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Jews are a cultural and ethnic group as well as a religious group.
Historically, Jews have used alcohol in the context of religious celebrations and with family (Bales, 1946, Keller, 1979, Teller, 1989).
There has been recent speculation that Jews may have a genetic (physiological) sensitivity to alcohol that protects them from alcohol problems, but cultural and religious explanations have received the most attention (Neumark et al., 1998).
Alcohol is easily obtained in Israel , and social drinking has become more common there (Neumark, 2001; Weiss, 1999) as it has in the U.S. ; however, Jews continue to place a high value on moderation (Bales, 1946; Keller, 1979; Teller, 1989).
Alcohol problems in Israel may be growing, perhaps due to dealing with trauma from the Holocaust, increased secularization and exposure to cultures where drinking is more common, and the influx of immigrants from countries like Russia where drinking norms differ (Hasin et al., 1999; Weiss, 1988, 1995; Weiss & Eldar, 1987). Factors such as Holocaust trauma and secularization may also influence Jews in the U.S. |
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History