scholarly journals ‘Antisemitism is just part of my day-to-day life’: Coping mechanisms adopted by Orthodox Jews in North London

2021 ◽  
pp. 026975802110066
Author(s):  
Maya Flax
Keyword(s):  
Religious Identity ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Hate Crime ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Orthodox Jews ◽  
Orthodox Jewish ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Ties ◽  
Dominant Narratives ◽  
North London

This paper analyses the coping mechanisms which Orthodox Jews in North London have adopted in managing antisemitism. The study, which was informed by a sociological framework, employed a qualitative approach using 28 semi-structured interviews and five focus groups. The findings reveal that despite the high frequency of the victimisation, and despite the awareness among respondents that antisemitism has seen a resurgence in recent years, Orthodox Jews have managed to accept the victimisation. The way the Orthodox Jewish community has managed their victimisation of antisemitism is argued to be profoundly different from the dominant narratives of hate crime victims, in that by and large the majority of respondents accepted their victimisation. It proposes that respondents were able to show agency and to normalise the victimisation because of their strong religious identity and close community ties.

Queer citizens and the perils of the neoliberal city: Racialized narratives of homophobic hate crime in Oslo, Norway

Sexualities ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136346072110193
Author(s):  
Henning Kaiser Klatran
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Hate Crime ◽  
State Violence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Lgbt Community ◽  
Lgbt People ◽  
Queer Citizenship ◽  
The Relationship

This article examines the relationship between queer citizenship, state violence and the exclusion of racialized, homophobic ‘others’. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with LGBT people in Oslo, Norway, I investigate the presence of racialization in narratives of homophobic hate crime. The findings suggest that racialization structures narratives of risk assessment among several of the participants. However, in these narratives, racialization often operates through place-specific references, rather than racial and ethnic markers of identity. The narrative work thus displays ambivalence and a disassociation from racism. I argue that these narratives feed on an already established conflation of space, ethnicity, religion and homophobia, to which both mainstream media and part of the LGBT community contribute.

scholarly journals The Role of Religious Fundamentalism in the Intersection of National and Religious Identities

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susilo Wibisono ◽  
Winnifred Louis ◽  
Jolanda Jetten
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
National Identities ◽  
Religious Fundamentalism ◽  
Religious Movements ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Religious Identification ◽  
National Identification ◽  
The Way

Indonesia has seen recent expansions of fundamentalist movements mobilising members in support a change to the current constitution. Against this background, two studies were conducted. In Study 1, we explored the intersection of religious and national identity among Indonesian Muslims quantitatively, and in Study 2, we qualitatively examined religious and national identification among members of moderate and fundamentalist religious organisations. Specifically, Study 1 (N= 178) assessed whether the association of religious and national identity was moderated by religious fundamentalism. Results showed that strength of religious identification was positively associated with strength of national identification for both those high and low in fundamentalism. Using structured interviews and focus group discussions, Study 2 (N =35) examined the way that self-alignment with religious and national groups develops among activists of religious movements in Indonesia. We found that while more fundamentalist activists attached greater importance to their religious identity than to any other identity (e.g., national and ethnic), more moderate activists represented their religious and national identities as more integrated and compatible. We conclude that for Indonesian Muslims higher in religious fundamentalism, religious and national identities appear to be less integrated and this is consequential for the way in which collective agendas are pursued.

scholarly journals SOCIAL MEDIA AND RELIGIOUS IDENTITY CHANGE AMONG MUSLIM ARAB WOMEN IN ISRAEL

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aysha Agbarya ◽  
Nicholas John
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Arab Women ◽  
Identity Change ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Supportive Environment ◽  
Use Of Social Media

This study investigates the interface between increased religiousity among Muslim Arab women in Israel, and their social media use. To understand their use of social media as part of a profound change in social identity, fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with Muslim women aged 19-26 who are, or have been, social media users, who live in Israel, and who have become significantly more religious than they had previously been. The findings show two different logics of social media use in times of religious identity change. The first includes reconstructing social media ties to be an alternative, supportive environment, while the second relates to decision making based on the religious rules newly adopted by respondents. Two main social practices were related to the second kind of social media use: managing (and often removing) ties with male users, which raised profound personal dilemmas, and removing digital traces by deleting past posts and photos. Such decisions were made to obey religious rules rather than to gratify personal needs. Social media accompany and assist in the identity change, starting from its very beginnings, and throughout the process. While previous research shows that SNS tie management is an essential part of our identity, our findings show the religious identity of women to be a distinct case where religious rules guide behaviour and decision making. The very fact that these acts and dilemmas are visible to us is a result of paying special attention to identities in flux.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Chaim I. Waxman
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Orthodox Jews ◽  
Orthodox Judaism ◽  
Orthodox Jewish ◽  
Psychological Perspective ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Religious Law

This chapter introduces Orthodox Judaism, which is viewed phenomenologically, defined broadly, and recognized in the systems of beliefs and practices maintained by Orthodox Jews. It mentions the halakhah or Orthodox religious law that conceives the ‘practices’ part of the Orthodox Jewish system. It also reveals Orthodox Jewish practices that are not pursued to accord with halakhah but can be characterized as minhag or custom. The chapter looks at Orthodox Judaism in America since the nineteenth century and examines a series of halakhic changes or changes in what is deemed to be proper Orthodox conduct. It explains the various directions in which ‘acceptable’ Orthodox behaviour is developing from a social and psychological perspective.

“He Who Spareth the Rod Hateth His Son”: Perceptions Regarding Corporal Punishment Among Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Fathers in Israel

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052090802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Netanel Gemara ◽  
Yochay Nadan
Keyword(s):  
Corporal Punishment ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Orthodox Jewish ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Western View

Based on the findings of substantial research, Western professionals today perceive corporal punishment as a threat to child well-being. They also view it as a violation of children’s rights. Nonetheless, many minority groups in Western societies still consider it to be a legitimate child-rearing practice. In response to this gap, this article presents qualitative findings from an exploratory context-informed study of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish fathers in Israel, regarding their perceptions and ascribed meanings of corporal punishment. Our exploration was guided by the following research question: What are the constructions, perceptions, beliefs, and meanings associated with corporal punishment among Ultra-Orthodox Litvak fathers in Israel? The thematic analysis of 15 in-depth semi-structured interviews yielded two central themes. The first is the view of corporal punishment as an educational tool with legitimacy based on religious sources and emotion-focused rationales. The second theme deals with different limitations on and guidelines regarding this legitimacy. Children were struck as a result of behavior that parents experienced as extreme, and striking the child in response to religious wrongdoing was viewed as problematic. The fathers interviewed stressed the need to suit the punishment to the child, in terms of the intensity of the blow, frequency, and the age of the child. The fathers also emphasized the importance of the child’s subjective experience being one of education as opposed to humiliation. Implications from these findings illustrate the gaps between the Ultra-Orthodox community and professionals who espouse the Western view that prohibits corporal punishment; at the same time, they portray the fathers as expressing an intricate approach toward corporal punishment, with conditions and limitations, as opposed to absolute approval. This article advocates a context-informed approach toward dealing with corporal punishment in minority groups that legitimize the practice. Adopting such an approach may contribute to better cooperation between professionals and their clients from minority groups, and advance child well-being.

Exploring hate crime amongst a cohort of Scottish prisoners: an exploratory study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-49
Author(s):  
Kirsty Penrice ◽  
Philip Birch ◽  
Stephan McAlpine
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Hate Crime ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Prison Violence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Prison Environment ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the motives a person adopts in order to engage in hate-related behaviours within a prison setting. A subsidiary aim of the study was to compare this cohort of prisoners with prisoners who have been convicted for aggravated racism in the community. Design/methodology/approach In order to gather data, an exploratory research design was adopted, utilising the method of semi-structured interviews. In total, a number of nine interviews were conducted. Qualitative analysis was then employed allowing for an examination of meaning in relation to the motives behind the commission of hate crimes to occur. Findings The findings revealed the presence of racist beliefs and attitudes in both groups involved in the study. Further similarities between the two groups included the perception of inequality and beliefs about racism. The differences between the two groups included poor emotional regulation and an inability to manage beliefs and subsequent behaviours about people from different ethnic groups, with those in custody seeming to be more reactive. Practical implications The findings provide a preliminary insight into enhancing inmate safety. The environmental implications begin to reveal the complexity of hate-related behaviours in custody. There are differences between the context of hate crime committed in a prison environment compared to that committed in the community that require different solutions for addressing such behaviour. Further implications are considered in the final section of the paper. Originality/value A large body of research has been conducted on prison violence, seldom does this research examine this issue within the context of hate crime. This preliminary study offers an insight into prison-based hate crime.

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

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-247
Author(s):  
Aradhana Perry ◽  
Chelsea Gardener ◽  
Jonathan Dove ◽  
Yocheved Eiger ◽  
Kate Loewenthal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Jewish Community ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Well Being ◽  
General Information ◽  
Orthodox Jewish ◽  
Service Development ◽  
North London

Introduction: This article describes a successful community-based partnership project between statutory and third-sector services targeting the strictly Orthodox Jewish community (OJC). Methods: 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. Results: Overall improvements in well-being, increased intentions to access services, particularly talking therapies, and qualitative feedback indicated that the group was very well received. Conclusion: The project endorses the value of culturally relevant psychoeducation, enabling suggestions for culturally appropriate service development.

scholarly journals The "Draw-A-Religious Jew" Test and Students’ Religious Identities

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Matt Reingold
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
Orthodox Jews ◽  
Study Group ◽  
School Life ◽  
Religious Identities ◽  
High School Juniors ◽  
Jewish School

A quantitative arts-based study was conducted with high school juniors and seniors at a community Jewish school in Toronto. This group represented a diverse mixture of students who populate the school in relation to gender, involvement in school life and religious denominations. Students were prompted to draw a religious Jew and the images were scored based on five different markers. Of the 35 drawings, only one female was drawn. Additionally, the majority of students drew charedi Orthodox Jews, despite none being present in the study group. The article concludes by addressing the problem with how students understand the word religious and offers suggestions for how to reframe religious identity in a way that reflects pluralism and denominational diversity.

scholarly journals Problematic Sexual Behavior and Religion Among Adult Jewish Males: An Initial Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 155798831882358 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Rosmarin ◽  
Steven Pirutinsky
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Religious Coping ◽  
Religious Belief ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Orthodox Jews ◽  
Religiously Affiliated ◽  
Spiritual Struggles ◽  
The One

A growing body of research has tied religion to problematic sexual behavior in both positive and negative ways. On the one hand, religious belief and engagement buffer against incidence and severity of problematic sexual behavior, but on the other hand religiously affiliated individuals who engage in such behavior tend to experience spiritual struggles (negative religious coping) and poor psychosocial outcomes. No published empirical studies have examined these variables among adult Jewish males. In the present study, 94 adult Jewish males completed measures of religious belief/practice, positive religious coping, spiritual struggles, and problematic sexual behavior. General and positive aspects of Jewish religiosity were unrelated to problematic sexual behavior. By contrast, spiritual struggles were tied to higher levels of problematic sexual behavior, but only for individuals who were raised as Orthodox Jews. Surprisingly, this latter finding was independent of current Orthodox affiliation. These results suggest that a religious Jewish upbringing, irrespective of current religious identity, can moderate ties between sexual behavior and spirituals struggles.

Lived Experience of Friendship and Mate Crime in Autistic Adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Pearson ◽  
Samantha Forster
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Hate Crime ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Specific Subset ◽  
Social Difficulties ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
Prior Experiences

Mate crime is a specific subset of hate crime in which the perpetrator is known to the victim. To date, there is very little research into the perception and experience of mate crime in autism. The aim of the current study was to examine perceptions of friendship and mate crime in autistic adults, using semi-structured interviews. Five adults were interviewed about their experiences of social interactions, friendships and mate crime. Participants described distancing themselves from the ‘disability’ label whilst growing up to avoid condescension and being perceived as vulnerable, whilst learning to camouflage their social difficulties. Feelings of anxiety were associated with socialising, and participants valued relationships that did not place too many overwhelming demands on their time or energy. Finally, all participants had prior experiences of bullying. They understood the concept of mate crime but were unsure as to whether they would be able to identify it in their own lives if it occurred. However they could identify potential support networks in close friends and family. Results highlight the importance of further research into positive and negative aspects of social relationships in autistic adults, and the need to provide support to those who are socially vulnerable.

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