By Pesach Benson • September 10, 2026
Jerusalem, 10 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Community structure may help explain differences in long-term longevity among Jewish Israelis, according to a new study that found kibbutz residents had substantially lower mortality than urban residents, regardless of whether their communities were religious or secular.
The findings suggest that community structure may matter for healthy aging beyond religious affiliation. They could also point to public-health strategies aimed at strengthening social networks and reducing isolation, although the study does not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
“The findings suggest that long-term mortality patterns are shaped not only by religious affiliation, but also by the broader communal and social context,” said Dr. Ronit Pinchas-Mizrachi of the Jerusalem College of Technology, who led the study. “Understanding these community-level factors may help us identify additional pathways to Healthier aging.”
The study, conducted by the Jerusalem College of Technology and Ariel University, compared mortality among More Than 1.2 million Jewish Israeli citizens over 31 years. Researchers found that religious and secular kibbutz residents had similar mortality rates despite their different religious affiliations.
The research was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Religion and Health.
Using religious kibbutz residents as the reference group, researchers found that urban non-Haredi residents had a 75% higher mortality risk, while urban Orthodox (Haredi) residents had a 27% higher risk. There was no statistically significant difference between religious and secular kibbutz residents.
Community and Mortality
The study examined four Jewish Israeli population groups: residents of religious kibbutzim, residents of secular kibbutzim, urban Haredim and urban non-Haredim.
Researchers followed 1,246,159 Jewish Israeli citizens born between 1940 and 1960. The study included 4,081 religious kibbutz residents, 1,959 secular kibbutz residents, 62,674 urban Haredi residents and 1,177,445 residents of non-Haredi urban communities.
Both kibbutz communities and Haredi communities can feature strong social networks, mutual support, shared responsibility and a sense of collective belonging. The researchers suggest that these characteristics, along with living conditions and socioeconomic resources, could contribute to differences in long-term health outcomes.
The researchers drew on data from Israel’s Population Registry, education records, the Ministry of Health and the Tax Authority to compare all-cause mortality across the four groups.
The similar mortality rates among religious and secular kibbutz residents suggest that the association with lower mortality may not be specific to religious observance. Instead, shared features of communal life could play a role.
At the same time, the study does not establish that living in a strong community directly reduces mortality. Because the research is observational, other differences between the populations may also help explain the results.
The researchers said further study is needed to assess the contribution of factors including smoking, age, gender and other individual characteristics.
The findings could have broader public-health implications by highlighting community cohesion and social support as potential factors in healthier aging and quality of life.
