Responding to and Emerging from Crisis

Contemporary Jewry is soliciting papers for a special issue entitled Responding to and Emerging from Crisis. As its etymological origins suggest, crisis is a decisive or critical point when change becomes possible, when events may take a substantially different turn, when distinguishing and making sense become possible. Whether in response to contemporary events or those deeper in the past, we invite scholars of Jewry to dwell upon the subject of emerging from crisis and life in the aftermath.

This collection has a separate section “Meron” Symposium, edited by Prof. Dikla Yogev and Prof. Nomi Levenkron.

Examples of possible topics include:

What lessons have Jewish communities learned from the pandemic, in terms of the efficacy of on-line programming, asynchronous content dissemination and the ongoing relevance of remote communal activities in the post-pandemic world?

What does mental wellness look like in Jewish communities? Is Jewish mental health gendered? Which are our vulnerable sub-groups and how can we best support them as we emerge from a global pandemic?

Can it be said that survivors of the Shoah, their direct descendants—and world Jewry—will ever emerge from the Shoah?

What is the nature of the experience of agunot and agunim (lit. chained ones, those whose spouses refuse to divorce them by Jewish law)?

How do victims, communities, and organizations emerge from the crisis of sexual, physical and emotional abuse allegations? What does healing, advocacy and support look like? What do victims want from their communities or organizations, why does that matter and is that currently happening?

For those raised Orthodox who later in life identify as OTD (Off the Derech , or formerly Orthodox), what does that process of life change involve? Is this transformation a form of crisis?

The sociology of religion has identified faith, community and belonging as protective against the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune. What does Jewish coping and support look like?

We welcome both professional and personal perspectives on this issue (and their intersections). Both longer and shorter pieces are welcome. Abstracts may be submitted earlier for feedback but are not required.

Manuscripts should be submitted through Editorial Manager®. When submitting the paper, please choose the option “SI: Responding to and Emerging from Crisis” as the article type.

Papers should be written in English and include a short abstract and four to six keywords. Submissions must be suitable for double-blind review. For details on the review process, see Peer Review Policy, Process and Guidance and Peer-Reviewer Selection. Please follow the journal’s Submission Guidelines to Authors.

The target date for submission is April 1 2024

This Special issue/Collection will bring higher citations and visibility to your paper rather than regular papers and attract more relevant readership due to its scope. The journal currently has a CiteScore of 0.8.

Address all inquiries to

Harriet Hartman, Editor-in-Chief, Contemporary Jewry, Harriet Hartman

Adina Bankier-Karp, Associate Editor, Contemporary Jewry, Adina Bankier-Karp