Chabad Shluchim are on the front line in China as fear mounts in face of the quickly spreading coronavirus and fatalities number in the hundreds.
Dozens of Chabad houses across China have been serving as clearinghouses for information and assistance for Jews in the country when the crisis hit, as tourists and businessmen tried to arrange flights out of China.
But as the situation grows worse and the fatalities mount, the world is isolating China completely, with flights to and from the country being stopped by airlines around the world and border crossings sealed. Soon, it will be too late to leave the country.
At least two Chabad Shluchim and their families have already left China, according to Chareidim10, one of them being Rabbi Dovi Henig, his wife Sarale and their children.
Rabbi Dovi Henig, Chabad shaliach in Chengdu, China, about an hour drive from the city of Wuhan where the center of the outbreak lies, left his home of eight years in China to return to Israel for a temporary stay. In an interview on Israeli Radio 103FM from Frankfurt, Germany on his way to Israel, he explained that he left because sakanas nefashos and pikuach nefesh supersede all other considerations. He said that almost everyone from his community of about 300 people have left, except about 12 people.
Rabbi Henig had high words of praise for the Chinese government, saying: “It’s impossible to describe my appreciation for the Chinese government. They worried about each person, especially Westerners. They handed out flyers in English, they tried to calm people down. They were the ones that encouraged us to leave China.”
Rabbi Henig said he wasn’t worried about the two-week isolation period he and his family would face upon arrival to Israel, saying he’ll use the opportunity to spend quality time with his family.
Rabbi Henig was referring to Israel’s Health Ministry’s announcement on Motzei Shabbos that any Israeli citizens who have been in China or in contact with people from China in the last 14 days must remain isolated at home until at least 14 days have passed from the time they left China. Israel has also banned foreign nationals who have been in China in the last few weeks from entering Israel and have stopped all flights in and out of China.
Rabbi Shneor Cheruty, the Chabad shaliach in Shenzhen, China, was interviewed by Kikar H’Shabbos before Shabbos and didn’t seem to be overly worried about the situation. He said he and his wife and children are staying put but will act according to all the precautions recommended by the Chinese government.
See pictures below of what life in China for Chabad sheluchim currently looks like:
שיעור תורה של השליח חב"ד בשנזן, סין. pic.twitter.com/51oDYtPqvE
— בית חבד (@BeitChabad) January 31, 2020
הרבנית נחמה דינה פרוינדליך, שליחת חב"ד בבייג'ינג – סין, בהדלקת נרות שבת עם מסיכה על הפנים בשל וירוס הקורונה pic.twitter.com/XUuSebTTwA
— ערוץ 7 (@arutz7heb) January 31, 2020
על רקע בהלת נגיף הקורונה, מצאו בבית חב"ד שנזן – סין דרך מקורית לפרסם את זמני כניסת ויציאת השבת מעל גבי מסכת פנים pic.twitter.com/5MZgijGVwZ
— ישראל כהן (@Israelcohen911) January 31, 2020
סין מבוהלת. דיפלומטים עוזבים במהירות. ישראל מחזירה את כל הנציגים. משרד הבריאות בנהלים חדשים לכל מי שחוזר מסין. רק שלוחי חב"ד נשארים בנקודות רבות במדינה הגדולה, מתוך אחריות וזהירות ובהתייעצות עם הגורמים הרלוונטיים לסייע לתושבים ולתיירים הזקוקים לעצה, הכוונה, מסכה או מנה חמה. pic.twitter.com/JVvCpiknxU
— חב''ד בישראל (@CHABAD_ISRAEL) January 29, 2020
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5 Responses
Mean while in the US 18 million people have been infected with the flu so far, 10,000 people have died and 180,000 people have been hospitalized during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to preliminary estimates from the CDC.
But yes, let’s behave irrationally and hysterically.
So leave China, with a virus with a fatality rate of around 2%, and come back to the US, which is in the middle of a very nasty flu epidemic, with a fatality rate in the same ballpark? Smart. The vast majority of people who get coronavirus make a complete recovery. Flu has still killed more people in the world this winter than coronavirus.
BTW, did you get your flu shot? If you did, and you still got the flu, you would have had a much milder case. Some of my friends didn’t get the shot and wound up in bed. I did and only spent the time sitting in front of the computer coughing, instead of winding up in the hospital like a lot of other seniors.
Rav Freundlich, the Chabad shaliach in Beijing will be staying for the duration, although I suspect they have shut down their school and Dini’s restaurant. He was able to get a minyan this past Shabbos, although just barely. Even in Beijing, everyone is just hunkering down and waiting it out at home which makes sense.
I think the big deal is that this (from what I understand) is a new virus for which treatment is still a relative uncertainty. I understand that the majority of cases of flu which result in death, do so because of a lack of proper care. When a new virus begins to spread however the situation is much more serious because it can be much deadlier and more difficult to manage once it breaks out of control…
Besides which fact, they are leaving on the recommendation of the government…and also, to Israel…
The majority of people who die from flu in developed countries are older, have other medical problems (especially respiratory or heart), are immunosupressed (like on chemotherapy) or very young. Even with very good care, some of these people will be lost. The flu is no joke. It isn’t “just like a bad cold.” Be careful, for yourself and the people you might accidentally infect.
The best thing to do is:
1) get the flu shot early in the flu season.
2) If you do feel feverish, ill, achy, etc., call or email your doctor. Go into the office only if the doctor recommends it, or if you’re having trouble breathing. (If it’s an emergency, of course, call Hatzalah.)
3) Follow instructions for caring for yourself and avoiding infecting others.
4) Stay home until you’re sure you’re well.
The coronavirus itself isn’t dangerous as it is right now. Doctors are worried that it could mutate into something deadly like SARS. The Spanish Flu in 1918 did that. There was a first wave of fairly mild disease, and then a second deadly wave that killed especially young adults. We do need to worry, but not panic. Pay attention to what the CDC and WHO are saying, not the internet or politicians.