The Old Testament contains several deaths by suicide, and discussions of suicide permeate the Talmud1 and other early rabbinical sources. The saga of the mass suicide on Masada and the suicide of Jews during the Holocaust are major themes in the Jewish ethos. These issues extend to the modern State of Israel, a multiethnic and multicultural society challenged by major demographic shifts and mass immigrations and the constant threat of terrorism and warfare. Thus, the study of suicide in Israel has implications beyond local interest.