Coronavirus Is A Wake Up Call For Ultra-Orthodox Jews

Our hearts go out to the members of the Haredi community in Israel and worldwide, who are, in disproportionate numbers, among the sick and the dead of the coronavirus pandemic. They are civilian casualties of the cruel, unrelenting war on all humanity being waged by COVID-19. The fact that this war is not driven by anti-Semitism (as was the Holocaust) − i.e. it is not directed at Jews specifically − makes it no less heinous, and the victims no less innocent.

Numerous people angrily have blamed the Haredim for the high losses in the community, arguing that initially, their leaders rejected medical instructions. Various Haredim have continued group religious experiences and Torah learning after health authorities called for social isolation. Those religious activities spread the disease in their midst. 

Bad judgment does not justify rejection or hatred of innocent victims. The Haredim are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone and of the Jewish people. They deserve compassion and care during this time of trouble. 

However, before the Shoah, many Hasidic leaders told their followers not to go to Israel or America. During the catastrophe, many advised against fleeing (especially when done in cooperation with Zionists) and strongly opposed resistance. The outcome was a much higher percentage of deaths among Haredim (approaching 90% average). But nobody would think of condemning the victims for following bad advice and policies. Bad judgment does not justify rejection or hatred of innocent victims. The Haredim are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone and of the Jewish people. They deserve compassion and care during this time of trouble. 

Proper understanding of the Haredi situation includes acknowledging the legitimate factors that increased their vulnerability to the pandemic. Haredi families are larger, and typically, they live in smaller quarters, which leads to increased contagions. They live a rich, more intense religious communal life. But these experiences multiply unintentional transmission from one infected person to many others.

Respect for the truth − and commitment to prevent a recurrence − require we critique the flawed Haredi theology that leads to greater losses in these communities.

At the same time, respect for the truth − and commitment to prevent a recurrence − require we critique the flawed Haredi theology that leads to greater losses in these communities. First and foremost, they follow literally the biblical model in which God controls and does everything in history. They firmly believe that as long as humans please God by doing mitzvot, God will defeat their enemies and grant them victory. They are oblivious to the main rabbinic interpretation of the Bible’s covenant idea − that God has self-limitations. God has asked humans to take more active roles in history, with the results depending much more on the people of Israel’s efforts. (See the Talmudic interpretation of Purim in which that Exodus/redemption would not have happened unless Esther and Mordechai executed their plans to defeat Haman.)

When presented with the question “Should Haredi schools be closed to prevent infection?” Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky replied, “God forbid. Learning Torah protects and saves [the Jewish people].” (Talmud Sotah 21A). He dismissed medical considerations because God controls every detail of history. Learning Torah would please the Lord, who would protect Jewry. This is the same theology that undergirds the Haredi refusal to let their youth serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Not tanks and jet fighters, but the exempted students learning Torah are the real defense force of the Jewish state.

This theology is refuted by facts. It has not led to catastrophe in the past because 90% of Israelis understand Israel would be destroyed instantly by its enemies if it did not have an army. The 90% serve their time and risk their lives, allowing the Haredim to be saved from the folly of their interpretation that makes the Torah unlivable for a whole society. In the coronavirus case, this policy – which totally fails in reality − was applied to the community. The consequences are devastating.

The second serious misinterpretation in Haredi theology is to see sickness and natural catastrophes as divine punishment for sins rather than as natural phenomena. The Talmud disagrees: “The natural order operates objectively”; it does not differentiate between righteous and wicked people. (Talmud Avodah Zara 54B). Rabbi Kanievsky was quoted as saying the virus is a punishment for lashon hara (harmful gossip speech); people should stop and repent, and the plague would stop. The Book of Job was incorporated into the Bible by the rabbis to make clear that sickness and disaster are not retribution but part of the larger scheme of nature. God rebukes Job’s friends for insisting that his sins have caused the tragedies in his life. Moral: The innocent victim should not be blamed for his/her suffering.

Rabbi Kanievsky was quoted as saying the virus is a punishment for lashon hara (harmful gossip speech); people should stop and repent, and the plague would stop.

The flip side of punishment for sin is the Haredi teaching that if you are doing a religious act, God will keep you safe. “Those who are agents doing a mitzvah will not be harmed.” (Talmud Pesachim 8B). Some Haredim allowed themselves to be exposed to the coronavirus because God would protect them. Many Evangelicals around the world have done the same. Given the natural laws and medical evidence of a pandemic, this behavior is nothing but magical thinking. Magic claims that through certain words or actions − in this case, religious faith/behaviors − God is “compelled” to do what the practitioner wants.

The Torah treats magic as abhorrent. It constitutes a denial of God’s freedom. The Bible insists no Divine action can be compelled by human gifts, behaviors or tricks. Magical thinking also disrespects God’s miraculous Creation; it claims to override the objective and dependable system of natural processes and laws. The sad outcome of a lack of secular education is that people more easily slip into pre-modern, magical thinking. The Haredi penalty for grasping at magic is greater contagion.

The Haredi penalty for grasping at magic is greater contagion.

To protect people’s religiosity, Haredi rabbinic leadership prohibits secular education and excludes most internet as well. As a result, Haredi Jews are not equipped to participate in the science and medical fields that are the key areas to prevent and find cures for dangerous pandemics. The side effect of this well-intentioned but wrong way of protecting religious devotion is that the average Haredi Jew lacks understanding of the serious threat of the coronavirus and the urgency of taking preventive actions. Unfortunately, the Gedolim − the Torah greats − who make the rulings that guide behavior are just as uninformed as their followers. This explains their delayed and initially counterproductive responses to the threat. The community has paid a terrible price for its leadership’s ignorance of science and secular knowledge.

In the past century, the Haredi Gedolim, overall, were guided by the same defensive insular theological thinking and lack of secular information when they opposed Zionism. This resulted in a Yishuv with a more secular culture − and exposed their community to the catastrophic Nazi assault. They should have been turned out of office (as would happen in a democratic political system), or they should have turned in the direction of integrating modern thinking and Jewish religion. Instead, in the name of preserving the religion, they were granted unlimited authority. By Haredi definition, the Gadol − the great Torah scholar − is infallible in his rulings. The Ruach Hakodesh/Holy Spirit allegedly speaks through them − even when they speak with little or zero knowledge of the realia.

We can only hope that the reality check of the plague will awaken the whole Haredi community to the need for new directions in their religious thought and attitudes to the rest of society.

We can only hope that the reality check of the plague will awaken the whole Haredi community to the need for new directions in their religious thought and attitudes to the rest of society.

All Jews are responsible for one another. The proper response is not blame or rejection, but to consider, together, how to end the political coalitions and manipulations that have provided funding and special privileges to keep the Haredi community whole and on its current path. The failed outcome is an expanding, sometimes inspiring community − but one deprived of essential knowledge, mired in poverty and now vulnerable to disease. Everyone, together, must draw the lessons of this disaster to prevent a future repetition.