Jews & Alcohol

Do Jews really drink less than other people? And if so, why? The Yale Center of Alcohol Studies last week offered some answers.

Jews may drink as much or more, but they seem to number fewer alcoholics. Of the three major U.S. religious groups, Jews have the fewest teetotalers: 13%, as compared to 21% of Roman Catholics and 41% of Protestants. Regular drinking (three or more times a week) is reported by 23% of Jews, 27% of Catholics and 13% of Protestants. But when it comes to alcoholism, Jews are virtually out of the picture. First admissions (1929-31) per 100,000 of "alcoholic psychotics" in New York state hospitals: Irish, 25.6; Scandinavian, 7.8; Italian, 4.8; English, 4.3; German, 3.8; Jewish, 0.5.

Powerful Sanctions. What causes the difference? One theory, notes Yale Sociology Professor Charles R. Snyder in Alcohol and the Jews (Free Press, Yale Center of Alcohol Studies; $5), was advanced by Philosopher Immanuel Kant: he thought that Jews clung to moderation for fear of incurring censure from the society surrounding them. A more convincing theory, Snyder believes, is the Jewish emphasis on food, "so that 'compulsive' eating is more likely to be selected as a means of alleviating psychic tensions [than] addictive drinking." He cites one psychological study showing that Jewish mothers' anxiety about their children's eating often causes the Jewish child to remain an infant, "so far as taking food is concerned, much later than other children."

The most important factor, Snyder suggests, is not how much Jews drink but how. From the eighth day of his life, when he is circumcised, the Orthodox Jewish boy is surrounded by religious ceremonies (Redemption of the Firstborn, Bar Mitzvah) that involve the drinking of wine. In addition to holy days, each Sabbath brings three Orthodox rituals involving wine. Excess is avoided because "drinking thus occurs in the presence of the most powerful sanctions in Orthodox Jewish life." If so, does drunkenness increase among Jews as they leave the Orthodox faith? Snyder's statistics indicate that there is a slight trend in this direction, particularly when Jews are exposed to strong Gentile influence.

Shikker Iz a Goy. The Yale researchers found many a Jew who stoutly denied having been brought up to believe that Jews are more temperate than Gentiles. Yet many could be prompted into remembering the old Yiddish song, Shikker Iz a Goy (Drunken Is a Gentile). Translation:

The Gentile goes into the saloon, the

saloon And drinks there a small glass of wine;

he tosses it off--his glass of wine.

Oh--the Gentile is a drunkard--a

drunkard he is, Drink he must, Because he is a Gentile . . .

The Jew hurries into the place of

prayer; An evening prayer, a short benediction

he says, and a prayer for his dead.

For--the Jew is a sober man--sober

is he . . . Pray he must, Because he is a Jew.

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