"Mortality studies of ethnic and religious subgroups within a nation are of interest as they provide indicators of health differentials that may result from differences in life style and risk-factor exposures. The mortality experience of North American Jews has been documented over many years and is of particular interest because of the unusual pattern that has been observed, a crossover from relatively low rates at younger ages to relatively high rates at older ages. This study examines mortality in 1979-81 among more than 100,000 Medicare enrollees who held 22 surnames common among American Jews. The findings substantiate those of a recent mortality study of a Canadian Jewish population which indicated more rapid improvement in life expectancy among elderly Jewish than non-Jewish males, and a lessening of the relative disadvantage of elderly Jewish women."
"This article examines the growing concentration of the elderly Jewish population of the U.S. in one metropolitan region of the Sun Belt. The principal data sources used are U.S. Census counts of the population with a Yiddish mother tongue or speaking Yiddish at home, as well as 1980 data on the population of Russian ancestry. The limitations of these measures are discussed and data from local community surveys also are presented. The data show that relocation of the elderly from the North, especially to South Florida, has been occurring since the 1950s and accelerated during the 1970s. The need for further study, which may document the migration patterns of elderly members of diverse religions and ethnic groups, is pointed out."
