Amid third lockdown, haredi sector must keep schools closed

Lockdowns are not a national policy just to harm people; they have a logic behind them.

By JPOST EDITORIAL
Israeli children wearing face masks make their way to school in Tzfat on their first day back to classes on November 1, 2020 (photo credit: DAVID COHEN/FLASH 90)
Israeli children wearing face masks make their way to school in Tzfat on their first day back to classes on November 1, 2020
(photo credit: DAVID COHEN/FLASH 90)
As Israel enters its third lockdown this week, millions of Israelis will see their children sent home from schools, after a year that has seen rolling lockdowns and been difficult on families and parents. The uncertainty of when the lockdown will end and whether schools will reopen leaves many people unable to work consistently or live normal lives. But there is no alternative. The government has ordered the schools closed, and people have to abide by the restrictions and regulations.
Well, almost everybody. The haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community seems to think that it is above the rules and regulations that apply to the majority of Israelis. The haredim, as Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky said on Tuesday, will keep their schools open. Based on pictures from the mass haredi weddings held this week that came out on Wednesday, there is no reason to assume otherwise.
This situation is intolerable. Not only does this send a message that some people are above the law; it also shows that the law is meaningless and that violations can go unpunished. The concept of mass health guidelines, such as social distancing, is that the more people who observe the guidelines, the less the COVID-19 virus spreads and the less likely we will need to stay in lockdown or lock down again.
Lockdowns are not a national policy just to harm people; they have a logic behind them. They keep people from moving around and interacting, and are meant to bring down the rate of infections and spread. It’s a numbers game. It saves lives.
However, when you have 10% or 20% of the school system not obeying the guidelines, then the rate of spread will continue, more people will get sick, more people will die and the lockdowns will last longer. That is the real problem with enabling some to do as they please and having rules only for other parts of the population. It’s not about punishment and coercion; it’s about making lives better for everyone.
In October, during the second lockdown, ultra-Orthodox schools reopened early. At the time, these schools were warned about violating the guidelines. Israel took a conciliatory approach, with the prime minister noting that it wasn’t possible to send police everywhere to enforce the rule of law. Religious schools follow the rulings of their rabbis, such as Kanievsky. At the time, Ronni Gamzu, the Covid “czar,” warned the Orthodox against opening schools.
School openings are not the only issue in which we have seen special rules applied for different communities. During the first lockdown, there were messages within the haredi community not to obey guidelines, and some people would go secretly to gather at synagogues. This is part of the overall distrust of the state and its institutions among some Orthodox groups.
It’s important to emphasize here that this is not a monolithic community. There are various rabbis and differences between hassidic groups and religious populations. However, the trend has been clear: large weddings and funerals that violate guidelines, schools reopening, reluctance to wear masks and synagogue gatherings.
Politicians have tried various methods of negotiation with the Orthodox rabbis, hoping to get the messaging out about the seriousness of the novel coronavirus pandemic. This has worked in some ways. Masks are more common today, and prayer in many communities now takes place outdoors.
Now we come to our third national lockdown. We need to get through this together. It is incumbent on ultra-Orthodox community leaders to close schools and send messages that support the closure of the schools for a short time, as our entire country wages the struggle against the pandemic. Our vaccination program has been recognized worldwide as a success, and the goal of the lockdown is to slow the spread of the virus as we get vulnerable people vaccinated and protected.
The hope is that we can slowly return to our normal lives. The more that our communities work together and put past controversies behind us, the faster we can overcome the danger together.
Government officials need to be examples and stand for this solidarity. In addition, we need to feel as citizens that we are all treated equally.