Jewish Bathhouse Attendants as Key Figures for the Identification and Referral of Women in Distress: Contributors to Role Perception

Abstract

Social workers often rely on non-professional community figures to identify and refer at-risk populations. One such figure is the Jewish “balanit” (plural: balaniyot), who assists women at the mikveh, a religious bathhouse for monthly purification. Mental health symptoms can come to light in this unique situation. This quantitative study drew on the feminist perspective and concept of the “moral third” to explore factors contributing to balaniyot's role perception regarding distressed women. Israeli balaniyot (N = 166) completed self-report questionnaires assessing the role perception of aiding distressed women, and independent variables relating to commitment and connectedness to the victims (organizational commitment, years of experience, workdays), and acknowledgment of suffering (knowledge of distress situations, beliefs about violence toward women). Hierarchical regression showed that more weekly workdays, higher community belonging, and greater knowledge of distress situations contributed to role perception. Moreover, among participants with low community belonging, organizational commitment was associated with lower role perception. The findings suggest that organizational commitment may conflict with community belonging, requiring balaniyot to choose between them. The study indicates the need for specialized training to increase balaniyot's knowledge of distress situations and ensure that their organizational commitment is not strengthened at the expense of their crucial capability to aid distressed women.