JAD Journal of Addiction 2090-7850 2090-7834 Hindawi Publishing Corporation 10.1155/2015/763930 763930 Research Article Alcohol and Substance Use in the Jewish Community: A Pilot Study Baruch Melanie baruchm@myumanitoba.ca 1 Benarroch Abraham abenarroch@jcfswinnipeg.org 2 Rockman Gary E. g.rockman@uwinnipeg.ca 3 Donovan Dennis M. 1 University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB Canada umanitoba.ca 2 Jewish Child and Family Service Winnipeg, MB Canada jcfswinnipeg.org 3 Department of Psychology University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, MB Canada R3B 2E9 uwinnipeg.ca 2015 16 6 2015 2015 12 05 2015 07 06 2015 16 6 2015 2015 Copyright © 2015 Melanie Baruch et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Awareness of addictions in the Jewish community is becoming increasingly prevalent, and yet, a gap exists in the literature regarding addictions in this community. Knowledge about the prevalence of addictions within Jewish communities is limited; some believe that Jews cannot be affected by addictions. To address this gap, a pilot study was conducted to gather preliminary evidence relating to addictions and substance use in the Jewish community. Results indicate that a significant portion of the Jewish community knows someone affected by an addiction and that over 20% have a family history of addiction. Future research needs are discussed.