Coronavirus guidelines: How should Jewish communities behave in winter?
These guidelines were created by the OU and RCA after consulting with numerous poskim (halachic authorities) to best determine communal decisions and policies.
By AARON REICHHasidic Jewish men gather for a morning prayer outside of a synagogue, closed due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, New York(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America released a new set of coronavirus-related guidelines for synagogues in the Diaspora to follow as we enter the fall and winter seasons.These guidelines were created after consulting with numerous poskim (halachic authorities) to best determine communal decisions and policies.> Maintaining pikuach nefesh: It is imperative that one work to maintain the safety of public and personal health, even when it means going against a halachic obligation. As such, synagogues must exercise caution and wear face masks, practice social distancing and keep hygine.> Maintaining essential communal services: Efforts must be made to keep the essential services of Jewish communities operating in a safwe manner, as well as work to restore further ways of socializing without putting health at risk.> Respecting the role of the government: While the guidelines express concern over a perceived over-focus and vocal targeting by the authorities against the Orthodox community, community leaders must nonetheless recognize that government policies and decisions to fight the spread of COVID-19 must be followed. They need to be taken as takanatbnei hamedinah, with both the letter and spirit of the law being followed on both communal and individual levels.> Practicing appropriate advocacy: While the Jewish community has a longstanding tradition of communal advocacy as a public policy and strategy, it is important to nonetheless show respect to the government and government authorities, which means refraining from personal attacks and baseless accusations of antisemitism.> Avoiding antisemitism: Related to the previous point, the guidelines remind that it is incumbent upon the Jewish community to behave in a way that would not be perceived as endangering our health or the health of others, which in turn will not provoke needless outrage and resentment towards the Jewish community.> Pursuing peace and unity amid crisis: Due to the pandemic and other factors, the Jewish community is experiencing a period of division and disagreement on national and communal levels. However, division over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic can prove dangerous to the community. As a result, it is paramount to retain and enhance mutual respect and concern for others, focusing on how we can better ourselves rather than critique others.
