Robert Jütte: "Jews and Health: Historical Facts, Opinions, Beliefs, and Prejudices"

Research presentation by Robert Jütte, University of Stuttgart.

Abstract:

Almost no other religion pays so much attention to physical health as Judaism. Discussion about the health advantages of being a Jew which started well before the 19th century contradicts the anti-Semitic equation of sickness and Judaism, both literally and figuratively. Jewish doctors and rabbis participated in this discussion, but so did non-Jews who realized that Jewish preventive health measures not only confirmed new scientific information but also had a certain exemplary character. This meant reducing Mosaic law to practices relevant to daily life that could be scientifically interpreted and justified. A larger goal was also reached in the process: liberating Judaism from the interpretive monopoly of the rabbinate and thereby modernizing it. In this context, the Biblical and Talmudic laws came to be viewed as the archetype of a healthy living.