Israel: why ultra-Orthodox Jews were the most rebellious of restrictions

JERUSALEM: This is not the first time that the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, 12% of Israel’s 9.3 million people pose threat to care and distancing guidelines urged by the government to keep the Coronavirus pandemic.

As the vaccination campaign progresses successfully in Israel and various restrictions have already started to be lifted, various ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities They even refuse to be vaccinated because for them the virus is confronted with prayer and the fulfillment of religious duties.

In the pilgrimage that celebrates the Jewish holiday of Lag Ba ‘Omer, on Mount Merón, during which a tragic stampede took place this Thursday with at least 38 dead, authorities had authorized the presence of 10,000 people, although local media reported that there were at least 100,000, many of whom were ultra-Orthodox.

Last year, at the height of the pandemic, when the vaccination plan had yet to begin, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish quarter of Me’a She’arim in Jerusalem, reacted with resistance, even violence, to the country’s strict social distancing rules.

More recently, when the restrictions had not yet been lifted, in protest against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu Because the places of worship remained closed, some rabbis decided reopen religious schools, organize weddings and funerals with hundreds of people, provoking confrontations with the police.

Ultra-Orthodox or Haredi Jewish communities are a diverse population, with different spiritual and cultural practices. But they all follow the Halajá, which can be translated as Jewish law. As such, many do not share the same modern sources of information.

According to the rules of your rabbis, Internet access, television broadcasts and some cell phone functions are generally limited in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities.

By prioritizing your closeness to God and moving away from the secular world many haredis haven’t watched the news for months on the spread of the virus around the world. Some Haredi leaders have argued that Getting together to pray and study the scriptures was always essential. Haredi men usually meet to pray three times a day. Students of yeshivas, or Jewish seminars, can spend 18 hours a day studying together.

The importance of engaging in Torah explains why a prominent rabbi in Israel insisted last year that “canceling Torah study is more dangerous than the coronavirus.”

During this Lag Ba’Omer festival, it is customary to visit the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the city of Meron in northern Israel.

THE NATION