"Will Two Walk Together"? the Interaction of Rabbis and Social Workers in Child Protection in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community

Background and Purpose: The ultra-orthodox (Haredi) Jewish community operates within a distinct cultural, religious and hierarchical framework that shapes perceptions of risk and protection in relation to children. This study explored how social workers in this community negotiate child protection interventions within these communities, with a particular focus on the central role of rabbis. The study explored how different worldviews — religious, collectivist, hierarchical perspectives versus individualistic, Western, professional perspectives— influence rabbis' engagement with issues of risk and child protection.

Methods: In this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with social workers working with the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel. Participants represented diverse backgrounds, including both ultra-Orthodox and non-Orthodox social workers. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in the way social workers manage their relationships with rabbinic authorities in the context of child protection.

Results: The analysis revealed three distinct patterns of collaboration between social workers and rabbis: separation (acting autonomously with minimal interaction), instrumental collaboration (utilizing each other's authority while maintaining separate agendas), and synergy (collaborative approach that integrates both perspectives). These patterns reflect the tension between religious authority and professional expertise, with each approach providing different outcomes for intervention effectiveness. Religious perspectives that understand risk as spiritually ordained may clash with professional approaches that focus on prevention and intervention in cases of risk to children.

Conclusions and implications: Effective child protection work in religious communities requires understanding and negotiating the central role of religious authority. The model proposed in this study could have important implications for working with similar religiously segregated communities. This study contributes to culturally responsive social work practice by providing a framework for engaging religious leaders in child protection work in culturally diverse communities. The findings suggest that social workers require specialized training to work effectively with rabbinic figures and that appropriate pathways for partnerships between rabbis and social workers need to be developed that both respect the religious authority values of the community and ensure that child protection priorities are met.