Messages dissemination regarding covid-19 by street posters: the case of the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel.

BACKGROUND

Religious minority groups posed challenges to health authorities in Western countries, by violating guidelines for fighting Covid-19, many times from lack of access to relevant health information. This phenomenon occurred among the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) population in Israel - a religious minority whose many members violated Israeli Ministry of Health guidelines, causing high rates of infection.

OBJECTIVE

The study aims to examine messages dissemination regarding Covid-19, among the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel, via an alternative-"traditional"-communication channel used by this community over the years: street posters (pashkevils).

METHOD: Thematic analysis of 20 pashkevils collected during the first year of Covid-19.

RESULTS

Findings revealed three major discourses emerging via these pashkevils: A medical support discourse, calling for compliance with medical authority guidelines; An oppositional discourse, expressing strong objection toward medical authority guidelines; and a theological discourse, explaining the pandemic in theological terms, mainly related to immodesty.

CONCLUSION

Findings provide insights regarding the ability of religious leadership to take action to influence the health of the ultra-Orthodox community by disseminating messages and controlling access to information; the intersection of communication, religion, and health; the importance of identifying communication channels unique to religious minorities in order to learn their perspectives regarding health behaviors; and to use these channels for culturally adapted information dissemination.