As we progress through some of the most significant Jewish holidays I am again drawn to the topic of the ‘hidden minority’. Jews of varying degrees of observance or orthodoxy are now increasingly seeking both individual and couples therapy – with both Jewish and non-Jewish therapists.
For the first time, COSRT asked me to facilitate a workshop on Jews and Sexuality which was very well received, so much so, that there will be a second one in the early part of next year. The curiosity of the delegates seeking to understand this client group was warming. To confront the micro aggressions, unaware antisemitic language/words, and simple lack of knowledge and awareness is significant.
There is so much written and espoused on ethnic minorities, particularly black and Asian groups – I personally notice the lack of reference to Jewish clients. As David Baddiel so aptly put it:
‘….is for people who see themselves on the right side of history. People fighting the good fight against homophobia, ableism, transphobia and particularly racism……..one racism has been left out of this fight..’
He also posits the question: ‘… a straight question; do you think of Jews as BAME?’
When someone as revered as Alice Walker is quoted in 2017 as saying, in a poem:
‘To study the Torah’
Jews believe in pedophilia, slavery and the murder of non Jews’
(from Jews Don’t Count: David Baddiel)
I would suggest there is a long way to go.
As an alternative, when I consulted a senior Rabbi about sexuality, marriage and relationships he said:
“I think that religious attitudes to sexuality may provide a positive framework for the flourishing of meaningfulness of sex, because the notion of sanctified sex can enhance both romance and nostalgia by accentuating the feeling of shared destiny and ultimate oneness as the heart of the pulsating sensuality”.
To what degree we as relationship/coupes therapist concur with this view is open to debate. However, it is my view that all therapists working with Jewish clients need to be cognisant of the rules and mores of the culture and faith. Levels of observance and the need to understand the sub sections of Jews as well as their own labelling and cultural and ethnic positions.
My clinical experience informs me that many of the often very young couples who present in therapy struggle with any concrete definition of intimacy, sensuality and sexuality, and have been at the mercy of inaccurate learning, either self-distilled or by way of others. Much of the mandate of psychosexual therapy, with this particular faith group, will centre around a recognition and understanding of the rules and mores within the faith, whilst also maintaining the ethical and professional understanding of PRT work. Cultural sensitivity with any faith group is an essential part of the therapeutic offering. This is not the exclusive domain of Jews.
There are approximately 300,000 Jews in the United Kingdom and England contains the second largest Jewish population in Europe and the fifth largest Jewish community worldwide. It would therefore stand to reason that many therapists will encounter a Jewish couple in their practice or a transcultural couple where one is Jewish and the other not.
In an article in ‘my Jewish learning’ if was stated:
‘Probably the most famous psychologist in history and the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, was Jewish, as were many of his early associates in the field, including Erich Fromm, Alfred Adler and Bruno Bettelheim. Most of the major theorists of Gestalt psychology were Jewish. Joseph Jastrow, a Polish-born psychologist and the son of the author of a famous Talmudic dictionary, was the first recipient of an American doctorate in psychology in 1898. Abraham Maslow, the psychologist famous for creating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, was born to Russian Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn. Theorists have posed a number of ideas for why Jews are so prominent in early psychology, among them a Jewish penchant for expressing emotions verbally and a greater willingness among Jews to consult professionals about personal issues.
This further underlines the probability of Jewish clients presenting themselves to PRT therapists.
So, I welcome at least my member organisation grasping this issue and offering albeit a short expose to the world of working within the Jewish community.
Judi Keshet-Orr
Founder and Course Director LDPRT
The views and opinions expressed in these blog posts are held by the author(s) and are for general interest in the field. These blog entries do not attempt give advice to the reader, they are for educational and information purposes only.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.