Healthy Haredim

According to the Taub Center's "A Picture of the Nation Report" which provides a statistical analysis of Israeli society and economy, chareidim in Israel enjoy relatively good health status. A comparison between Israeli cities shows that those cities characterized by large concentrations of chareidim also enjoy higher life expectancies than their socioeconomic rankings would predict. Moreover, a Central Bureau of Statistics survey found a substantially higher percentage of self-reported “very good” health status among chareidim than among other sectors. The report maintains that these data may be related to accepted parameters of social capital, that is, to attributes common among the chareidim that have a beneficial impact on individual and societal functioning. Some of these attributes are religious in nature, such as prayer and a faith-informed outlook on life, while others characterize chareidi society, i.e., close relationships with family and friends and a high degree of community involvement (as expressed through volunteering, for example).