According to a Ynet report, Deputy Minister of Health (Yahadut HaTorah) Yaakov Litzman opposes early cancer detection screening, responding when asked for his opinion, “I will say Tehillim instead”.
The report continues that early detection ads by organizations seeking to increase cancer awareness are routinely rejected in chareidi publications in Eretz Yisrael since “rectum” is not a modest word and “cancer” is taboo. The matter was raised by one organization that is trying to increase early detection awareness in the chareidi tzibur.
Dr. Shmuel Lefkowitz, who heads the “Prevention Order” organization, explains he diagnoses ten new cases of colon cancer daily, and five of those patients will die because detection was too late. His organization is working to increase testing among 50-75-year-olds to prevent the disease from taking the alarming toll it does today. He explains in the age group mentioned, testing is only done by about 20%, and that number is significantly lower among chareidim and Arabs. He adds that he has called on Litzman to set a personal example by having a colonoscopy, to which he stated “I will recite Tehillim instead”.
Health ministry officials in Litzman’s office declined to comment, but added the minister is well aware of the good work carried on by the organization as well as being aware that reciting Tehillim is not a replacement for early detection, adding any seeking to interpret the minister’s words different is simply making a mistake.
The organization remained undeterred and decided to bypass the chareidi media by using the age proven media, pashkavilim. They pashkavilim were carefully worded to avoid use of any controversial words or terms, and posted, but they were torn down almost as quickly as they were posted.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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16 Responses
These are the new dark ages.
That’s not being “chareidi”. That’s just plain irresponsible. Hashem gave us the intelligence to come up with testing for early detection. We are supposed to take care of our health!
Bring on the MIDDLE AGES..
For many types of cancer, it is unclear if the testing is worth the trouble (measured by life expectancy of those who are tested versus life expectancy of those whose aren’t). It should also be remember that some types of cancer are much more common among hilonim than among us (or for that matter, among the Arabs) due to certain aspects of the hiloni lifestyle we can’t discuss here.
To a certain extent, those who profit by the testing are “pushing” their product beyond would might be considered reasonable.
Saying one is relying on “tehillin” if true would not be halachicly correct. Telling a hiloni newspaper reporter that is a way of telling him off. Giving him/her/it an explanation of the economic dubiousness of much cancer testing, often combined with reduced access to free care, would be too boring a response – even if it would be a correct one.
Very appropriate that this story appears only two news stories after the “only an idiot…..” one.
I used to work for a Charedi Women’s health organization called Beit Natan and I used to call women and try to convince them to do a memography
We had many Rabbonim from different sectors of the Isralei Charedi community who very much supported our work- but I can not say that ALL rabbonim were supportive
If I am not mistaken, Listsman is a Gerrer Chasid and maybe his Rebbe is against – does anyone know?
My mother is dying of cancer which, if our NHS (public health) doctor had detected sooner, might have been treatable.
Hard cases make bad laws but I find this ‘rabbi’s’ remarks extremely offensive.
Thank G-d I live in Britain so I don’t have to vote for clowns like this.
G-d help those who do.
Anyone who thinks “colon” and “rectum” are not tznius words in the context of cancer detection is an ignorant buffoon.
Number 7 these Rabbanim are not voted upon they just are because of family ties. Not sure what the point of this aritcle was other than doesnt the torah say not to really on miracles and that we need to do our histadlus i am not saying early detection work but we need to what we need to do then Hashem will help us.
Colo-rectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers. In the vast majority of cases it begins with polyps.
During a routine colonoscopy the polyps can be removed even before they become cancerous.
Jews have a higher incidence of colo-rectal cancer than non-Jews. Not being screened is foolish.
#4 Baloney
The test of Colon is a super winner to notice fibroids, growths and is an indicator of the what is ahead. It has been proven medically and the statisitics of survivors is high.
#4
All cancers are possible and probable in all sectors of society. Breast, Lung, Colon, Blood, Bone, Prostate Cancer cells travel and can be found in any organ or system. Where it begins is not where it can end up.
Proactive and preventive care is a requirement from the Torah, Litzman can do what he desires EXCEPT when you represent the Health Ministry there are actions that should be modeled for others to follow or don’t take the position as ‘Head of Health Ministry’.
It is hardly a “slam dunk” that mass screenings have a good outcome. Apparently they often find false positives which are claimed as “finds”, but if left along wouldn’t be fatal. Tests comparing impact of testing on lon gterm survival, comparing tested versus untested, are less convincing. One needs to remember such tests are expensive and in some cases dangerous (often involving surgical procedures that can go wrong, or use of cancer causing radiation). Remember, the issue is whether someone should be screened absent any symptoms. Programs that test people with symptoms, or in which the test’s “positive” shows something that might be cancerous but might not, don’t prove the worth of screening. The effective question is to compare random groups of people with no symptoms, and compare long term impact on the tested and the non-tested.
There is fairly strong evidence, widely reported, that screening for prostate cancer has no impact. Some cancers, such as Cervical cancer, are rare among frum Yidden (indeed, the disease was diagnosed as sexually transmitted when they compared frum and frei Jews in Israel). There have been suggestions that childless women are more likely to end up with breast cancer than women that have nursed, which obviously affects frum women more than seculars since many of the latter are childless. There is an active debate if survival rate even for colon cancer is affected by testing people without any symptoms (apparently many of the people they “save” wouldn’t have come down with cancer anyways – which is why unscreened random populations don’t do all that worse than tested non-symptomatic populations).
If long term survival rate is unaffected, it isn’t so dumb to skip mass screenings. And saying “tehillin” is just a cocky response to yet another annoying hiloni, not a sign of ignorance.
Please tell me this is a joke, if not you can stop all those OTD discussions, because attitudes like this are the main reason.
Something here is wrong because we have the mitzvah of unishmartem es nafshoseichem!
Another simple test for women is to ask for CA125 when doing annual bloodwork. This test is marker for ovarian issues.
kuperma,,,,give up; your info especially regarding the Women’s cancers is out dated.
Ovarian, Cervical and Breast are all connected. When visiting Sloan Kettering, the no. of religious women with breast cancers (ovarian/cervical) is overwhelming.