Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the leading Ashkenazi non-hassidic ultra-Orthodox rabbi, has told school principals in the sector that if school teachers are not vaccinated against COVID-19, they should not teach.
Kanievsky’s comments were made amid an increasing rate of coronavirus infection in the haredi community resulting largely from the reopening of ultra-Orthodox educational institutions at the start of the Jewish month of Elul on August 8.
The rabbi made his remarks in a meeting with coronavirus commissioner Dr. Salman Zarka on Tuesday. He and other leading ultra-Orthodox rabbis have repeatedly called on the haredi public to get the vaccine and booster shot.
Zarka raised the issue of unvaccinated teachers in the haredi sector, drawing particular attention to institutions for children below age 12 – children who cannot be vaccinated and who therefore are vulnerable to the virus.
According to a statement from the Health Ministry, Kanievsky said it is “forbidden” for teachers to go to work unvaccinated, and that men and women involved in education have an obligation to get the vaccine.
The rabbi added that principals should suspend any unvaccinated staff.
Kanievsky added that the general public should make every effort to protect itself from COVID-19, including adhering to Health Ministry regulations, and urged people to get the vaccine because doing so will prevent the cancellation of Torah studies and prevent illness.
According to the ministry, Zarka called on adults to get the third shot of the vaccine. He asked for Kanievsky’s blessing for the success of the current vaccination campaign at educational institutions.