I have lived and worked in Golder’s Green for over 25 years. It has a large Jewish Community with a small portion being Hasidic Jews. These are ultra-orthodox Jews who believe in Judaism that originated in 18th century Europe. Hasidic Jews can easily be distinguished by their black coats, black or fur hats, long beards, and side ringlets. Women dress modestly wearing long skirts or dresses and when married wigs. There are some 30,000 Hasidic Jews living in England with the largest majority 20,000 living in Stamford Hill.
Hasidic Jews are extremely insular and secretive believing isolation is the key to the conservation of their community and family. They believe that modern technology is a danger to their way of life as it can corrupt …show more content…
It made me understand that I too have demons that keep me from doing things, fear of not being worthy, of failure, of being judged, of not being good enough, of not fitting in.
I believe the values of Hasid’s can be in conflict with the counselling relationship because they are closed and secretive and with mores so fundamental to their way of life that they may hide problems (this could include violence, abuse, addictions) to preserve its structure. Rabbi’s are who they turn to for direct answers and guidance. In a counselling relationship a counsellor does not give answers but self-exploration is developed this may be unacceptable to the client so I would need to fully assess what the clients expectations are before we could work together. Some Rabbi’s believe that prayer and faith can overcome depression and anxiety. Orthodox counsellors are favoured who know the religion and who work closely with a supportive Rabbi. This may cause anxiety to the client regarding confidentiality - with an outside counsellor they can have anonymity. However, they maybe afraid that an outside counsellor will not understand their religious beliefs/customs and that they may be asked to discuss and do things that are non-religious. I would need to be aware of what moral problems and/or conflicts that they may be facing and understand the courage it has taken to find
Hasidic Jews are extremely insular and secretive believing isolation is the key to the conservation of their community and family. They believe that modern technology is a danger to their way of life as it can corrupt …show more content…
It made me understand that I too have demons that keep me from doing things, fear of not being worthy, of failure, of being judged, of not being good enough, of not fitting in.
I believe the values of Hasid’s can be in conflict with the counselling relationship because they are closed and secretive and with mores so fundamental to their way of life that they may hide problems (this could include violence, abuse, addictions) to preserve its structure. Rabbi’s are who they turn to for direct answers and guidance. In a counselling relationship a counsellor does not give answers but self-exploration is developed this may be unacceptable to the client so I would need to fully assess what the clients expectations are before we could work together. Some Rabbi’s believe that prayer and faith can overcome depression and anxiety. Orthodox counsellors are favoured who know the religion and who work closely with a supportive Rabbi. This may cause anxiety to the client regarding confidentiality - with an outside counsellor they can have anonymity. However, they maybe afraid that an outside counsellor will not understand their religious beliefs/customs and that they may be asked to discuss and do things that are non-religious. I would need to be aware of what moral problems and/or conflicts that they may be facing and understand the courage it has taken to find