Last night, the headlines screamed about the number of ultra-Orthodox infections and that a lockdown should be imposed on Bnei Brak. The style on social media became, in part, anti-Semitic and in part, explaining and justifying. Each from his own position, but perhaps this is the concept - the Yom Kippur War of the ultra-Orthodox society. .
The mayor of Bnei Brak said not to impose a lockdown on the city because it would be a death blow. There will be no ghetto in Bnei Brak, he said. Interior Minister Rabbi Aryeh Deri also decided that there would be no lockdown.
On the other hand, the Minister of Public Security said live that there will be increased enforcement in Bnei Brak, because there is no choice: the data shows a significant source of infection in Haredi concentrations, but not only.
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And if everyone speaks from a position, then I want to share my position with you.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have been volunteering more as an MDA paramedic, along with volunteers, regardless of religion, race, or social status. Both at MDA's coronavirus hotline and mainly in the field.
I want to share with you some of my insights:
A. Yesterday, people in Bnei Brak finally got the message. The streets are empty, everyone is at home, there are police on Rabbi Akiva Street and even photographers who came to document the event. There is an internalization of the danger, but only in two weeks will the health system be able to assess whether this behavior has any significance or whether we have already delayed the train to Bnei Brak.
B. Most of the calls from me and my friends from Bnei Brak, according to the visa we received from Magen David Adam, are about fear of the coronavirus, and that means as a volunteer that you have to protect yourself. Wearing those white suits, arriving at homes with people who are worried and afraid that they are carriers of the virus, and all that goes through your mind is: Am I fully protected and am I not bringing the virus home to me? After all, I have a family and children.
C. And this is the most painful part for me as an ultra-Orthodox - the way the public behaved at the beginning is the source of the problem today. Because it is difficult to scare the ultra-Orthodox public, which by definition has a leader who tells it what to do, and as long as Rabbi Chaim said "God forbid," then a hyper-Orthodox Jew does not need to reflect on him, because that is what he was raised on.
D. I do want to reflect on the grandson who presents the question to one of the greats of the generation (whose feet I am), and claims: If the grandson had some understanding of the magnitude of the danger, the question would have been different from the beginning, and there is no doubt that the answer would have been different. And the evidence that the audience at Rabbi Chaim's house decided right from the beginning, and rightly so, that he is in a risk group.
E. The Prime Minister apparently recognized the danger in time, issued emergency orders, and closed the State of Israel. The whole world initially laughed at him, and even at home claimed that he was doing this for his political needs. The reality, as of today, is that Israel is in first place and has the lowest number of deaths relative to the population.
F. In the United States, the Haredi community is counting the deaths from the virus. I hope and pray that I am wrong and that the numbers in Bnei Brak will be a miracle, but according to the statistics, the trend is terrible.
G. It has been proven in the global pandemic that reducing the circles of infection is the key to profiting from the collapse of health systems. 14 days of isolation is critical to the matter, and even if, according to expert epidemiologists, the world's population will become infected and the human body will develop a natural vaccine, a significant portion will pay a bloody price, literally. The weakest link in the food chain always pays the price.
H. There are many reasons why there is contagion in the Haredi sector. In my opinion, the most essential stems from the basis of the question: Who is at the center? In Western society, which derives its status from values of individualism, the individual is at the center, and therefore when the gym or the workplace is closed, the network of contagion is shortened. But in Haredi society, the group is at the center and the meeting with the group is at least three times a day. Add to that the average family size, add the density of Bnei Brak - and you get the catastrophe that is on the way.
T. We will overcome the challenge of the Corona virus. I have no doubt. Indeed, in times of crisis there are also extraordinary opportunities, as the well-known saying goes: "When the waves get stronger, the strong emerge." But we need to learn from the period and what can be improved.
J. I have no doubt that after the pandemic, Haredi society will not be as we know it today, in terms of leadership and behavior, attitude towards the source of authority, access to information, attitude towards the immune system, risk groups, relationships within the family, and a paternalistic approach that must change.
• The writer is an active Haredi attorney at the Bar Association. An expert in family law and an active volunteer at MDA.
