I mention all of this in light of what happened in Israel yesterday. Which I can only call a dereliction of duty. From Arutz Sheva:
Thousands of Belz Hasidim participated on Wednesday evening in the wedding of the Belzer Rebbe’s grandson, which was being held in a closed hall in Jerusalem, in violation of the guidelines of the Ministry of Health.
This was an unconscionable act. 1000s of people tightly packed into a hotel ballroom for hours without a stitch of protective gear?!
Really? !
I do not understand it. The Belzer Rebbe is not stupid. He is in fact one of the good guys. He has shown his sincere empathy for suffering Jews many times in the past without looking at how observant any of them were. And yet he goes and does something like this?! And that isn’t all. These Chasidim were very aware that they were doing something wrong and went to great lengths to conceal it:
Many of the participants did not enter the wedding through the main entrance, but rather through side entrances. Participants were instructed not to bring into the hall in which the event was held any device that could document the goings on inside...
This is not the first time this kind of thing happened. There have been other massive Chaisdic weddings attended by thousands since the pandemic began.
What is it about Chasidus that makes Chasidim feel attending a wedding of the grandson of their spiritual leader is so important that it would be detrimental to their mental well being if they couldn’t? Lest anyone think I am exaggerating, this is exactly what the Belzer Rebbe apparently believes:
Belz Hasidim explained that in the Rebbe's opinion, the restrictions could cause greater mental damage than the health damage that the virus brings with it.
There are some who complain that there are many others - secular Jews and non Jews - who violate these restrictions the same way or worse. But they do not get anywhere near the scrutiny or condemnation that Chasidim do when they do it. This is what Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said about that:
“We must enforce the rules. But it isn’t fair. Every Thursday and Saturday there are more serious violations. Is the entire area of Balfour [the street Netanyahu lives on in the Rehavia neighborhood] free of coronavirus? When it comes to a Haredi area, there are headlines and photos right way. I certainly don’t support it, but let’s not enforce things selectively,” Lion told the Kan public broadcaster.
“I watch what is happening at Balfour with great pain,” added Lion, who lives nearby. “The Health Ministry and police explain to us, from morning till night, the ban on gatherings — yet we accept this gathering with equanimity, as if there is nothing we can do. I respect the right to protest, but we are in a difficult time.”
He’s is probably right. The religious community is picked on more than the secular community - when they do virtually the same thing. That is a double standard.
But that is as it should be. The religious community has an obligation to be exemplars rather than use what others do as an excuse to do the same.
There are some that defend of this type of thing in the following way. Religious communities that initially had so many cases of COVID-19 – haven’t had that many since. They therefore conclude that they might have some sort of herd immunity in those neighborhoods. So many of them got the virus, survived, are now immune, and no longer contagious. That means that the probability of community spread has decreased to the point where their positivity rate is insignificant. They probably also believe that their piety in doing this Mitzvah will protect them even if they do get exposed.
I don’t know how accurate their sense of how many people are infected these days. But the reality is that Israel has had a huge spike in coronavirus infections. Many of them so serious they require hospitalization. Hospitals are ‘buckling under the influx of COVID-19 patients’. They are running out of space. That means an increased probability of people in that community that got lucky and avoided infection the first time around can very well get it now. And spread it to others like them in their community.
At the end of the day, having a wedding of this size in the middle of a pandemic is the height of irresponsibility in my view. And when those who claim a higher standard of piety deserve to be judged on that standard.
The role of religion in response to this pandemic was discussed by journalist Jordan Kelly-Linden in the Telegraph. I think she got it right:
Religious leaders have both been able to “support and amplify health messages, providing credibility to national public health efforts”, as well as undermine them…
This is as true among us as it is among people of other faiths.
Some of our religious leaders have been exemplary of Jewish values by adhering and exhorting us all to follow – or even exceed the precautions health experts are telling us to follow. And offer us spiritually uplifting words of encouragement in that task.
And then there is the Belzer Rebbe.