{"id":13356,"date":"2010-12-27T13:00:39","date_gmt":"2010-12-27T13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/eating_disorder_and_orthodoxy\/"},"modified":"2016-11-30T07:40:43","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T12:40:43","slug":"eating_disorder_and_orthodoxy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/eating_disorder_and_orthodoxy\/","title":{"rendered":"Eating Disorder and Orthodoxy"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article has been reprinted with permission and first appeared 12\/22\/10 on Jewish Women’s Archive Blog Site, Jewesses With Attitudes<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I\u2019ve never been particularly offended by the various cultural stereotypes of Jewish women that portray us being plus-sized, food-loving mamalehs<\/em>-in-the-making; as someone who falls perfectly within the parameters of this description, I tend to favor anything that lends legitimacy to my, uh, lovely lady lumps. But when it comes to Jewish women\u2019s body image, there may be a darker reality lurking out of the sight of stereotypes.<\/p>\n

Various Jewish outlets, including Jewesses with Attitude and The Forward<\/a>, have in the past given play to stories about eating disorders within the Jewish community. Last week, however, may mark the first time mainstream media has broached the topic. The Washington Post\u2019s \u201cEating disorders a problem among Orthodox Jews\u201d reports that in 1996, nearly 1 in 19 ultra-Orthodox girls in Brooklyn had a diagnosed eating disorder \u2013 a rate that was, at the time, about 50 percent higher than the national average.<\/p>\n

Because Orthodox Judaism enforces a litany of rigid food rules and restrictions \u2013 no mixing meat and dairy, a bevy of off-limits foods and brands \u2013 Orthodox women who keep strict kosher learn from an early age to resist temptation and adhere to stringent meal guidelines. For the sake of religiosity, they become experts at saying no to foods that might otherwise appeal to them \u2013 and in some cases, such as on Yom Kippur and Tisha B\u2019av, to saying no to food, period.<\/p>\n

For a great many women, keeping kosher causes no disordered eating. For others, though, Orthodoxy offers the perfect guise under which to develop anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and other serious disorders. Recognizing the high potential for trouble within the community, the Orthodox Union has undertaken outreach initiatives to educate Jewish girls and young women about the dangers of eating disorders and to help cultivate a life of positive body image. \u201cHungry to Be Heard: Eating Disorders in the Orthodox Jewish Community<\/a>\u201d is a 40-minute documentary designed to highlight the problem and educate the community on prevention and treatment.<\/p>\n

The OU isn\u2019t alone in its outreach to Jewish women on the subject of eating disorders:<\/p>\n