Women, Religion, and Modernization: Tradition and Transformation among Elderly Jews in Israel

Modernization affects the religious lives of women in diverse and dramatic ways. On the one hand, women may find increased arenas for religious involvement, both inside and outside of traditional religious frameworks. Simultaneously, women's rituals and beliefs are often especially vulnerable to attacks from the forces of modernization. This paper focuses on the experience of elderly Jewish women of Asian origin who now live in modern Israel. The author suggests that the very nature of women's religion—domestic, personal, hidden, and flexible—explains its tenacity and creativity in the face of modernization. These findings are examined within a broad, cross-cultural context.