Resources by Umansky, Ellen M.

Umansky analyzes the evolution of Rabbi Alfred Moses’s teachings identified as Jewish Science, as found in his two books responding to the early twentieth-century exodus of Jews to Christian Science. His first book specifically contrasts Christian Science with Jewish Science. Seeking a practical faith as a counter to Christian Science, the second book is influenced by both psychology and New Thought.

Umansky studies the history of Jewish Science—a movement that arose to counter the estimated tens of thousands of Jews (a majority women) attracted to Christian Science in the late 19th and early 20th century. These Jews had been attracted to Christian Science’s promise of health and healing. Umansky also examines the Christian Science theology that resonated with Jewish beliefs.