How religious women students of social work in Israel experience academe

Although the values of pluralism and diversity are enshrined in social work’s Code of Ethics, the literature indicates that religious students will experience hostility within social work schools. This qualitative study explores how religious Jewish and Arab-Muslim social work students in Israel experience the secular academic context, in light of the profession’s values. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted over a 6-month period, starting in January 2018, with third-year women students of social work at the country’s largest public college – a microcosm of Israeli society in terms of ethnic, religious, and national affiliation. The participants were 20 women (10 Jewish and 10 Arab-Muslim) who self-identify as religious, in a secular academic setting. Analysis of the findings yields a broad and varied picture: the main themes include the initial encounter with the physical, social, and intellectual college environment; questioning whether academe is really liberal; and the feeling of being outsiders. These findings, which contribute to an understanding of the social and educational needs of the student who is the ‘other’, are relevant to social work educators worldwide. The other is everywhere.

Ageing, ageism, and lost honor: Narratives of Arab elders in Israel

This study examines how Arab elders in Israel experience old age and speak about ageism, old age, and loss of honor. Interviews were conducted with 25 Arab men and women, both Muslims and Christians, between the ages of 63 and 86. The findings indicate that despite Arab society being a familial and traditional society, informants experience ageism and feelings of loss of respect and status in both the public and private spheres. The findings reveal a multilayered discourse, inconsistent and incoherent, riddled with internal contradictions about honor, exclusion, ageism, and its absence. This discourse reflects Arab society’s ambivalence about the ongoing processes of modernization on the one hand, and the desire to preserve traditional family values and the status of older populations on the other. The issue of ageism within Arab society in Israel has not thus far drawn much attention in the field of gerontological research, and this study therefore aims to fill this gap.

Ageing, ageism, and lost honor: Narratives of Arab elders in Israel

This study examines how Arab elders in Israel experience old age and speak about ageism, old age, and loss of honor. Interviews were conducted with 25 Arab men and women, both Muslims and Christians, between the ages of 63 and 86. The findings indicate that despite Arab society being a familial and traditional society, informants experience ageism and feelings of loss of respect and status in both the public and private spheres. The findings reveal a multilayered discourse, inconsistent and incoherent, riddled with internal contradictions about honor, exclusion, ageism, and its absence. This discourse reflects Arab society’s ambivalence about the ongoing processes of modernization on the one hand, and the desire to preserve traditional family values and the status of older populations on the other. The issue of ageism within Arab society in Israel has not thus far drawn much attention in the field of gerontological research, and this study therefore aims to fill this gap.

There Is Nobody to Rely on: Cracks in the Intergenerational Contract Among the Elders in Arab Society in Israel

This study aims to examine the ways that old Palestinian Arabs in Israel experience and talk about ageing. Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted among 25 Arab men and women, Muslims and Christians, aged 65 to 85 years. Using the concepts of “intergenerational contract” and “gender contract,” the study reveals a new discourse reflecting a complex relationship between the elders and their families, characterized by ambivalence and internal conflict. The findings indicate that the intergenerational contract has not disappeared and that family loyalty still exists, but the cracks are gradually widening. The gender contract, which remains stable in the perception of the elders, is changing as well, while the young women are struggling to comply with their part in the contract. The elders are therefore, aware of the possibility that the intergenerational contract will not be implemented in the traditional way and that there is no one to rely on.

Postpartum Depression Among Arab Women in Israel: Comparing Traditional and Modernized Women in a Traditional Society

The objective of this study was to understand how Arab women in Israel experience one of the most significant transitions in their lives, pregnancy and childbirth, who have undergone transitions toward modernity in their traditional society. The study included questionnaire to determine whether each woman has more traditional or modernized tendencies within the traditional Arab society. The study included 202 women, After the women expressed their willingness to participate in the study, five sessions were held: Immediately after marriage – modernization questionnaire, During the last two months of pregnancy – EPDS questionnaire, During the final month of pregnancy – EPDS questionnaire, After on one month of the delivery- EPDS questionnaire and After six months of the delivery- EPDS questionnaireIt clearly revealed a modernization trend among Arab women in Israel. This study found that 12% to 15% of the sample suffered from PPD. It showed that modern women suffered from more severe depression after delivery than their traditional peers did. Nearly all the women diagnosed with PPD were closer to the modern end of the spectrum. When symptoms were discovered in traditional women, the changes in their behavior appeared to be more of an overall conclusion of this study.This study emphasizes the need for intervention programs to support the changes that women in Arab society in Israel are undergoing. The findings enable the early detection of the population at risk for PPD.

A Path to Masada

This essay, based on six months of participant observation fieldwork at Masada National Park, offers an experimental tour of the site. The main text is an amalgamation of Youth Israel Experience Tours while the footnotes serve as a dialectical response, commenting on and critiquing the tour structure and post-tourist practice. This essay suggests that the meaning and significance of place, particularly while on tour, is found in the relationship between tourists more so than in the mythical stories told about the site.