“It’s a Phenomenon in Our Community, a Phenomenon That Is Silenced”: Child Sexual Abuse and the Circles of Silence in the Jewish National Religious Community in Israel

Abstract

This study focused on Jewish national religious educators in Israel by exploring their narratives surrounding coping with the CSA of their students, including the perceived silencing of the phenomena within the community and the desire to provide their students with the care they require. In-depth interviews were conducted with 34 national religious educators, including teachers (n = 20), counselors (n = 4), and principals (n = 10), which were analyzed using a thematic approach. Three themes emerged in the findings: (1) a community in silence surrounding CSA, (2) the role of sex education in bridging between silence and CSA, and (3) educators’ experiences of breaking the silence by making their voices heard. The findings revealed that the participants experienced three circles of silencing surrounding CSA: silencing of their experience within their community, silencing of their students, and self-silencing. These circles affected the educators both personally and professionally. This study discusses how these circles of silence received three justifications: familial, religious, and personal. This study highlights the important role of Jewish national religious educators in identifying and leading interventions in CSA cases and the need for reflective, socio-religious, culturally based training alongside support for the educators to maintain their wellbeing when addressing CSA.