Rituals of nonbelonging and their emotional toll: Encounters with the orthodox Jewish weddings and burials among generation 1.5 former Soviet Union immigrants in Israel

Abstract

This article examines the encounters of Generation 1.5 Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) with the Orthodox establishment within the framework of weddings and burials in Israel. These Orthodox Jewish weddings and burials are referred to here as rituals of nonbelonging and provide a lens for understanding the role of rituals in the marginalisation and exclusion of immigrants and ethnic minorities from religious and national collectives. The article argues that rituals of nonbelonging originate in the more extensive politics of nonbelonging and reflect an exclusion that provokes negative emotions among marginalised minorities due to the perceived threats to social bonds.