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Touro College South undergraduates win research awards at Barry University

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By FJN Staff

Touro College South Psychology seniors Dena (White) Ballew and Devorah (Susson) Ferster won awards of distinction for presentations made at the 13th Annual Department of Psychology Student Research Forum at Barry University. Their research on "Parental Interactions and Eating Attitudes in Middle School Children" was based on a survey of 114 of girls in a local Jewish day school and supervised by Dr. Avidan Milevsky, Chair of the Psychology Department. Their research was funded by a grant from the Dr. Edward and Judy Steinberg Center for Spirituality and Well-Being at the college. Touro College South students Deborah Shifra Niman, Atara Raab, Ruchie Gross and Alexandra Minkowitz also presented their research on "Dating Attitudes of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Women: A Qualitative Examination."


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According to the students, the dating attitudes of Ultra-Orthodox Jews have received little attention in the scientific literature. In Orthodox Judaism, young adults typically date with the goal of marriage.

"We investigated the dating habits and attitudes of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women using a qualitative analysis through an interview using 21 semi-structured questions," Minkowitz said.

Several themes were developed from the content of the interviews. Participants expressed their purpose in dating was solely to find a marriage partner and as a result, their meetings were centered around discussing life goals and plans.

"The length of time a couple typically dated before making a commitment for marriage is between 1-3 months, although subjects believed that the amount of time was flexible," said Niman. "Subjects were commonly set up with their match by a third party, and inquiries about the proposed individual was done by both sides before actually meeting. The women had little prior social contact with men before they began dating."

Religiosity was a significant consideration in choosing the partner and was a consideration in the method employed to find partners, according to the study.

"We are proud of these young women whose achievement reflects the academic excellence at our school since we opened in September 2006," said Dr. Hillel Abramson, Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Services. "Dr. Milevsky is a talented teacher and researcher who embodies our philosophy: academic rigor informed by traditional Jewish values."


Founded in 1971, Touro College has experienced phenomenal growth and is currently educating more than 23,000 students at locations in New York, Florida, California, Nevada, Jerusalem and Moscow. For information, call 305-535-1066 or visit: http://www.tourosouth.touro.edu.


Posted by FJN Staff on 04/27 at 02:00 AM • Hits: 148



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