Home and away: volunteering among ultra-Orthodox men in Israel

Abstract

Purpose

Religious minority groups often enjoy strong support systems and high levels of trust, providing for volunteering within the community, but under what conditions are members of these groups likely to volunteer outside their community? Or, would they prefer the security, intimacy and commitment to their own communities. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

To answer this question, the authors examine the motivations of ultra-Orthodox young men who volunteered for National Civil Service in Israel, and compare the choices of volunteer frameworks: separatist-religious volunteering within the community compared to volunteering in secular institutions outside the community.

Findings

The authors associate the interest and motivations with different types of social capital, “bonding” and “bridging.”

Research limitations/implications

Research based on one case study.

Practical implications

Guidelines for encouraging volunteering among closed groups.

Social implications

Understanding of motivations and concerns among religious groups.

Originality/value

An original study of a relatively new phenomenon.

Citation

Malchi, A. and Ben-Porat, G. (2018), "Home and away: volunteering among ultra-Orthodox men in Israel", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 38 No. 5-6, pp. 411-425. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-06-2017-0086