Jewish Elderly in the English-Speaking Countries

Jewish elderly are among the most diverse and culturally heterogeneous people belonging to the aged population anywhere. Their great diversity and conflicting approaches to subjects affecting their health and well-being are familiar problems in services development, in social policy, and in services delivery. At the same time, this diversity is a source of fascination for practitioners, policy makers, leaders of religious and secular institutions, and scholars in gerontology and ethnicity. Ideas about serving the needs of this segment of society are eagerly sought by both the lay and the professional communities. This is the first annotated bibliography to deal with the approximately one million Jewish elderly in the English-speaking countries and Israel, and it offers the reader an up-to-date survey of published material. Covering the latest findings from gerontological research, the book addresses outstanding issues in health and welfare, mental health, and support systems utilization, and provides a comprehensive treatment of the characteristics, traditions, customs, languages, organization, and historical backgrounds relating to the Jewish aged. Jewish Elderly in the English-Speaking Countries encompasses many of the aspects of living in different cultural environments, and identifies a wealth of information on demographics, immigration and settlement, out-migration and relocation, adjustment to changing environments, political participation, attitudes and values, and methods of intervention on behalf of Jewish aged. This exhaustive study will be immensely useful to gerontologists engaged in cross-cultural research, and it will serve as a valuable guide to Jewish religious and charity leaders, senior citizen community centers, sociologists, anthropologists, and practitioners in all areas of human development.