8-14 April

Q: How does making kiddush over wine help prevent cancer?

ABSTRACT

An obvious by-product of the ever-increasing range of life expectancy is the myriad of problems that range from chemical and medical debilitation to emotional and mental problems, such as depression, loneliness, anxiety, and fear among the elderly. The lack of purpose and meaning and a feeling of uselessness is a major problem of this demographic segment.

While rigorous scientific research has clearly identified salutary effects of religion on health, and well-thought-out hypotheses describe the mechanisms believed to impart these effects, a tremendous chasm remains-the gap between empirical findings and post hoc explanations.

Using an experimental design, we are proposing research based on informal programs and studies initiated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, under the aegis "School for the Elderly," that successfully overcome much of the aforementioned dysfunction. Through reacclimation to languages and lifestyles of their youth, the inner spirituality of elderly Jews surfaces.

A recent article in Yeshiva University's Torah and Science Journal, "Is it Healthy to be Religious?" (Goldman, 1998) describes the health benefits of certain mitsvot (commandments). Eating meat and milk together is prohibited. Eating milk and meat together lessens the antimicrobial efficacy of gastric juices. Drinking a glass of wine to sanctify the Sabbath and other holidays is a positive injunction. Resveratrol, a compound found in unusually high concentrations in grapes, "inhibits cellular events associated with tumor initiation, promotion, and progression." Observant Jewish women refrain from sexual activity during, and for a short time after, menstruation. A lower risk of endometriosis has been documented among those women observing the laws of family purity. Jews are commanded to refrain from work on the Sabbath, to disconnect from the everyday and to connect with G-d. Observing the Sabbath confers both biological and psychological benefits "…attending services at least once a week…(lowers) levels of an immune system protein, interleukin-6, associated with many age-related diseases"

BIO
Pamela Elfenbein completed an MSW at Barry College in Miami and a PhD in medical sociology at the University of Miami in Coral Gables. Since 1978 she has been involved in social work for the elderly in the Miami area. In 1999 she was appointed director of education and training for the Southeast Florida Center on Aging of Florida International University. Dr. Elfenbein is applying her professional experience and knowledge to initiate a pioneering Torah study and prayer program for the elderly in conjunction with The Shul of Bal Harbour in Miami, where she and her family are active congregants.

Elfenbp@fiu.edu

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