"אתה לא רב, אתה רק אבא": סיפורי חיים של נשים, בנות לאבות-רבנים, במגזר הדתי-לאומי

Background: Fatherhood is a growing field of research in Israel. Studies in the world and in Israel highlight the important role of fatherhood constructions among different cultural groups. However, fatherhood in the context of the national religious society has not been explored in Israel.Aim: This article examines the role of fathers who are rabbis in shaping the life stories of their daughters in national religious society in Israel.Method: The article is based on narrative qualitative research conducted among 13 women, all daughters of rabbis. The study examined the participants' descriptions of their fathers' presence in shaping their life stories. Findings: The study findings reflect the fathers' centrality in shaping the participants' identities and life trajectories. The participants' life stories combine conflicts in relation to the father and his rabbinic role with a longing for his presence and closeness. Theoretically, the findings reinforce the notion that fatherhood is a dynamic construction influenced by different cultural and religious contexts.Conclusions: The findings of the study confirm the fathers' centrality in the development of their children's identity. The study challenges classic psychodynamic perceptions that underestimate the father's role in child development. The findings also reinforce the notion that fatherhood is a dynamic historical construct influenced by culture, gender, and religious contexts.Implications for practice: The findings of the study highlight the need to integrate fathers into intervention programs, social services, and social policies, as well as the need to develop an agenda that integrates research among fathers as a key aspect of research on families, children, and youth in different cultural contexts.