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. 2023 Feb;62(1):408-427.
doi: 10.1007/s10943-022-01662-x. Epub 2022 Sep 17.

Religious Minorities' Perceptions of Official COVID-19 Health Guidelines: The Case of Ultra-Orthodox Society in Israel

Sima Zalcberg Block  1 , Sara Zalcberg  2   3   4
Affiliations

Religious Minorities' Perceptions of Official COVID-19 Health Guidelines: The Case of Ultra-Orthodox Society in Israel

Sima Zalcberg Block et al. J Relig Health. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

This article focuses on perceptions of the Jewish ultra-Orthodox population in Israel-a religious minority-regarding guidelines enacted by the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) during the country's second wave of COVID-19, and ways the community coped with the pandemic. Semi-structured interviews with 30 ultra-Orthodox individuals revealed five major discourses reflecting participants' perceptions. Three discourses objected to MOH guidelines, while the other two aligned with them. The study's findings also indicate a lack of cooperation between the ultra-Orthodox population and state health authorities, emphasizing the need to implement culturally adapted health interventions. Study limitations are discussed, and future research recommendations are provided.

Keywords: COVID-19; Health behaviors; Religious minorities; Ultra-Orthodox.

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Conflict of interest statement

No authors of this paper have any conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Categorization of Participants’ Perceptions toward MOH Guidelines
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