiple risk loci for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) have been identified. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a risk factor for cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We investigated the association of polygenic risk score (PRS) for LOAD with overall cognitive functioning and longitudinal decline, among older adults with T2D.MethodsThe study included 1046 Jewish participants from the Israel Diabetes and Cognitive Decline (IDCD) study, aged ≥ 65 years, diagnosed with T2D, and cognitively normal at baseline. The PRS included variants from 26 LOAD associated loci (at genome-wide significance level), and was calculated with and without APOE. Outcome measures, assessed in 18 months intervals, were global cognition and the specific domains of episodic memory, attention/working memory, executive functions, and language/semantic categorization. Random coefficient models were used for analysis, adjusting for demographic variables, T2D-related characteristics, and cardiovascular factors. Additionally, in a subsample of 202 individuals, we analyzed the association of PRS with the volumes of total gray matter, frontal lobe, hippocampus, amygdala, and white matter hyperintensities. Last, the association of PRS with amyloid beta (Aβ) burden was examined in 44 participants who underwent an 18F-flutemetamol PET scan.ResultsThe PRS was not significantly associated with overall functioning or decline in global cognition or any of the specific cognitive domains. Similarly, following correction for multiple testing, there was no association with Aβ burden and other brain imaging phenotypes.ConclusionOur results suggest that the cumulative effect of LOAD susceptibility loci is not associated with a greater rate of cognitive decline in older adults with T2D, and other pathways may underlie this link.