Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality discusses ultra-Orthodox women's health

According to MK Aliza Lavie's words, health conditions among ultra-Orthodox women are the lowest in Israel society, and there are barriers denying them access to treatment and reducing their awareness of health issues.

20/11/2014 16:24

Tags: Yael German · Aliza Lavie · Kolech · Bishvilaych · Health · women · orthodox judaism

Israeli ultra-Orthodox women suffer from neglect in the field of health, said MK Aliza Lavie, Chairwoman of the Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality, during a Knesset discussion. According to her words, health conditions among ultra-Orthodox women are the lowest in Israel society, and there are barriers denying them access to treatment and reducing their awareness of health issues. Thus far, these barriers have received no public attention. Dr. Lavie’s comments were made during last week’s Committee meeting on the Status of Women.

Racheli Ibenboim, executive director of the Meir Panim charity organization for the poor, encouraged the committee to have this discussion on the matter of health neglect and lack of medical awareness. “Five years ago,” Ibenboim related, “my husband's mother turned 50, and he suggested she have her colon checked by a doctor. They consulted our Chassidic Rebbe on this matter, and he said ‘Do not have a checkup.’ My dear mother-in-law died three years ago from colon cancer. There are 400,000 Orthodox women in Israel, and we have no comparative data on their health. I expect the Ministry of Health to provide this data.”

Dr. Hannah Kehat, founder of ‘Kolech: Religious Women's Forum’, related that 14 years ago she spoke with the Ministry of Health statistician, who informed her that the death rate from breast cancer among ultra-Orthodox women is 30% higher than the average, and their life expectancy is the lowest in Israel.

“Since that time, we have begun to address the issue, but there is not enough data and no budget,” said Kehat. “In 2009, two studies were published, ours and one from the School of Public Health, proving a definite connection between a birthrate of more than four children and the mother’s health, which falls sharply. We conducted a survey through the Prime Minister's office and discovered a close relationship between the number of children, the age of the mother when she gives birth, and serious health problems.”

Ultra-Orthodox people must receive approval from the Great Rabbis of the Generation. They told me, ‘Don’t tempt fate - If I seek disease, I will find it’.

Sara Siemiatycki, founder of Bishvilaych: Women's Medical Center, said that the high breast cancer mortality rate among ultra-Orthodox women is associated with a lack of awareness, which would otherwise lead to early detection of the disease, and the ultra-Orthodox women’s need to get approval from their rabbis to have a medical checkup.

“Ultra-Orthodox people must receive approval from the Great Rabbis of the Generation. They told me, ‘Don’t tempt fate - If I seek disease, I will find it’. So I went to the Great Rabbis, and within two weeks I received their consent, and they encouraged me to open an NGO that would encourage women to detect the early stages of breast cancer," said Siemiatycki. "Since then, mammogram rates have increased by 33%."

The ultra-Orthodox Site 10 reports that after the hearing MK Lavie turned to Health Minister Yael German, and asked her to work on improving the situation. MK German pledged to address this issue as soon as possible.