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| New York to shut down zip-codes heavily populated by Orthodox Jews (NYT) |
I don’t know what it is about so many of us in the Orthodox Jewish world that seem to think we know better than anyone else (even the experts) with respect to COVID.
Maybe it’s just that we are no different than much of the rest of the world and we are just tired of all of the restrictions forced upon us on the advice of health officials. Or maybe there are simply a lot of us that are not paying enough attention - and are confused by our lack of knowledge. Or we just refuse to be intimidated anymore – believing all these precautions are overkill. I think it might be one or a combination of all these reasons
What ever the reason, it’s pretty clear to me that the current spike in cases of COVID in New York is taking place mostly in areas heavily populated by Orthodox Jews. There is something about us that is causing a spike in this disease.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has issued a shutdown of sorts in all those areas – subject to the governor’s required approval. From the New York Times:
For many weeks, public health officials had expressed concern that a second wave of the coronavirus would hit New York City, which until recently had achieved striking success in beating back the outbreak after a devastating spring that left more than 20,000 residents dead.
On Sunday, with those fears growing, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an emergency crackdown, saying that he intended to impose new restrictions in 20 hot spots in Brooklyn and Queens that have been experiencing rising positivity rates...
Mr. de Blasio would close all schools — public and private — in nine of the city’s 146 ZIP codes, as well as all nonessential businesses. Indoor and outdoor dining in restaurants in those areas will not be allowed...
The nine areas have large populations of Orthodox Jews — communities where the virus has been spreading rapidly and where public health officials have struggled to persuade many residents to adhere to guidelines on mask wearing and social distancing.
Last time the Orthodox Jews were singled out there was a hue and cry from Orthodox community blaming it on subtle antisemitism. Suggesting that about both Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo.
I have no clue what is in their hearts. But if I had to guess why they did that I would say that it had nothing to do with antisemitism. It had to do with curtailing the spike.
And now we again seem to be the target. Are we going to hear screams about antisemitism? I wouldn’t be surprised. But instead of screaming antirentism as the source of their problems, organizations like Agudah fail to see or acknowledge their own part in this. More about that later.
You cannot keep crying antisemitism without it becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. You can’t blame a city worried that a spike of a highly contagious disease in one neighborhood will spread to other neighborhoods quickly if nothing is done. You can’t blame a government for trying to protect the precious young souls organizations like Agudah are so worried will suffer if the schools are closed.
I understand why they feel that way. I even agree with their reasons for keeping the schools open. The problem is the consequences of doing so. A spike in COVID cases among the young can easily spread geometrically to the rest of the population. Young people are the least likely to have symptoms and the most likely to rapidly spread COVID unwittingly via their increased viral load to the more vulnerable.
How did we get here this time? It is at this time of year Shuls are packed with worshippers for a period of 3 weeks. Masks and social distancing rules are becoming less common. In some cases not followed at all.
I realize that the the feelings expressed by organizations like Agudah genuine. They really do believe that they are being singled out as Orthodox Jews. But they are in part responsible for the spike. They have promoting compromising protective measures by insisting that there be little change in how we approach the high holidays and Sukkos. While they have insisted that precautions still need be observed, the emphasis was on the spirituality gained by attending Shuls without diluting the services.
The lessened approach is exacerbated by the fact that Shuls cannot possibly enforce or even accommodate social distancing at proper levels. Certainly not over the course of the many long hours congregants are there. And even if masks are not entirely abandoned they will be abandoned by some and improperly worn by others.
We know that Chasidim in Israel (Vizhnitz) completely ignored masks and social distancing at their Rebbe’s Tish after their Yom Kippur fast. But it is not only Chasidim in Israel .A particularly egregious example of flouting these rules, is happening in Lakewood’s BMG.
Despite BMG’s requirement that all precautions be observed – they have been totally ignored. One BMG student I spoke to over Yom Tov told me that BMG's Beis HaMedrash was packed the day before he went home for Sukkos. And no one wore masks. The students at BMG are apparently treating the whole thing like a big joke. BMG’s faculty or administration seems to be ignoring it too - if not even privately encouraging it.
The attitude there seems to be that since most cases are asymptomatic or mild - that this is all much ado about nothing. What about all the people that have died or gotten seriously ill with the disease? They blame that on underlying conditions. Their solution is that people with underlying conditions should stay home or observe all the precautions and they can go back to normal. If any of them do get sick they will survive quite nicely. What they fail to recognize is how contagious COVID is and how quickly it is spread by asymptomatic carriers with the huge viral loads that are typical of asymptomatic young people. They will spread it to the more vulnerable unknowingly.
To me that is obviously not the right approach. Why this is not obvious to them might be a combination of the faulty thinking I mentioned earlier (in the second paragraph).
Who knows who - and how many will now become infected by BMG students and like minded students from other Yeshivos that have come home as unknowing carriers ?
This is not rocket science.
It is not antisemitism driving shut downs in Orthodox areas. We are our own worst enemy. We ought to be looking in the mirror before we blame others for our problems.
I don’t know how many times I have to repeat this message – or in how many different ways. But as the news keeps coming out as fast and furiously as it has, I am going to keep doing it until things change. Because somebody on the inside of Orthodoxy ought to be telling the truth.
