The Meaning of Choosing a Spouse Among Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Women Who Found Themselves in a Violent Relationship

Abstract

This research note addresses how ultra-Orthodox Jewish women in Israel coping with intimate partner violence experienced the spouse selection process. In-depth semistructured qualitative–phenomenological interviews were conducted with 17 women. Four major themes emerged: (a) “The matchmaker seemingly fell asleep on her watch”; (b) The parents’ mistakes; (c) “The rabbi told me to jump into the water. Now he should hand me the paddles to get out!” The rabbi’s role; and (d) “That’s it . . . I follow it blindly”: The system. The findings add to the professional knowledge about violent partnerships in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel.