A New Type of Domestic Violence in Israel – in the Name of Halakha. An Unusual Study

Sociologist Tehila Gado, who comes from an ultra-Orthodox background, conducted 35 in-depth interviews and identified a new form of domestic violence in the Haredi community: religious domestic violence, where Halakha and rabbinic authority are used as tools of control.

Sociologist Tehila Gado from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted a comprehensive study on domestic violence in the ultra-Orthodox community stemming from halakhic interpretations. The scholar concluded that Jewish law can be used by spouses as a tool of violence. Through 35 in-depth interviews with divorced men and women from the Haredi community, she identified a new phenomenon—'religious domestic violence.' Examples include cases where a husband demanded to check every 'control cloth' after menstruation, extinguished the Sabbath candles lit by his wife, or refused to recite Kiddush in a way that would fulfill her religious obligation. Gado emphasizes that such violence is insidious and difficult to recognize, as it can be perceived as excessive religious zeal. The study shows that victims—both women and men—often do not realize that they are experiencing violence.