Who's Who in Outreach : David Arnow
A clinical psychologist by training, I have been a member
of JOI's faculty for two years. My workshops at JOI provide
those engaged in outreach with a deeper understanding
of the processes contributing to Jewish identity formation
throughout the life cycle and a broad conceptual context
within which to understand their work. One workshop, for
example, explores trends in inter-religious and inter-ethnic
intermarriage in contemporary American society. A clearer
sense of the magnitude of thse trends makes it easier
to move beyond "blaming" Jewish institutions, the intermarried,
or their parents! The extent to which intermarriage has
already become a norm within the broader society both
strengthens the case of outreach and underscores the fact
that mediocre programming in this area is hardly likely
to have much impact.
Another workshop addresses emerging conflicts between
the Jewish community's traditional approach to church-state
relations and the challengers of the continuity agenda.
And a third session focuses on integrating religion
and counseling, a subject in which most mental health
workers have had too little formal training. It turns
out among Freud's least helpful legacies to the mental
health field was a distinctly negative view toward religion,
a view that made it difficult for many clinicans to
work successfully with religious issues in the treatment
situation. The work of psychoanalysts such as D.W. Winnicott
and H. Kohut suggests that far from curing people
of religion, the clinician would do better to view religion
as a resource for healthy, creative living.
In addition to my work at JOI, I speak and write about
issues of Jewish concern, I serve as a vice president
at NY UJA-Federation, am active in the New Israel Fund,
and have been a long-time participant in Jewish-Christian
dialogue.
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