Chapter 10: Eating Disorders in The Orthodox Jewish Community

In 2010, media outlets began to report a concerning increase in eating disorder (ED) pathology among Orthodox Jewish adolescent females (Kennedy, 2010; Rabin, 2011). Within the more Orthodox denominations of Judaism, some assume that the insularity of Orthodox community members, their separation from secular society, and their level of religious observance confer protection from ED risk. Even when EDs are identified in such communities, stigma associated with mental illness and distrust of secular institutions make Orthodox Jewish individuals less likely to seek mental health treatment (Popovsky, 2010; Schnall et al., 2014). As a result, the Jewish community, specifically the ultra-Orthodox (UO) Jewish community, remains an underserved population in need of specialized ED services (Schnall et al., 2014). This chapter offers insights and recommendations for increasing access to care for Jewish populations and adapting intervention efforts to meet Jewish patients’ religious, cultural, and spiritual needs.