Why We Started Soveya

The epidemic of weight gain and obesity among children and adults continues to grow and take a dramatic toll on our health. Close to 70% of all Americans are either overweight or obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is quickly overtaking smoking as America’s leading cause of preventable death and is now among the primary risk factors for heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and even cancer.

The World Health Organization identifies obesity as a pandemic and the “biggest unrecognized health problem in the world.”

In children, excessive weight gain can be a leading cause of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and sleep apnea, in addition to a host of social and psychological issues. Discrimination, teasing, stress and low self esteem can significantly impact academic and behavioral functioning both in school and in the home. Overweight children are highly likely to become obese adults.

Unfortunately, the Jewish community is not immune to this epidemic. In fact, according to a 2003 Chicago Jewish Community Health Survey, weight gain and obesity trends among Jews parallel the national average and are sometimes even greater amongst children. With Chicago having the fifth largest Jewish population in the United States, it’s likely that these statistics are mirrored in other communities as well.

We have to look no further than our eating behavior at Shabbos meals, kiddush tables, and family celebrations to honestly ask ourselves if this is what the Rabbis really had in mind for us. Picture Maimonides standing in a tea room on Pesach or at the end of a smorgasbord - or watching our children indulge in the proliferation of candy, soda and junk food at school, shul and community events.

“Overeating is like poison for anyone and it is the primary cause of illness,” he writes in Hilchos Deios (4:15). “Most illnesses are caused either by harmful foods or overeating even healthy foods.”

And it’s not just about the physical cost.

“One who guards his mouth and tongue, guards his soul from pain,” the verse says in Mishlei (21:23): Maimonides explains that guarding one’s mouth means, “from eating harmful foods, or from overeating,” and guarding one’s tongue means, “from only speaking what’s necessary (avoiding loshon hara).”

King Solomon alludes to this very idea two chapters later (Mishlei, 23: 20-21): “Don’t be among the guzzlers of wine, among the gorgers of meat for themselves. For the guzzler and the gorger will be poor, and slumber will clothe [you] in tatters.” And Rabbeinu Bachya comments, “Such excesses lead to spiritual and intellectual impoverishment,” (translation from Stone Edition of ArtScroll Tanach).

Zakah and I created an organization, SOVEYA, specifically to raise awareness about compulsive eating and obesity in the Jewish community and the urgent need to address the situation. We know first hand how difficult it is to regain a healthy relationship with food; to lose the weight as well as the daily obsession. We encourage people to seek out solutions that work for them, including fellowships focusing on overeating.

In addition, SOVEYA provides confidential counseling for individuals and families who have found frustration and failure with other diet and weight-loss programs. We have crafted an approach based specifically on Torah principles for tshuva and healthy eating combined with proven tools adapted from recovery programs for compulsive behaviors.

As well, we have developed a Wellness Campaign for Jewish Day Schools, in which we seek to partner with parents and teachers to implement educational strategies and provide practical tools in helping create an improved wellness environment both at home and in the school.

We strive to bring crucial issues to the forefront of discussion and action amongst our Jewish brethren, and at the same time help people get a better sense of what, for many of us, is among the most difficult challenges we face – establishing a healthy relationship with food.

“V’nishmartem me’od linafshoseichem.” – “And you shall greatly guard your soul.” (Devarim, 4:15)