Dialogic directions: Conflicts in Israeli/Palestinian education for peace

In this article, I examine issues of identity, representation, multiculturalism, etc. as they relate to the Israeli context. I argue that, in order to move towards a sustainable peace in Israel, Israeli must become very critical of the dominant Western epistemologies. A radical change is needed in the way difference is perceived. Appreciating existing differences and histories in Israel can provide possibilities for enriching dialogue and occasion for collaboration.     

Generalized Utilitarianism and Harsanyi's Impartial Observer Theorem

Harsanyi's impartial observer must consider two types of lotteries: imaginary identity lotteries (“accidents of birth”) that she faces as herself and the real outcome lotteries (“life chances”) to be faced by the individuals she imagines becoming. If we maintain a distinction between identity and outcome lotteries, then Harsanyi‐like axioms yield generalized utilitarianism, and allow us to accommodate concerns about different individuals' risk attitudes and concerns about fairness. Requiring an impartial observer to be indifferent as to which individual should face similar risks restricts her social welfare function, but still allows her to accommodate fairness. Requiring an impartial observer to be indifferent between identity and outcome lotteries, however, forces her to ignore both fairness and different risk attitudes, and yields a new axiomatization of Harsanyi's utilitarianism.     

Why Youths Drop out of High School: The Impact of Preferences,Opportunities, and Abilities

In this paper, we develop and structurally estimate a sequential model of high school attendance and work decisions. The model's estimates imply that youths who drop out of high school have different traits than those who graduate—they have lower school ability and/or motivation, they have lower expectations about the rewards from graduation, they have a comparative advantage at jobs that are done by nongraduates, and they place a higher value on leisure and have a lower consumption value of school attendance. We also found that working while in school reduces school performance. However, policy experiments based on the model's estimates indicate that even the most restrictive prohibition on working while attending high school would have only a limited impact on the high school graduation rates of white males.     

Migration,Motherhood, Marriage: Cross‐Cultural Adaptation of North American Immigrant Mothers in Israel

This study probes the cross‐cultural adaptation patterns of North American women who immigrated to Israel with their Israeli‐born husbands (or married there) and are mothers in their new country. In order to undertake a cultural analysis of the interplay between immigration, motherhood and bicultural marriage, we examine: the effects of motherhood and North American culture of origin on cross‐cultural adaptation; the effects of immigration to Israel on motherhood and childrearing; the influence of family of origin on the immigrant motherhood experience; and the role of Israeli husbands and their families in the women’s cross‐cultural adaptation process. We study patterns for the entire group as well as bringing out individual differences. Our main finding is that motherhood serves as the principal social link to the Israeli host society. The high status of North American culture and English proficiency facilitate cross‐cultural adaptation in Israel. Our findings reveal transnationalist tendencies co‐existing with various adaptation strategies. We propose an expansion of previous acculturation models to accommodate this dual modus vivendi.     

Doing competent residential child and youth care work: The normative and experiential dimensions

This article presents two complementary dimensions in competent residential child and youth care. Within the normative dimension, competence in residential work is discussed on the societal, organizational, interpersonal and personal levels. The goal of residential care, according to this dimension, is to enable the child or the youth to return to society as a well-functioning adult. Within the experiential dimension, competent residential care is discussed as it is experienced by both child care workers and their clients. The goal of residential care, according to this dimension, is to focus on the quality of the children's present lives. A possible avenue to integrate these dimensions is presented and implications for policy, program planning, and training are suggested.     

Enriching Social Work Supervision from the Competence Perspective

Abstract

Various aspects of social work supervision are viewed from the competence perspective in order to conceptualize the grounds for competence-centered supervision, and to point out the potential enrichment of social work education. The paper defines worker competence and outlines several basic guidelines for competence-centered supervision. Discussion of both the content of competence-oriented supervision and the characteristics of the competence-oriented supervisor follow. Procedures of evaluating the supervisee's competence then are suggested. Finally, the processes of competence-centered supervision are analyzed, and the usefulness of a unifying scheme of competence for practice, supervision, and education in social work is highlighted.     

Is Elder Abuse and Neglect a Social Phenomenon? Data from the First National Prevalence Survey in Israel

This article discusses findings from the First National Survey on Elder Abuse and Neglect in Israel, conducted during 2004–2005 under the sponsorship of The Association for Planning and Development of Services for the Aged in Israel (ESHEL) and the National Insurance Institute. The goals were to examine the prevalence and severity of various forms of abuse and neglect from the victims' perspective, to examine correlates and predictors, and to develop profiles of elders at risk. Data were collected through personal interviews from a national representative sample of community urban dwellers age 65 and older, using cluster sampling techniques and sampling proportionately both Arab and Jewish elders. The sample was composed of 392 males and 650 females, 89% were Jews and 11% were non-Jews. The instrument included sociodemographic data, health and activities of daily living (ADL), a measure of safety, and a battery to examine seven types of abuse (physical, emotional, verbal, limitation of freedom, financial exploitation, sexual, and neglect). Findings indicate that 18.4% of the respondents were exposed to at least one type of abuse during the 12 months preceding the interview, the highest form being verbal abuse followed by financial exploitation. The rates were quite similar between Jews and Arabs. Women were more exposed to physical violence and Arab women were the most vulnerable. Physical, emotional, verbal, limitation of freedom, and sexual abuse occurred mostly among partners. The rates of physical, sexual, and limitation of freedom abuse, however, were relatively low. Financial exploitation was mostly inflicted by adult children. Partners as perpetrators had more chronic health problems and physical and mental disabilities. Children as perpetrators were unemployed, had various mental health problems, and were substance abusers, often in a process of separation or divorce and tended to live with the victims. Neglect in answering primary needs was found among 20% of the sample, regarding the 3 months preceding the interview. This high rate might be related to elders tending to avoid seeking help or sharing their needs with their families. When victims sought help it was mostly from medical and health services. The findings thus corroborate that elder abuse and neglect is a social problem in Israeli society and has to be addressed in policy discourse and service developments.