Religious Jewish Mothers as Music Mentors and Ethical Curators in the Streaming Era

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Religious Identity, Pedagogy, and Lived Practice

Abstract

This paper examines how religious Jewish-Israeli mothers use music to shape ethical listening practices and transmit religious values in the digital age of streaming abundance. Drawing on 30 semi-structured interviews, the study analyzes how mothers curate soundscapes, regulate content, and negotiate shared listening spaces in the home. The findings illuminate mothers as active agents of informal religious education, balancing parental authority with children’s growing autonomy. This work contributes to research on family religious education, cultural transmission, and digital media literacy by highlighting everyday strategies that sustain religious identity in an era of infinite online content.

Authors

• Tal Vaizman, The George Washington University

• Abigail Wood, University of Haifa

• Naomi Cohen Zentner, Bar-Ilan University