Orthodox Jewish Community Research Articles

Notes from the field: Measles outbreaks from imported cases in Orthodox Jewish communities — New York and New Jersey, 2018–2019

Notes from the field: Measles outbreaks from imported cases in Orthodox Jewish communities — New York and New Jersey, 2018–2019

A Survey on the Concept of ‘Tikkun olam: Repairing the World’ in Judaism

A Survey on the Concept of ‘Tikkun olam: Repairing the World’ in Judaism

Intersections of gender and minority status: perspectives from Finnish Jewish women

In this article, I examine how contemporary Finnish Jewish women understand their roles and identities as women in a small Orthodox Jewish community, on the one hand, and as members of a tiny minority in largely secular and predominantly Lutheran/Christian Finland, on the other. How do Finnish Jewish women negotiate their identities in relation to their community, strongly organised along gender lines, and in relation to Finnish society and especially its equality ideals and norms? I divide my article into four sections. First, I give a short overview of the theory of intersectionality, concentrating on its possibilities and limitations for the study of religion and gender in general, and for the study of Judaism, specifically. Second, I focus on my informants’ views of the gendered practices of their Orthodox Jewish community, which, by many standards, is a very specific form of Orthodoxy, which could be called ‘Finnish Orthodoxy’. Third, I analyse my informants’ views on how they perceive being Jewish women in contemporary Finland. The intersection of the last two broad themes will highlight the realities of Finnish Jewish women in contemporary Finland. Fourth, I discuss possibilities and limitations of intersectional theorising in the light of my data.

End-of-Life Decision Making in Orthodox Judaism: The Case of the 1977 Conjoined Twins

In 1977, conjoined twins were born to an Orthodox Jewish family in Lakewood, New Jersey; they were treated at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. Following legal deliberations in the American court system, as well as religious deliberations within the Orthodox Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic communities, the twins were separated by surgeon C. Everett Koop, who later became Surgeon General of the United States. Evaluation of the medical decision making process in the 1977 case illustrates the distinctly legal nature of Orthodox Jewish discourse—a feature that sets it apart from Protestant, Catholic, and secular ethics. This legal character of Orthodoxy had been highlighted a decade earlier, in a report issued by a panel that had been convened to study the different approaches to conjoined twins among Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic authorities. Close examination of that report, and of the circumstances of the 1977 case itself, bring to the fore the legal nature of the Orthodox Jewish procedures determining the medical outcomes of the conjoined twins. The distinctive nature of the Jewish approach is thrown into relief even further by comparison with the differing approaches among Catholic, Protestant, and secular authorities and medical caregivers. Following an elaboration and explication of the report and the 1977 case in which I examine the important contrasts between the adherents to different traditions and legal systems, I explore their broader implications for understanding the cultures of Jewish medicine in an increasingly complex scientific and technological landscape.

Notes from the Field: Measles Outbreaks from Imported Cases in Orthodox Jewish Communities - New York and New Jersey, 2018-2019.

Notes from the Field: Measles Outbreaks from Imported Cases in Orthodox Jewish Communities - New York and New Jersey, 2018-2019.

Cultural adaptations of CBT for the British Jewish Orthodox community

AbstractThere is a national drive to increase access to psychological therapies across England, with a specific focus on under-represented groups such as Black, Asian Minority and Ethnic (BAME) groups. Although prevalence rates for common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety in Orthodox British Jews are less than those of the generic population in the United Kingdom, accessing services to help treat these conditions within this group are considerably less than other groups. This paper seeks to consider reasons for this, as well as what adaptations, both from a therapist and service perspective, can be made to increase access within the Orthodox Jewish community with lessons to be made to other BAME groups.

“She Still Doesn’t Want Me to Tell My Next-Door Neighbor:” The Familial Experiences of Modern Orthodox Jewish Gay Men

An increasing number of scholars have identified the need to understand the contextual experiences of sexual minorities in their families, one of which includes gay and lesbian adults within devout cultural-religious groups. This phenomenological study contributes to this noted gap in the literature by accessing the familial perspectives of Modern Orthodox Jewish gay men, a subgroup of American Orthodox Jews whose potentially distinct experiences in their families and socio-cultural community are currently absent from the literature. Qualitative data was collected via individual, semistructured interviews from a sample of out Modern Orthodox gay men (n = 7), and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Findings support pervasive and institutional homonegativity in the Modern Orthodox Jewish community; however, they also highlight the general acceptance Modern Orthodox gay men experienced from their parents in response to their gay identity. Postdisclosure, two broad themes emerged in our participants’ experience being out in their families, both of which reflect the socio-religious realities of the community in which they were raised: the importance of (a) concealing their gay identity and (b) maintaining a religious practice. These themes, and their implications for policy and practice, are discussed.

Situational Factors Related to Childhood Sexual Abuse in the Orthodox Jewish Community Among Adult and Juvenile Offenders

ABSTRACTIn recent years, increasing attention has been paid to situational factors associated with childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to explain incidence of CSA, as well as to provide potential targets for prevention efforts. However, very few studies have examined situational factors associated with juvenile perpetration, despite juveniles composing a substantial proportion of offenders. In addition, no studies to our knowledge have applied a situational framework to CSA research in the Orthodox Jewish community (OJC). In the present study, we obtained data from therapists regarding 80 victims of CSA in the OJC from both the United States and Israel. We hypothesized that (a) more abusers’ first perpetration would be between ages 12 and 17 than between any other age range, which corresponds to increased sexual urges, as well as increased unsupervised access to minors; (b) among juvenile offenders, the time of day of the abuse would depend on the relationship of the offender to the victim; and (c) age of the victim and grooming strategies would be associated with the frequency of abuse. Our first two hypotheses were confirmed, and our third hypothesis was partially confirmed, as younger victims tended to have higher frequency of abuse. Additionally, we discuss possible implications of significant correlations found during exploratory analyses. Our results generally support the importance of considering culturally specific situational factors when studying or developing prevention efforts for CSA.

Tailoring immunisation programmes: Using behavioural insights to identify barriers and enablers to childhood immunisations in a Jewish community in London, UK

IntroductionDue to regular vaccine preventable disease outbreaks and sub-optimal immunisation uptake in the London borough of Hackney, home to the largest Charedi Orthodox Jewish community in Europe, it was decided, in consultation with the community, to implement the WHO Tailoring Immunization Programmes approach (TIP). DesignThe WHO Tailoring Immunization Programmes (TIP) approach was used. TIP provides a framework based on behavioural insights methodology to identify populations susceptible to vaccine preventable diseases, diagnose supply and demand side barriers and enablers to vaccination and recommend evidence-informed responses to improve vaccination coverage. ResultsThe results of the formative research and behavioural analysis challenged the assumption that a cultural or religious anti-vaccination sentiment existed within the community. Critical issues related to access to and convenience of immunisation services. Service providers in the area have challenges due to having to deliver immunisation services to the large numbers of children without additional resource. Where mothers were choosing to delay or refuse vaccinations their reasons were broadly similar to the wider population. The behavioural analysis identified potential categorisation of subgroups within the community enabling a more tailored approach to addressing concerns and meeting parents’ needs. ConclusionThe TIP approach was an effective way of investigating factors linked to sub-optimal immunisation within the Charedi community. The use of behavioural insights enabled the categorisation of subgroups so that more targeted interventions could be developed. The comprehensive stakeholder engagement which is a key pillar of the TIP approach ensured a deeper understanding of the barriers and enablers to vaccination as well as increasing the level of ownership in the community. TIP should be considered as a useful approach to identify main facilitators and barriers to vaccination in communities with suboptimal immunisation uptake.

A Community-Based Pilot Survey of Pediatric Food Allergies in a Maryland Orthodox Jewish Community.

The prevalence of food allergies in children is known to be on the rise in the United States.1,2 The Jewish population has been of specific interest in the area of food allergy due to numerous investigations in Jewish populations in both England and Israel.1,3,4 Specifically, it was found that rates of food allergy in Jewish populations in Israel were markedly lower than Jewish populations in England.4 There has not been any investigation of the epidemiology of food allergy in Jewish populations in the United States. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate and describe the prevalence of and experiences with food allergy in a Jewish population in the United States.

Whole-genome sequencing revealed concurrent outbreaks of shigellosis in the English Orthodox Jewish Community caused by multiple importations of Shigella sonnei from Israel.

In December 2013, Public Health England (PHE) observed an increase in the number of cases of Shigella sonnei linked to the Orthodox Jewish Community (OJC). Ultimately, 52 cases of S. sonnei phage type (PT) P and PT7 were notified between November 2013 and July 2014. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on a HiSeq 2500 platform (Illumina) on isolates of S. sonnei submitted to PHE during the investigation. Quality trimmed sequence reads were mapped to a reference genome using BWA-MEM, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified using GATK2. Analysis of the core genome SNP positions (>90 % consensus, minimum depth 10×, MQ≥30) revealed that isolates linked to the outbreak could be categorized as members of distinct monophyletic clusters (MPCs) representing concurrent regional outbreaks occurring in the OJCs across the United Kingdom. A dated phylogeny predicted the date of the most recent common ancestor of the MPCs to be approximately 3.1 years previously [95 % highest posterior density (HPD), 2.4–3.4]. Isolates of S. sonnei from cases from the OJCs in Israel included in the phylogeny, branched from nodes basal to the UK OJC outbreak clusters, indicating they were ancestral to the UK OJC isolates, and that the UK isolates represented multiple importations of S. sonnei into the UK population from Israel. The level of discrimination exhibited by WGS facilitated the identification of clusters of isolates within the closely related bacterial populations circulating in the OJC that may be linked to a unique point sources or transmission routes, thus enabling a more appropriate public health response and targeted interventions.

Improving mental health knowledge of the Charedi Orthodox Jewish Community in North London: A partnership project.

This article describes a successful community-based partnership project between statutory and third-sector services targeting the strictly Orthodox Jewish community (OJC). The City and Hackney Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Access Service (East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT)) collaborated with Bikur Cholim, a local third-sector organisation based in the heart of a north London Charedi OJC, to develop a brief culturally tailored psychoeducational group intervention focusing on mental health promotion and prevention. In total, 34 carers in the Charedi OJC were provided with general information on mental health, the availability of support services and self-care. Overall improvements in well-being, increased intentions to access services, particularly talking therapies, and qualitative feedback indicated that the group was very well received. The project endorses the value of culturally relevant psychoeducation, enabling suggestions for culturally appropriate service development.

Under-vaccinated groups in Europe and their beliefs, attitudes and reasons for non-vaccination; two systematic reviews

BackgroundDespite effective national immunisation programmes in Europe, some groups remain incompletely or un-vaccinated (‘under-vaccinated’), with underserved minorities and certain religious/ideological groups repeatedly being involved in outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases (VPD).Gaining insight into factors regarding acceptance of vaccination of ‘under-vaccinated groups’ (UVGs) might give opportunities to communicate with them in a trusty and reliable manner that respects their belief system and that, maybe, increase vaccination uptake. We aimed to identify and describe UVGs in Europe and to describe beliefs, attitudes and reasons for non-vaccination in the identified UVGs.MethodsWe defined a UVG as a group of persons who share the same beliefs and/or live in socially close-knit communities in Europe and who have/had historically low vaccination coverage and/or experienced outbreaks of VPDs since 1950. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO databases using specific search term combinations. For the first systematic review, studies that described a group in Europe with an outbreak or low vaccination coverage for a VPD were selected and for the second systematic review, studies that described possible factors that are associated with non-vaccination in these groups were selected.ResultsWe selected 48 articles out of 606 and 13 articles out of 406 from the first and second search, respectively. Five UVGs were identified in the literature: Orthodox Protestant communities, Anthroposophists, Roma, Irish Travellers, and Orthodox Jewish communities. The main reported factors regarding vaccination were perceived non-severity of traditional “childhood” diseases, fear of vaccine side-effects, and need for more information about for example risk of vaccination.ConclusionsWithin each UVG identified, there are a variety of health beliefs and objections to vaccination. In addition, similar factors are shared by several of these groups. Communication strategies regarding these similar factors such as educating people about the risks associated with being vaccinated versus not being vaccinated, addressing their concerns, and countering vaccination myths present among members of a specific UVG through a trusted source, can establish a reliable relationship with these groups and increase their vaccination uptake. Furthermore, other interventions such as improving access to health care could certainly increase vaccination uptake in Roma and Irish travellers.

When religion opens the door: Despite the challenges, partnerships with religious and spiritual communities can address medical disparities and improve patients' wellbeing.

When religion opens the door: Despite the challenges, partnerships with religious and spiritual communities can address medical disparities and improve patients' wellbeing.

Improving access to mental health care in an Orthodox Jewish community: a critical reflection upon the accommodation of otherness

BackgroundThe English National Health Service (NHS) has significantly extended the supply of evidence based psychological interventions in primary care for people experiencing common mental health problems. Yet despite the extra resources, the accessibility of services for ‘under-served’ ethnic and religious minority groups, is considerably short of the levels of access that may be necessary to offset the health inequalities created by their different exposure to services, resulting in negative health outcomes. This paper offers a critical reflection upon an initiative that sought to improve access to an NHS funded primary care mental health service to one ‘under-served’ population, an Orthodox Jewish community in the North West of England.MethodsA combination of qualitative and quantitative data were drawn upon including naturally occurring data, observational notes, e-mail correspondence, routinely collected demographic data and clinical outcomes measures, as well as written feedback and recorded discussions with 12 key informants.ResultsImprovements in access to mental health care for some people from the Orthodox Jewish community were achieved through the collaborative efforts of a distributed leadership team. The members of this leadership team were a self-selecting group of stakeholders which had a combination of local knowledge, cultural understanding, power to negotiate on behalf of their respective constituencies and expertise in mental health care. Through a process of dialogic engagement the team was able to work with the community to develop a bespoke service that accommodated its wish to maintain a distinct sense of cultural otherness.ConclusionsThis critical reflection illustrates how dialogic engagement can further the mechanisms of candidacy, concordance and recursivity that are associated with improvements in access to care in under-served sections of the population, whilst simultaneously recognising the limits of constructive dialogue. Dialogue can change the dynamic of community engagement. However, the full alignment of the goals of differing constituencies may not always be possible, due the complex interaction between the multiple positions and understandings of stakeholders that are involved and the need to respect the other’-s’ autonomy.

Sha’atnez – The Biblical Prohibition Against Wearing Mixed Wool and Linen Together and the Observance and Enforcement of the Command in the Orthodox Jewish Communities Today

Jewish law forbids Sha’atnez – wearing mixed wool and linen together was forbidden for the Jewish population. The article will first explain the meaning and acronym of sha’atnez, and then review the sha’atnez textiles which were found in the Land of Israel. The possible reasons for the prohibition of sha’atnez will be presented and remarks on observance and enforcement of the law in Orthodox Jewish communities today will be made according to ethnographic investigation.2

Twice Silenced: The Underreporting of Child Sexual Abuse in Orthodox Jewish Communities

ABSTRACTChild sexual abuse remains an underreported crime throughout the world, despite extensive research and resources dedicated both to improving investigative techniques and helping children disclose their experiences. The discovery of rampant cover-ups within the Catholic Church has exposed some of the ways religious and cultural issues can impede reporting to authorities. This article examines specific factors that contribute to the underreporting of child sexual abuse within Orthodox Jewish communities. It also explores ways in which these communities have handled child sexual abuse reporting in the past and describes recent progress. Implications are offered for CSA prevention, detection, and recovery in Orthodox Jewish communities as well as other minority religious groups.

Oral health and oral health behaviours of five-year-old children in the Charedi Orthodox Jewish Community in North London, UK.

To report on the oral health status and oral health behaviours of five-year-old Charedi Orthodox Jewish children attending schools in London, UK. Cross-sectional survey. Clinical examinations mirroring the 2015 National Dental Public Health Epidemiology Programme for England for five-year-olds and a parental questionnaire on oral health behaviours. 137 five-year-olds attending Charedi Orthodox Jewish schools in Hackney, North London. Prevalence dmft⟩0 (%) and severity (mean dmft) of dental caries. Of these children 58% had experienced dental caries (95%CI 50,67), the mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth was 2.38 (95%CI 1.90,2.82) and 23% (95%CI 16,30) had caries affecting their incisors. Only 20% reported that their children had their teeth brushed twice a day and 16% of the children started having their teeth brushed between six months and one year of age. The oral health of five-year-old children in the Charedi Orthodox Jewish community is significantly worse than their counterparts across Hackney, London and England. The establishment of robust baseline data supports the local authority plan to develop targeted oral health improvement programmes tailored to address the health needs and cultural sensitivities of this community.

Polycentric orders and post-disaster recovery: a case study of one Orthodox Jewish community following Hurricane Sandy

AbstractHurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the United States on 29 October 2012, flooding hundreds of thousands of homes and costing over $50 billion in property damage. After Hurricane Sandy residents and communities required food, water and clothing, and in the weeks and months following, there was demand for cleaning supplies, building materials and contracting services. Polycentric orders, because of their flexibility and access to local knowledge, are well suited to respond to the challenges of disaster. We highlight the importance of privately provided social services within polycentric orders and illustrate that the private provision of these services was important to post-disaster recovery in the Orthodox Jewish community in the Rockaway Peninsula in New York.

The Public Health VS the People’s Autonomy: Banning Smoking in Orthodox Jewish Community

The Public Health VS the People’s Autonomy: Banning Smoking in Orthodox Jewish Community