Forthcoming article on spiritual changes among rabbinical students since Oct. 7

A second study from a collaborative grant project between the Danielsen Institute and Hebrew College Rabbinical School has been accepted for publication in Pastoral Psychology. DI Academic Researcher and Staff Clinician, Dr. Judy Gerstenblith, and Boston University School of Theology doctoral student, Cantor Laura Stein, led the qualitative analysis of longitudinal data from students on spiritual struggles and changes with initial data collection in the fall 2023. DI collaborator from Bethel University, Dr. Peter Jankowski, added longitudinal analyses of quantitative data to highlight important connections between differentiation of self, intellectual humility, and declining spiritual struggles over time. This project fits into several lines of DI research and offers insights about poignant and complex processes of spiritual formation. The citation and abstract are below.

Gerstenblith, J.A., Stein, L.B., Sandage, S.J., Jankowski, P.J., Klein, D.S., & Tanchel, S. (in press). “Holding preciousness and brokenness”: Spiritual changes and struggles in rabbinical students during the Israel-Hamas war following October 7. Pastoral Psychology.

Abstract

Seminary students typically experience a range of spiritual formation processes, including struggles, deconstruction, and growth, shaped in part by cultural and sociopolitical contexts. Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023, we conducted a longitudinal, concurrent mixed-method study to investigate rabbinical students’ experiences during this grave historical moment. We qualitatively surveyed students about their experiences of spiritual change and struggle, using reflexive thematic analysis to code and interpret the data. In addition, we quantitatively tracked changes in their spiritual struggles over the academic year and explored the influence of intellectual humility and differentiation as protective factors using a latent growth model. As students contended with the implications of the war and considered their next steps as emerging Jewish leaders, they acknowledged a declining sense of relational safety, concerns about leading divided communities, and internal tension between identifying with and disconnecting from local and global Jewish communities. Despite these challenges, they skillfully held the dialectic of pain, grief, and existential fear with hope, adaptation, and accountability, with theological wrestling giving way to some meaningful shifts in spiritual beliefs and practices. Those with higher levels of regulatory strength, both in terms of differentiation and intellectual humility, reported lower initial spiritual struggles. Overall, spiritual struggles decreased throughout the year, alongside increased reflective capacity. Future research directions and practical implications for Jewish seminary education are discussed, including continued mixed-method approaches, further construct validation in Jewish samples, and intentional investment in tailored spiritual formation guidance for Jewish seminary students.