According to statistics released by Israel’s Ministry of Health, the city of Bnei Brak has the lowest incidence of cancer in the State of Israel, the fewest smokers and the most optimism regarding their health among its residents.

The annual statistics were published in The Marker, surprising the non-frum world as it is also known Bnei Brak is at the bottom of the nation from a socioeconomic perspective and the secular community does not understand the commitment to a life of Torah and Yiddishkeit and the benefits of the modest lifestyle maintained by the Torah city’s residents have benefits the wealth and physicality of the modern cannot match.

The report states that residents of Bnei Brak are the least likely to get cancer, both men and women. There were 264 cases of cancer reported per 100,000 men, an impressively low number.

For comparison sake, in Ashdod, there were 379 cases per 100,000, a difference of 43%. The national average is 330 cases per 100,000.

Among women, the number is 264 per 100,000 women in Bnei Brak as opposed to and average of 351 per 100,000 being the highest number in some major cities.

The report addresses Israel’s 16 largest cities, those with over 100,000 residents. Bnei Brak B’chasdei Hashem stands tall, ahead of them all as 92% of the city’s residents testify their health is “good” or “very good”.

The national average of feeling about the health situation is also particularly high as we see, since only 84% of the residents of all the big cities testified that their health status was “good” or “very good”.

In a conversation with The Marker, Dr. Shlomit Avni, Director of Health Policy Planning at the Ministry of Health, said: “Bnei Brak is hinting to us high social capital and close social structures have an impact on the results.”

According to her, things that exist in the chareidi sector, such as gemachs, spiritual support, a community framework, neighbors who are interested and come to your home, are factors that we see as their impact on health outcome at the general level.”

The Fewest Smokers
In the area of smoking, Bnei Brak once again presents particularly pleasant data, and together with Beit Shemesh it is at the bottom of the scale. Only 15% of residents of Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh smoke.

The city of Jerusalem also shows low data and the rate of smokers among its residents stands at 18%. It should be noted that these low figures are mainly affected by the fact that in the chareidi sector, women do not smoke.

For the sake of comparison, the highest smoking record is the city of Rishon L’Tzion, where no less than 28% of its residents’ smoke. This figure may be indicative of the perception of the high health of Bnei Brak residents.

Additional Health Ministry data
• 379 cases of male cancer per 100,000 people in Ashdod – the highest figure
• 264 cases of male cancer per 100,000 people in Bnei Brak – the lowest figure
• 84.4 – The average life expectancy in the city of Kfar Sava – the highest
Life expectancy in all major cities
• 81.1 – Average life expectancy in the city of Bat Yam – the lowest
• 38 – The rate of obesity among children in Ashkelon (in percentages) – the highest nationwide
• The percentage of smokers in Rishon L’Tzion in percentages – the highest nationwide
• 23 – Average of smokers in all major cities (percent)
• 15 – The rate of smokers in Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh in percentages – the lowest figure
• 4.8 – Infant mortality per 100,000 births in Beersheva – the highest figure
• 0.9 – Infant mortality per 100,000 births in Kfar Saba – the lowest figure

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)