, 1884-10-14
JEWISH IMMUNITY.
Why Jews Are Not scourged by
Cholera Like Gentiles.
A Rabbi Tells the Secret-Hygiente
and Dfetetie R~uIes-rheir
Influence on Health
and Longevity.

HOW Ih IL inlt tnr Jews IN bufNpf sfiiltI
ess from the cholera anil other infectious and
contagious dis,a-s than other nsitsr was
he question p~ropoun1ed by "a CORE
.pontent Of The Post is II owing 10 tha
Inference in their dietary system, and If -.
may It not be OF Hsrvioe TO our citi1sns 10 state
wharriu the advantage liesfr
Said Rev. DR.. Aaron S. Bettelheim. rabbi
II the Congregational Ohaval Shalonie, VIII
Nns found hard at work In the midst OF hs
extensive library OF ancient times. II am
glad TO see our secular newspaper at least
AXE sufficient interest in our race 10 seek its
snowiedgs and accumulated experience on
humanitarian propositions Let us start
rom the beginning OF his matter Charity
cnows no creed; and consequently, II speak
what history and believe 10 DO true. no Of
Tense is intended IN those who differ from
ne on religious grounds In the fourteenth
century, when the black plague was raging
n Europe, there was such a remarkable eK-
empfiun Of deaths in the Jewish race that
hey were actually accused Of poisoning the
wells and rivers to destroy the Christians.
This black plngus was imported from China
BY the Catholic missionaries, and taken into
Portugal and Spain. whence it spread
BURYING THEIR DEAD.
Unfortunately In those days, as in the
present, the Christians had the custom OF
%1urying their dead from their churches, and
.hus nided in spreading contagion. Sickness
breeds sickness. and death death. The Jews
eldom bury their lead from their churches;
md scarcely ever, except when a rabbi or a
eacher Of Il congregation dies. and never do
hey 70 when a person dies of an infectious
1r contagious disease. The last report re
seived in this city from Grand Rabbi NJ.
Vein, states that only seven out Of q popu-
.tf..t - = nnn I...1- ALL ..kn.t So. I Onn -
Christian population OF 100, 900
uccumbcd 70 the cholera. Now for the prac-
dcal causes Of tho exemption Of the Jews
rom the s%uiferfngs and deaths Of the Christ
hns-and hero let me say we are proud Of the
lame Of Jews to-day. In the days Of Abra-
iRm we were Hebrews, and subsequently
lsraelities, but now that we arc scattered
over the face Of the earth, and receive Our
tights at the hands OF our fellow-citlzens, We
IRE proud to be known as Jews Our first
aw is cleanliness. By the Mosaic law each
lew, male or female, must, on the Sabbath
1r a holiday, take a bath, and both men and
women, even In their days o flatitude, adhere
strictly TO the Levitical laws, not necessary
o be publicly mentioned, in regard to clean
illness. II CLEANLINESS is next to godliness,'
hen the Jews are certainly practicing their
religion. No Jew can or should take a meal
AAANA 'AAhAAA 49, h-AhANf AANA kaeAA Aa IN
IN acceptable prayer without thoroughly
cleansing the visible parts Of his body.
Although cleanliness Is the mainstay Of
Jewish health, let rs now turn 10 her sister
companion, diet. In a word, the dietary
avs Of our Blble are adhered to strictly at
ONE, IL not elsewhere.
ANIMAL o
A jew cannot eat animal food without its
having been properly slaughtered-that is,
The throat and jugular vein must be cut
With a sharp knife to allow the blood to dow
freely from the body Of the animal. No
meat over three times twenty-four hours old
an be eaten. While Christians may enjoy
the flavor of long hung Southdown mutton,
'gnmoy' birds and tasteful yenison, we re-
gard them as being practically in a process
IF decay, and consequently prohibited. Nor
AN we eat flesh without well washing it
with water, to prevent decay aud to purify
{. After killing the animal with "a sharp
knife, TO make death as painless as possi-
&c, .he animal has to be opened and ex-
amined by the s~lAughtsrer, the shochet.'
and tho intcstices and the inner parts closely
scrutinized. II any disease is visible, such
A. the pleuro- pneumonia, now raging in some
portions Of the country, the animal is de-
olnred 10 be 'trcphR,' or condemned AS being
unfit for food. This examination is a re
ligious commandment, and Is strictly OBJ
.ervei. Ii tho butcher Is a pious Jew, he Is
trusted by his co-religionists, and II not, or
he butcher be u Christian, the meat is
marked with n seal by the 'shochet,' and on
a piece OF paper is written the date Of
slaughtering. This mode OF killing and in
vcstigating the Intervals also extends tn
fowls aud birds OF all kinds.
II LAW or MOSES.
Turn 10 the eleventh chapter OF the book
Of Leviticus, and there you will find the
flesh, fish and fowl that Is forbidden us to
eat hat is still our ruling guide, and its
orders are followed in all true Jewish homes
A grand old lawgiver was Moses, even il he
did not invariably give his reasons for his
decisions. The fact, however, remains that
no jew has yet been known to suffer from
trichiniasis and other diseases which are de
rived from swine or hare. Studying the
chapter referred TO carefully, you will note
that the food for man selected Is based still
upon the ground of cleanliness OF the Great
ures mentioned. Professor Hufeland, in his
renowned 'Macrobiotic.i abiding 10 the
hygienic laws, points out the fact that fish
fried IN animal fat-not butter-causes
often eruptions Of the skin, and this very
hygienic w-no to bake fish in lard, etc,
is u law to-day in Judaism. To sum up our
dietary laws, II may 10 said that the meat
must first come from a healthy animal;
there must be no decay or sign OF decay,
and even the freshest meat must be washed
and sailed on all sides to kill any hidden
germs Of disease. Probably the meat placed
upon II Jews table may not b. as palatable
ns that on u Christians, but every precau-
ton is taken TO make il more wholesome.
SUBSTANTIAL REASONS.
Another point why Jews aie not 50 liable
to contagious diseases Is that, ms a rule, they
are more temperate in the Use OF stimulants
and Intoxicating beverages than Others. The
life insurance companies all prefer risks on
Jewish lives, knowing from long experience
that the average is Tor Jews from 30 10 ~
years, whilst with other nations Il is only %
TO 81. II may be mentioned, too, that the
Jews have religious laws and customs which
forbids them TO eat food mixed, milk, or but
ter. TIT hygienic object Of this has not yet
been ascertained, but from the great wisdom
displayed by Moses, there is probably some
substantial reason for the law. The TACT re-
mains that, in every progress made
in physiology and pathology. added
strength has been given to the Biblical
laws as prncticed by us. Turn TO the
twenty-third chapter OF Deuteronomy, and,
although II Is not a very pleasant subject to
discuss, you viii find that 3 800 years ago il
was announced that earth was the host disin-
feetant for camp purposes Tn Germans, a,
admitted by Gen. Malcolm, recognize this,
and. consequently, have the healthiest ar
mics OF the world Harvey but repeated the
Biblical word that life Is blood The Jew,
consequently, is forbidden by his laws 70 con-
sumo The blood Of warm. bloodsd animalsr