Superdiversity in Israel: the relationship of religious and ethnic diversity and sense of belonging among boundary-crossing teachers

ABSTRACTBoundary-crossing teachers are teachers who work in schools with different cultural characteristics than their main belonging group. Fifty-six Israeli teachers who identified themselves as religious teachers in secular schools and 41 teachers of different ethnic origin than most other teachers responded to open-ended questions in an online questionnaire. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed that social and professional connections contribute to teachers’ sense of belonging in the two groups. Teachers of different ethnic origin noted ethnic jokes and various cultural norms as contributing to a sense of otherness, while religious teachers noted the issues of religious practices and the political tensions around religion. The research sheds light on the diversity of diversity, how the sensitivities of each minority group lead to feelings of otherness while the same common good leads to a sense of belonging.KEYWORDS: Teachersreligiosityethnic originidentitydiversity Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1. A Jewish holiday marking the wheat harvest and the revelation of the Torah to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai.2. A set of dietary laws about the foods that Jews are permitted to eat, and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law.3. ‘Saturday’, the holy Jewish day of rest.4. A group of Jewish laws pertaining to conduct and outward appearance reflecting modesty and discretion.5. Jewish law and custom prescribe ritual hand washing in a number of situations, generally known by the Hebrew term (netilat yadayim).6. Homeroom teachers in schools in Israel fulfil a unique position. They are the classroom managers in charge of students’ communication with parents and with the teachers of the different subjects. They are responsible for all the social activity, and they are the primary teachers that students are supposed to turn to when they encounter any difficulty whether administrative or social-emotional.7. An institute or school for the intensive study of Hebrew for new immigrants to Israel.Additional informationNotes on contributorsShahar GindiDr. Shahar Gindi is a senior lecturer and a researcher at Beit Berl College as well as a clinical and school psychologist. He has published in different areas relating to psychology, education and program evaluation. His primary research interests are teachers' handling of Controversial Political Issues (CPI) in class and minority teachers. He heads the “Dialogue Coaching Hub” at Beit Berl college alongside Rakefet Erlich Ron.Rakefet Erlich RonRakefet Erlich Ron holds Ph.D in Sociology. Lecturer at Beit Berl Academic College. Serves as head of the Excellence Program and pedagogic instructor training teachers in the secondary school track. Rakefet teaches courses in sociology and sociology of education. Her research investigates different sociological issues in Israel including gender, interaction between cultures and their connection to society through consumerism. Her fields of research include the sociology of Israeli society, gender, cross-cultural interactions, and consumerism. She heads the “Dialogue Coaching Hub” at Beit Berl college alongside Shahar Gindi.