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"This Creates Unbearable Inner Conflict, Both with God and With Oneself": Implications of Sexual Abuse Among Jewish Ultra-Orthodox Male Survivors.

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Title: "This Creates Unbearable Inner Conflict, Both with God and With Oneself": Implications of Sexual Abuse Among Jewish Ultra-Orthodox Male Survivors.
Authors: Zalcberg S; The SDU-TAU Joint Institute for Jewish and Israel Studies, Tel Aviv University, Israel., Zalcberg-Block S; Ariel University, Israel.
Source: Journal of interpersonal violence [J Interpers Violence] 2026 Jul; Vol. 41 (13-14), pp. 4609-4638. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Jul 11.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Sage Publications Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8700910 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1552-6518 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 08862605 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Interpers Violence Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications
Original Publication: [Beverly Hills, CA] : Sage Publications, [c1986-
MeSH Terms: Survivors*/psychology , Sex Offenses*/psychology , Jews*/psychology , Judaism*/psychology , Conflict, Psychological*, Humans ; Male ; Israel ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Battered Men
Abstract: Limited research has been conducted on the ramifications of sexual abuse among religious minorities in general, particularly concerning sexual abuse of boys. The current study seeks to address this gap by answering the question: what are the distinctive implications of sexual abuse on males from the Jewish ultra-Orthodox community in Israel, as reflected in their reports? Through a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 33 Jewish Israeli ultra-Orthodox male survivors of sexual abuse, the findings reveal several unique ramifications that the survivors relate to the abuse. These ramifications can be arranged along three main axes: the Personal-Religious Identity Axis, the Social-Community Axis, and the Institutional-Faith Axis. Each axis represents a different dimension of conflict experienced by participants, showing how, according to their reports, the sexual abuse impacted their religious identity, social relationships, and institutional trust. Based on the findings, the study proposes the Religious-Cultural Conflict Model (RCCM) to illuminate the distinctive ramifications of sexual abuse. The RCCM facilitates the understanding of the way in which religious and cultural factors shape the experiences of abuse survivors and reflects the significance of both gender sensitivity and religious-cultural contexts in understanding the ramifications of sexual abuse. Research limitations and applied aspects are discussed as well.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interests with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: cultural contexts; gender-based violence; institutional betrayal; male victims; sexual assault; spirituality or religion
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20250711 Date Completed: 20260622 Latest Revision: 20260622
Update Code: 20260622
DOI: 10.1177/08862605251351667
PMID: 40642863
Database: MEDLINE
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  Data: "This Creates Unbearable Inner Conflict, Both with God and With Oneself": Implications of Sexual Abuse Among Jewish Ultra-Orthodox Male Survivors.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Zalcberg+S%22">Zalcberg S</searchLink>; The SDU-TAU Joint Institute for Jewish and Israel Studies, Tel Aviv University, Israel.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Zalcberg-Block+S%22">Zalcberg-Block S</searchLink>; Ariel University, Israel.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Survivors%22">Survivors*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Survivors+psychology%22">psychology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Sex+Offenses%22">Sex Offenses*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Sex+Offenses+psychology%22">psychology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Jews%22">Jews*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Jews+psychology%22">psychology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Judaism%22">Judaism*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Judaism+psychology%22">psychology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Conflict%2C+Psychological%22">Conflict, Psychological*</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Humans%22">Humans</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Male%22">Male</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Israel%22">Israel</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Adult%22">Adult</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Middle+Aged%22">Middle Aged</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Young+Adult%22">Young Adult</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Battered+Men%22">Battered Men</searchLink>
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  Data: Limited research has been conducted on the ramifications of sexual abuse among religious minorities in general, particularly concerning sexual abuse of boys. The current study seeks to address this gap by answering the question: what are the distinctive implications of sexual abuse on males from the Jewish ultra-Orthodox community in Israel, as reflected in their reports? Through a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 33 Jewish Israeli ultra-Orthodox male survivors of sexual abuse, the findings reveal several unique ramifications that the survivors relate to the abuse. These ramifications can be arranged along three main axes: the Personal-Religious Identity Axis, the Social-Community Axis, and the Institutional-Faith Axis. Each axis represents a different dimension of conflict experienced by participants, showing how, according to their reports, the sexual abuse impacted their religious identity, social relationships, and institutional trust. Based on the findings, the study proposes the Religious-Cultural Conflict Model (RCCM) to illuminate the distinctive ramifications of sexual abuse. The RCCM facilitates the understanding of the way in which religious and cultural factors shape the experiences of abuse survivors and reflects the significance of both gender sensitivity and religious-cultural contexts in understanding the ramifications of sexual abuse. Research limitations and applied aspects are discussed as well.
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  Data: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interests with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
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  Data: <i>Keywords: </i>cultural contexts; gender-based violence; institutional betrayal; male victims; sexual assault; spirituality or religion
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        Text: English
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              Text: 2026 Jul
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