Weighing in on obesity in the frum community
Jewish Action: A recent study found that those who participated in frequent religious activities were 30 percent more likely to be obese than those who didn’t, with one possible explanation related to the emphasis on food at religious events. Especially in the Jewish frum community, “making time for things like exercise is very difficult,” said Mendel Singer, associate professor of public health and director of the Jewish Community Health Initiative. “Frum women’s lives are overwhelming. And the men are always being told they need to be learning every spare minute. With work, doing homework with the kids, going out and learning in the evening—when do you exercise? And where do you exercise? Co-ed gyms are out for many Orthodox people.”