The health statistics are not getting better as time goes by. In fact, they are getting worse. A study released last August and reported in the October issue of the British Medical Journal found that children born in affected areas after the Chernobyl disaster had a greater chance of developing thyroid cancer, gastrointestinal and lymphatic disorders and other radiation-related problems than those who were more than 1 year old when the reactor exploded. During the first year of life, the study found, a child is most delicate and susceptible to disease. Babies grow by leaps and bounds in the first 12 months of life.
Cells multiply rapidly.
The least amount of radiation looms large in their tiny bodies. Infants are more vulnerable. The town is easily identified along the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway because of a large brownstone that stands several stories above the white stucco houses of the village. The building is an exact replica of the Chabad headquarters in Brooklyn. Every detail has been duplicated here, down to an inscription above the white entrance.