Sociologists, anthropologists, and aid workers often travel to remote and isolated regions of the world. In these places, there are often no synagogues or Chabad centers. Some countries, like Papua New Guinea, do not have even a single synagogue or Chabad center because they completely lack a permanent Jewish community.
As a person who studies sociology, I learn about many different religions and cultures. This made me wonder about the lives of frum Jewish people who enter these occupations. Unlike Christians, Jewish people cannot easily find places of worship in these remote regions to attend services at. While I do not know much about the Jewish faith, the complete lack of religious services must feel incredibly difficult for frum people to a much greater extent than Christians and Muslims would face.
In these regions, frum Jewish people cannot access kosher meat unless they personally slaughter kosher animals and remove the blood through broiling or adding kosher salt (which they most likely cannot find). In many Asian and Pacific Islander countries, people typically eat pork as their only meat (excluding fish). They also cannot receive any services from rabbis and Jewish congregations, which would certainly feel isolating. Observing Shabbat would feel very difficult when studying or working with a hunter-gatherer or pastoral nomadic society, as sociologists and anthropologists cannot hunt, gather, or cook any food for 24 hours. Asking members of the local community to accommodate all of their religious needs would likely result in confusion and the need for a very lengthy explanation in the local language.
Has anybody here worked in these occupations while frum or known somebody who has? If so, what was it like?
submitted by /u/galactic_observer
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Source: Reditt
