Perceptions of harmful experiences in the ultra-Orthodox community vs. reasons for leaving

• In Event: Leaving Orthodox Judaism: The important role of familial and experiential factors

Abstract

In recent years, research has described the experiences of individuals who leave ultra-Orthodox Judaism. Disaffiliated individuals frequently report psychological, health, and pragmatic challenges in adjustment to their new lives. While there has been research detailing the self-reported reasons for religious exit, not much is known about potential catalysts for adjustment difficulties. In the current study, an online survey was used to collect data from 293 ex ultra-Orthodox Jews, asking participants to indicate 1) the primary reason for pulling away from ultra-Orthodoxy, and 2) the primary harmful experience they had either while a member of or while pulling away from ultra-Orthodoxy. The coded responses to each question were compared using intraclass correlation coefficients, finding that harmful experiences exposed more negative subject matter than did the reasons for pulling away. The findings from this study suggest that those who leave ultra-Orthodox Judaism do so for many reasons, and not always as a result of personal negative experiences. At the same time, deeply harmful experiences are very common among the sampled group, which may partly explain the psychological, health, and pragmatic adjustment challenges after pulling away from ultra-Orthodoxy. Clinicians working with ex ultra-Orthodox Jews may wish to carry this differentiation in mind, holding space for both the experiences of trauma, harm, and abuse, while also acknowledging that journeys of religious exit can be colored by many factors.

Author

• Yehudis Keller, Case Western Reserve University