The forced closure of our shuls and schools is undeniably a source of tremendous anguish for our community. Further, Agudath Israel of America regards some of the rhetoric that has accompanied such closures as dangerous, with potential to foment those already too eager to hate us, chas v’sholom.
Rather than focus on our anguish, however real, we reorient toward the steps Agudath Israel and our communities can take toward hastening the reopening of our mosdos.
These times require a multi-prong approach:
- Agudath Israel will be organizing a Kinnus Tefila V’hisorirus in the days ahead to address this unprecedented challenge. Circumstances do not allow mass gatherings and tefila as the situation merits, but we are formulating plans to foster the spirit of unity and gain inspiration and clarity from our Gedolei Yisroel. Details to follow.
- Continue to employ safe COVID health practices. Wear a mask, social distance, and strictly isolate if symptomatic or test positive. We neither act appropriately solely because government has asked it, nor do we act unsafely simply to spite it. We follow these practices due to a Higher source, and our Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah have voiced this, on more than one occasion. In addition, such practices, and the lowering of cases, will hasten our reopening timeframe.
- We encourage, and are working with community partners to organize, mass testing initiatives. See a video from HaRav Elya Brudny, HaRav Yisroel Reisman and HaRav Moshe Tuvia Lieff conveying this message. Many of our communities test in significantly below average numbers. The enhanced testing initiatives will not only isolate positive and asymptomatic cases, but will ensure the full population is tested and safe, and more accurately represent our population’s case rates. We are already seeing encouraging results from the efforts in New York, and we encourage similar efforts across the country for areas experiencing higher infection rates.
- We are continuing to talk with the Governor and his staff to press for a safe but swift return for reopening.
- To aid in this effort, we will be organizing an outreach component to the Governor. Details to follow.
- Following the extreme form of immediate relief Agudath Israel pursued Erev Yom Tov (temporary restraining order), several other cases are pending. We are monitoring all these cases and keeping all legal options open.
May Hashem have rachmonus and grant us a swift yeshua from this crisis.
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10 Responses
the meshugene governor has gone mad. should be commited to a mental institution for 90 days. just don’t step on his toes . this maniac Bal Gaava goes mad if you don’t bow to him just like Haman. may he have an end just like Haman
Why weren’t you Agudah all summer long exhorting everyone to wear face masks and social distance?
Clearly too little too late!!!
BS”D
How about telling the governor that he should end his executive order banning Dr. Zelenko’s protocol because Dr. Zelenko’s protocol is close to 100% effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths from covid in high risk patients.
It is: -hydroxychloroquine 200 mg. twice a day for 5 days
-zinz sulfate 220 mg. (or the equivalent of 50 mg. of elemental zinc), once a day for 5 days
-azithromycin 500 mg. once a day for 5 days,
all started within the first six days of symptoms.
Why not tell the governor that covid is harmless to everyone else?
Ask the governor why, if masks work, doesn’t he put the criminals back in prison?
Circumstances most certainly allow mass gatherings. Apparently the Agudah
missed the Shi’ite Arba’een in Flushing on
October 4th.
The more we show that we follow the governor’s covid edicts, the more we justify them.
Orthodox Jewish doctors, perhaps encouraged by the Agudah, should have stood behind Dr. Zelenko.
Imagine all the lives that would have been saved and the tremendous kiddush HaShem it would have created, if there would have been a paid ad in the New York Times saying, “700 Jewish Doctors Petition Governors to Lift Bans on Hydroxychloroquine.”
Instead 210,000 Americans are dead including probably over a thousand Orthodox Jews, but not in Kiryas Joel because they had Dr. Zelenko.
It can no longer be denied that Dr. Zelenko’s protocol works. Dr. Zelenko published his findings, Dr. Harvey Risch of Yale wrote a number of articles, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons came out with a compilation of studies, Dr. Stella Immanuel was was the star of the show at a Frontier Doctors press conference with 17 million views in hours?before You Tube took it down, and there are more.
Every report against HQL didn’t use zinc, used doses known to be lethal, and/or treated patients who were close to death’s door, or quoted hospitals who later said they never gave any data to the authors.
Doctors can’t bring back their patients who they let die rather than use Dr. Zelenko’s protocol.
They can prevent further loss of life and take steps towards repentance by using it now.
Jewish doctors can make a tremendous kiddush HaShem by putting the ad in the New York Times now:
Seven Hundred Jewish Doctors Petition Governors to Lift Bans on Hydroxychloroquine
Where is the recognition that Cuomo doesn’t decide anything, he’s just a puppet/stick in Hashem’s hands? What are the messages Hashem is trying to get across to us through these government decisions? Might it be that more work needs to be done in controlling talking and diburim assurim in shuls and shuls and modos chinuch? I don’t know, I just submit it to the Gedolim for their consideration.
PLEASE CHANGE MY PREVIOUS POST AS FOLLOWS:
Where is the recognition that government officials are just puppets and sticks in Hashem’s hands and He Iis the One Who makes all the decisions, not them? What are the messages Hashem is trying to get across to us through these government decisions? Might it be that more work needs to be done in controlling talking and diburim assurim in shuls and shuls and modos chinuch? I don’t know, I just submit it to the Gedolim for their consideration.
If Cuomo would only accept the fact that he’s a puppet/stick in Hashem’s hand.
Hopefully we all know it. AND TRUST IN HASHEM AND DAVEN!
Agudah, if you want to be relevant, the community needs to see that you’re on this 24/6. Silence for months on end isn’t very reassuring.
So, the governor is trying to save Jews from being isck, risking his popularity, and Jewish organization, among giving some good advice, sneaks in strange complicated language:
>> strictly isolate if symptomatic or test positive .. such practices, and the lowering of cases, will hasten our reopening timeframe….The enhanced testing initiatives will not only isolate positive and asymptomatic cases, but will ensure the full population is tested and safe, and more accurately represent our population’s case rates.
Some posters on YWN made pretty clear what this means:
>>if symptomatic – do not rush to test, isolation is enough. Everyone else who is not positive – run to test to decrease the numbers.
These hints are unfortunate, as they will lead to more infections [isolation will be incomplete, and there will be no tracing to contacts, faking numbers will increase risky behaviors] that will threaten the same elderly leaders who give these instructions.
I keep seeing exhortations to have our cake (open schools, open shuls…) and eat it, too (“our” rather flexible rules, not doctors’ rules and not state rules). The Agudah can’t control its most defiant groups in its coalition, but feels forced to back them up when they create trouble for the rest of us. Those groups gave Cuomo and De Blasio the excuse to shut us down.
por:
Talking in shul can’t explain them shutting down shuls and schools (again!).
Even if it would explain shuls, which seems difficult to believe, that surely has nothing to do with schools.
But tens of thousands of frum people became Zionists/agreed to total kefirah when voting in the recent WZO elections that ended on, liHavdil, Shushan Purim (the day COVID-19 was declared a pandemic), and some of those schools and shuls (based on “fake news”/mistakes) directed their members/parents to do this; perhaps that might explain it.