Hasidic community faces backlash
The Gazette looked into how Kiryas Tosh, the Hasidic community in Boisbriand, is facing a backlash after it was reported as a COVID-19 hotspot. But police may be enforcing a wider and stronger quarantine on the community and its members than are warranted.
In tangentially related news, a mikveh (Jewish ritual bath) in Côte St-Luc was reported as still operating, with people gathering there. Côte St-Luc is the island’s hottest spot, so it doesn’t really help that the mayor says “In their mind they were not doing anything wrong.” The Wikipedia article on the mikveh tells you more than you need to know about how central it is to Orthodox life.
Alison Cummins 11:30 on 2020-04-01 Permalink
Judaism can be a very humanist religion. It’s very easy for a rabbi to say that religious gatherings are harmful to people right now and therefore forbidden under rabbinical law. There are parables about the particular religious practice or observance being less important than the choice to practice or observe *something.*
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Hillel, 1st century BCE:
[A] gentile … wanted to convert to Judaism. This happened not infrequently, and this individual stated that he would accept Judaism only if a rabbi would teach him the entire Torah while he, the prospective convert, stood on one foot. First he went to Shammai, who, insulted by this ridiculous request, threw him out of the house. The man did not give up and went to Hillel. This gentle sage accepted the challenge, and said:
“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the commentary—go and study it!”
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So managing covid in orthodox communities may be a problem because of large families, but there’s absolutely no reason for the mikveh to be a sticking point.
Kate 11:53 on 2020-04-01 Permalink
Alison, the fact remains that in those communities, a married couple cannot “legally” have sex unless there’s a mikveh. It’s a difficult item to overcome.
gonzo 13:30 on 2020-04-01 Permalink
I’m Jewish and originally from Israel where Hasidic communities are much larger. In the fight against the virus in Israel this is a big and controversial issue. The sickness rates in the hasidic communities are much higher than in the general public. It’s a real tragedy.
Big families, close contact between community members incl. large gatherings of hundreds every day in closed buildings and above all: disregard of law and governance and general ignorance. The average extreme hasidic is not connected to the outside world, and can’t make a decision that could contradict their Rabbi. If the Rabbi, the community leader, decide they need to jump from the roof, they will jump. So the role of these leaders in this crises is so important. Unfortunately, at least in Israel, many ignored the new reality and restrictions and even managed to ease in-place restrictions through political power and leverage (not relevant in Quebec, too small minority). This is a bit like with these christian preachers in the US and South America that still host large religious ceremonies because god told them to and connected to powerful politicians.
The whole Mikveh thing also was a big issue in Israel, one of the last institutes that stayed open, but under restrictions. Because of political pressure from hasidic parties
Montreal must learn from mistakes done in Israel. Quarantine in Boisbriand is important. Unfortunatly, I think we will see more deaths and sick people in the Outremont community and maybe others. Not sure what can be done there.
Alison Cummins 13:41 on 2020-04-01 Permalink
gonzo, yes, strong connections with rabbis is essential.
They will figure something out if they need to.
Ephraim 14:03 on 2020-04-01 Permalink
Kate – This all falls under “Pikuach nefesh” (פיקוח נפש) and these ladies going to the Mikveh are frankly violating Jewish law. They even closed the mikvah in Kiryat Joel… if Satmar can do it, they can certainly manage it. (And the life they may be saving… is the observer’s life… she is most at risk, as she is there with each person who enters.)
Ephraim 14:04 on 2020-04-01 Permalink
It is also going to be easier to handle in the summer, as they can use a lake or river, if deep enough. But there are ways to make this safe. Certainly there should be only 2 people there. And they can move the witness to be behind glass or watching via camera, if only to save their lives.