Revisiting the Link Between Communal Context, Religiosity and Mortality: A 31-Year Historical Cohort Study of...

Although kibbutz residents-members of collective communities-and Ultra-Orthodox Jews represent distinct segments of Israeli society, each is characterized by strong community networks and social cohesion. The extent to which these two factors are associated with long-term mortality patterns remains unclear, however. This historical cohort study compares all-cause mortality across four Jewish Israeli population groups-residents of religious kibbutzim, residents of secular kibbutzim, urban Ultra-Orthodox Jews, and urban non-Ultra-Orthodox Jews-over a 31-year follow-up period. Residents of religious kibbutzim served as the reference group in the regression models. Religious and secular kibbutz members exhibited similar mortality rates, both kibbutz groups having a lower mortality rate than urban Ultra-Orthodox and urban non-Ultra-Orthodox residents. Urban Ultra-Orthodox Jews also exhibited a lower mortality rate than urban non-Ultra-Orthodox Jews. The mortality rate parity between religious and secular kibbutz residents suggests religious observance may not serve as the primary explanatory factor for mortality divergences within highly comparable communal settings. Overall, the findings support a social-determinant framework in which (religious or secular) communal structure and social cohesion shapes long-term mortality risks.