Max Stern Yezreel Valley College

This study examines the complex dynamics of resistance and institutional constraints faced by Israeli journalists covering climate change. Through 25 in-depth interviews with journalists and columnists conducted in 2021, the research employs Shoemaker and Reese's Hierarchy of Influences model to analyze how multiple forces shape-and often impede-climate crisis coverage in Israeli media. The findings reveal a significant struggle between journalists' recognition of the crisis's urgency and various institutional forces that minimize its coverage. These forces operate across multiple levels: from organizational pressures and editorial constraints to broader sociopolitical influences that marginalize climate coverage. The study identifies three primary forms of resistance: individual strategies including strategic framing and "guerrilla journalism," collective organizing through professional networks and training initiatives, and institutional negotiations aimed at structural change. This research contributes to our understanding of journalistic agency and resistance within constraining institutional frameworks, while illuminating the specific challenges faced by climate journalists in a media ecosystem dominated by security discourse. The findings suggest that while journalists' resistance strategies demonstrate remarkable creativity and commitment, they face substantial structural barriers that require systematic institutional reform for effective climate crisis coverage.

Nationalism can significantly affect how military operations are perceived and conducted. Israel faced military risks since its establishment, while Japan has enjoyed peace for 70 years, but recent geopolitical changes have heightened perceptions of military risk. We therefore conducted a survey to examine how Japanese participants evaluate military policies and personal attributes. The results reveal a positive relationship between nationalism and support for both defensive and offensive military policies, while patriotism was less influential. To examine the robustness of our findings, we used data collected after a 2021 military conflict in Israel that showed a similar connection between nationalism and military actions. The findings suggest that nationalism plays an important role in shaping public attitudes towards military operations, even in countries with differing levels of conflict experience.

This study investigates online health information sources and eHealth literacy among older adults and explores a model examining mediating health behavior factors on the relationship between eHealth literacy, physical well-being, and quality of life in seniors. A cross-sectional design was employed using a convenience sample of 502 Israeli seniors aged 65 and above. The questionnaire comprised five sections: background characteristics, eHealth Literacy, Older People's Quality of Life, Health Behavior Inventory, and physical well-being. Seniors primarily used Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), general Google searches, and official government health websites for online health information. No significant differences were found in eHealth literacy levels between seniors who used reliable sources and those who used unreliable sources. Structural equation modeling revealed that higher eHealth literacy was associated with better use of health resources, adherence to healthy diets, and improved physical well-being and quality of life. These health behaviors partially mediated the relationship between eHealth literacy and well-being outcomes. While seniors use a mix of reliable and unreliable online health information sources, eHealth literacy levels do not significantly differ based on source reliability. Higher eHealth literacy predicts better health behaviors such as the appropriate use of health resources and adherence to healthy diets, which, in turn, lead to improved physical well-being and quality of life.

Despite abundant evidence that the admission of an infant to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a highly stressful and potentially traumatic experience for both infants and parents, few psychosocial interventions target the needs of parents of NICU infants. In particular, interventions supporting parents beyond the initial medical crisis are notably lacking. Relational savoring (RS) is a brief, positive psychology intervention that attunes one's focus to moments of positive connectedness within their relationships, including parent-child relationships. While the benefits of RS for parent-child dyads are well documented, its efficacy has not been evaluated in parent-child dyads facing significant relational stressors, such as those experienced in post-NICU contexts. Using a randomized controlled design, this study tests the effects of RS compared to a neutral control in 240 post-NICU parents in the United States. Parents reported on their closeness to their child, parental emotional well-being, and parental satisfaction before and after the intervention, as well as their history of perinatal loss and stress. Results of multilevel models suggest that, relative to a neutral control task, parents assigned to the RS intervention group exhibited significantly greater increases in feelings of closeness to their child, parenting satisfaction, and parental emotional well-being. Interestingly, the reduction in negative affect pre- to post-intervention was more pronounced for parents with a history of miscarriage, stillbirth, child loss, and/or fertility difficulties. These findings suggest that RS may represent a scalable intervention to support parent-child relationships and parental well-being in the post-NICU period, particularly for parents with prior perinatal loss and stress.

PurposeThis study examines work experiences of people with visible physical disabilities, focusing on their social integration in organizations, an area receiving limited attention in academic literature, particularly in Israel.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data were collected through semistructured in-depth interviews with 19 employees with visible physical disabilities (vision, hearing and limb disabilities).FindingsThree central themes emerged: (a) "accessibility before everything," describing the importance of organizational accessibility for professional and social functioning, (b) "there is someone to talk to," focusing on employee-employer relationships and their effect on work routines and (c) "the person beyond disability," emphasizing employees' active contributions to their own social integration.Practical implicationsThese findings provide essential information for policy makers and employers to develop targeted inclusion programs. Organizations can benefit from creating accessible environments not only physically but socially, with management taking active roles in modeling inclusive behaviors while empowering employees with disabilities to advocate for their needs.Originality/valueThis study broadens the perspective on diversity and inclusion in organizations by drawing attention to the social aspects that must be considered when employing individuals with visible physical disabilities. It reinforces the findings of Novak and Rogan (2009) and applies contact theory as a theoretical framework for analyzing workplace integration. Moreover, the study challenges prevailing assumptions that individuals with disabilities are passive or lack influence over their social status within the organization. Instead, it offers a critical lens on the mutual interaction between environmental and personal factors as essential for fostering effective workplace.