This article addresses child protection in close-knit religious communities. Specifically, it presents the findings of a qualitative research project that examined Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parents’ perceptions and ascribed meanings of child risk and protection based on fifty in-depth interviews with parents from Israel and the USA. Here, we hone in on one key theme that emerged from our analysis of the interviews, which the interviewees themselves referred to as ‘spiritual risk’. ‘Spiritual risk’ is a complex construct comprising the following three interrelated dimensions: (i) a decline in observance of the Torah and the commandments, (ii) violation of socio-cultural norms and rules and (iii) a decline in spiritual beliefs, including the sense of connection with G-d. In the eyes of parents, it is decline in these three dimensions that constitutes the ‘spiritual risk’ to the child. ‘Spiritual risk’ can be a consequence of parental maltreatment and can result in children and adolescents moving away from the Ultra-Orthodox religious world and leaving their community. The results of this study advocate context-informed and religious-sensitive prevention and intervention programmes. They also highlight the need to include context and religious competency in the training of professionals working with diverse communities.

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Parental love is often regarded as central to a child's well-being, although the cultureinformed and context-informed scholarship on this topic has been surprisingly limited. The present study was designed to highlight the concept of parental love from the unique perspective of Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parents. It is based on a secondary qualitative thematic analysis of 27 interviews with parents that explore the constructions, experiences and meanings they associate with the concept of parental love. The interviews were selected from a study of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parents in Israel who were asked about child risk and protection. According to the findings, love was often contrasted to risk; it was viewed as having an immunizing effect and as being core to child well-being, belonging and faith. Three major themes related to 'love' emerged: (1) the responsibility of loving your children, (2) the nature of love (or lack thereof) and (3) the religious and spiritual aspects of love. The study also stresses the importance of cultural and contextual analysis of core constructs such as 'parental love' and considers the implications of its findings for interventions with families.