Matchmaker Stories:
Two men share their stories.
The therapist's understanding of the dating process in the Orthodox Jewish community will enable them to be better informed on issues which may present in therapy.
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These may include:
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Sexual intimacy prohibited until married
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Moving from parents home to married life
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Shame of singlehood and pressure to marry
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Expectation of fertility
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Dating & Marriage
Divorce
Jewish divorce refusal in the Orthodox Jewish community can lead to abuse of power.
Keshet Starr, J.D., Director of an organization which helps resolve Jewish divorce refusal, explains ways to address this abuse.
Produced by Gila Cohen Davidovsky
For more information read Keshet Starr's article
Scars of the Soul: Get Refusal and Spiritual Abuse
in Orthodox Jewish Communities
Grief
SARAH'S STORY OF LOSS
Sarah articulates her struggle in marriage after a pregnancy loss. Her husband, as per laws of family purity, could not touch her, when she needed his physical comfort.
Her story demonstrates some of the potential clinical issues in psychotherapy.
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These may include:
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Intimacy with husband
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Religious conflicts in marriage
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Anger at God
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Disenfranchised grief
Mourning and Loss
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Jewish law prescribes rituals and stages for the mourning process. Clinicians working with observant Jews during times of grief should familiarize themselves with these rituals. While loss resulting from death is universal, the formal rituals within a Jewish context vary depending on the loss. Judaism is often considered both a religion and a culture; there are religious, spiritual, cultural and psychological aspects to grief and mourning. Secular and Reform Jews have variations to mourning rituals that do not necessarily adhere to the strict Halacha, Jewish Laws of mourning.
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This is my story, a personal narrative as an observant Jewish social worker, and how I muddled through the complexities of grief with two very different losses.
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Continue reading HERE
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