Julia Gross, a German doctoral candidate and the current Elkins Park resident, is examining the history of abortion in the local Jewish community in the seventies, writes Rachel Kurland for Jewish Exponent.

Originally from Germany, Gross moved to Elkins Park a year ago to be close to family in Blue Bell and began researching the area’s history.

Finding that the area was 80 percent Jewish in the seventies, she began wondering how Jewish women dealt with the issue of abortion before the Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973.

The issue of abortion is different in Judaism than in Christianity, as Jewish law states that life begins at birth. According to a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center, 83 percent of Jews in America believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

“Halakha allowed abortion and had a far more liberal approach on this topic than American law did in the ’70s,” she said. “I initially wanted to capture how women imagined their family life and having children and their role as a mother.”

Read more about Gross’ research at Jewish Exponent by clicking here.