Multi-Cultural Professional Intervention with Families at Risk in the Diverse Ultra-Orthodox Courts in the City of Ashdod

Ashdod is a multicultural city with the third largest ultra-Orthodox community ("haredi") in Israel.

The haredi sector is divided to 8 different "courts"(dynasties). Each led by a rabbi whom is the acceptable communal leader.

The encounter with this community challenges us both ethically and morally.

A decade ago the discourse with in the community was characterized by suspicion, lack of trust and fear.

Establishing trust between the community and social services was enabled by unmediated contacts with the wives of the rabbis leading the different "courts".

Those connections lead to the establishment of a spiritual committee composed of rabbis from the city`s central "courts" which constitutes the dialogue on matters of families at risk.

For example we received a family court order requiring removing children from their mother`s custody.

The mother filed a complaint accusing the father, who belonged to a different haredi court than hers, of sexually abusing the children. He claimed that she posed a danger to the children due to neglect and lack of care.

Instead of implementing the court`s order immediately, we held a meeting with the rabbis of both communities.

We asked them to find a foster family that would meet our professional requirements and the religious requirements (the children`s education specifically) of both communities

The rabbis trusted us to extent in which we respected them, thus enabling them to use their power to influence the parents in order to come up with the best solution for their children`s physical and mental well-being