Although the tendency among ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Jews, including teachers, rabbis, parents, and institutions, to present boys with cigarettes on the Purim holiday and their bar mitzvah has lessened, the deadly practice still continues.
The practice is meant to show the boys that “they have become a man” or to do unaccustomed things on the holiday.
Ahead of Purim, the Israel Cancer Association (ICA) calls on public figures here to refrain from distributing cigarettes to children at Purim events. “Public figures have a heavy responsibility that obligates them to act as much as they can to prevent the continuation of the serious phenomenon of smoking on Purim. It is essential to understand that even a one-time experience with regular cigarettes or electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) among children and teenagers is a slippery slope and a dangerous gateway to the world of chronic smoking for all its serious harm to health.
Youngsters are physiologically and psychologically vulnerable to starting smoking because the brain is still in the process of development and learning processes. This is why addiction to smoking products such as cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, which is a form of learning a new habit, is faster and stronger with age,” the ICA said.
'Like giving a child a dose of rat poison'
“Cigarette smoke contains about 7,000 different chemicals, including about 350 toxic substances whose effects are evident in various body systems. About 70 of them are known carcinogens such as benzene, formaldehyde, cadmium, benzopyrene, and tar, so giving a child a cigarette on Purim is like giving a dose of rat poison.”
The ICA stressed that “almost every hour, one Israeli dies as a result of diseases caused by active or passive smoking. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also increases the risk of tuberculosis, eye diseases, immune system problems, and rheumatoid arthritis. Smoking is a known cause of impotence in men and fertility problems in women.”
As for e-cigs, the ICA declared that “because of the colorful appearance and the sweet smell, in many cases, the children, teenagers, and also their parents fail to understand that an e-cig can cause significant health damage and physical and mental dependence. This is an addiction to a smoking product that is dangerous to health.”
Throughout the year and around the country, the ICA carries out an extensive outreach program on the topic of smoking prevention – distributing free stickers and informative leaflets about the many dangers of smoking and ways to quit the habit that is based on scientific studies, as well as copies of the halachic ruling on smoking.
To book a lecture, contact the publicity, information, and health-promotion department through the website of the ICA at www.cancer.org.il.