Practices in synagogues regarding Jewish genetic disease education.

Approximately one in three Ashkenazi Jews are carriers for an autosomal recessive Jewish genetic disease (JGD). However, studies indicate that most Jews are uneducated on this topic and obstetricians do not routinely offer carrier screening to Jewish patients. Both the Reform and Conservative movements of Judaism call for JGD education to take place within the synagogue; however, little is known about the extent of this education occurring today. An online survey was created for Reform and Conservative rabbis to assess the types of JGD education taking place within the synagogue. Additionally, the survey included questions to assess JGD knowledge and possible factors that could predict counseling activity and knowledge level. Of the 94 participants, 91% had provided education about JGDs to congregants, with 98.8% providing this education during premarital counseling sessions. For most respondents, explaining recessive inheritance pattern and carrier screening was the extent of the discussion. Additionally, the majority of rabbis scored below 50% on the knowledge portion of the survey, with an average score of 1.9/4. There were no statistically significant differences between JGD education in Reform vs. Conservative synagogues, and there were no statistically significant predictors of knowledge score or JGD education frequency. In conclusion, while the number of rabbis discussing this topic is encouraging, discussion topics were found to be limited and their knowledge of JGDs was found to be poor.

Why the Focus of Clerical Child Sexual Abuse has Largely Remained on the Catholic Church amongst Other Non-Catholic Christian Denominations and Religions.

The current study considers reasons for the consistent focus of academic research and mainstream media on clerical child sexual abuse (cCSA) largely within the Roman Catholic Church, seeming to ignore cCSA in other Christian denominations and religions. This study includes an analysis of traditional mainstream media and case reports on cCSA in non-Catholic churches and other religious faiths. The authors highlight the inadequacy of research and identify a wide range of gaps in this so far neglected area. Commonalities of cCSA and institutional responses are identified across denominations and religions, and reasons for the apparent over focus on the Catholic Church are discussed. The mains potential reasons identified were: (a) the centralized nature of the Church's universal organizational stature and management structure; (b) the anti-Catholic political and media bias in Protestant-dominated developed countries; (c) secular legal systems with access to powerful lawyers and insurance companies to locate responsibility at organizational level in order to seek compensation and finally; (d) the organized institutional power exercisable by respective bishops to silence victims. Future research needs to move beyond analysis of existing academic literature, press, and case review reports to comparative empirical studies across denominations and religions.

Characteristic Changes and 3D Virtual Measurement of Lung CT Image Parameters in the Drowning Rabbit Model.

OBJECTIVES: To use virtual anatomy technique in the analysis of post-mortem characteristic changes of CT images in the experimental drowning rabbit model and the related parameters in 3D virtual model, so as to explore its application value in the diagnosis of drowning in forensic pathology. METHODS: A model of drowning rabbits was established, with animal models of hemorrhagic shock and mechanical asphyxia as the controls. CT scan was performed on the experimental animals, and the differences in imaging features between the groups were compared by morphological reading of the tomographic images. CT data were imported into Mimics 14.0 software for 3D modeling. The CT values and lung volumes were calculated by the software, and the differences on CT values and lung volumes brought by different causes of death were analyzed. RESULTS: The CT images of lungs in the drowning group showed characteristic ground-glass opacity （diffuse and uniform density increase）. There were no obvious abnormalities in hemorrhagic shock group, and only a few similar changes were found in the mechanical asphyxia group. Compared with the controls, the CT values and the lung volumes in the drowning group were significantly increased P<0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Based on post-mortem lung imaging, the combination of CT value and lung volume changes can effectively reflect the virtual anatomical features in drowning, and provide a diagnostic basis for the forensic identification of drowning.

Sexual grooming processes carried out by offending rabbis toward religious men and their families.

BACKGROUND: Research regarding sexual grooming in cases of sexual abuse by religious authorities (SARA) is limited, despite the assumption that many SARA cases go unreported. To the best of our knowledge there is no research regarding sexual grooming committed by rabbis who sexually abused Israeli Jewish religious men. OBJECTIVE: The present study examined how Israeli religious SARA victims and their family members experienced sexual grooming carried out by offending rabbis. METHODS: Based on a constructivist-phenomenological paradigm, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 formerly and/or currently still religious men who had been sexually abused by rabbis in their adolescence, and 14 of their family members. RESULTS: In comparison to the Sexual Grooming Model (SGM), findings showcased that unlike other kinds of sex offenders, offending rabbis incorporated religious elements throughout the grooming process. Additionally, offending rabbis used different grooming tactics than did Catholic priests (e.g., offering joint religious studies with victims' family members; using religion to justify sexual discourse and contact). CONCLUSIONS: The findings expand the SGM, enable a more complex understanding of the grooming processes in SARA, and emphasize the importance of further research focused on increasing the ability to use the SGM for detecting and preventing grooming behaviors.

The religious implications of being sexually abused by a rabbi: Qualitative research among Israeli religious men.

BACKGROUND: Clergy perpetrated sexual abuse (CPSA) is a widespread phenomenon, with many consequences for the victims. To the best of our knowledge, no research has focused on the religious consequences for Israeli Jewish religious men who were sexually abused by rabbis in their adolescence or emerging adulthood. OBJECTIVE: To describe the implications of CPSA for the religious faith, practice, and attitude towards rabbis among sexually abused Israeli religious men. METHODS: Based on a constructivist-phenomenological paradigm, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with eight formerly and/or currently still religious men who had been abused by rabbis. RESULTS: Three main themes regarding religious consequences, emerged from the findings: the impact of CPSA on the religiosity of the victims; the effect of being sexually abused by a rabbi on victims' attitudes toward other rabbis; and the process of finding a new rabbi after the abuse. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study opens a window onto the complex nature of this type of sexual abuse and its religious consequences. The unique findings regarding the range of religious implications are not consistent with previous studies about Christian victims. These findings contribute to the understanding of this distinctive form of abuse, for establishing intervention techniques that will assist the victims and for additional research.