Why? – On Our Conduct in the Pandemic

This is a translation of the final chapter of an extensive feature in the latest issue of the Yiddish journal Der Veker focusing on the Charedi, and specifically Chasidic, response to Covid-19. (The feature was also covered by The Atlantic.)

After compiling and analysing figures which show covid deaths amongst New York Chasidim about four times higher than the national average (which is consistent with figures compiled elsewhere), Der Veker dedicated the final chapter to the burning and painful question of “Why?”

Now read on…

Our reckless conduct during the pandemic has produced grim and heart-breaking results and the conclusion is shattering: we have with our own hands brought upon ourselves a death rate four times worse than that of our neighbouring communities. And the question cries out to heaven, why? As Jews we are raised to be compassionate, our communities have an immense number of social welfare and medical organisations with much of it evident during the pandemic. Even while we were infecting one another we were also at the same time mobilising on a large scale to provide medical and welfare assistance to those affected. Yet how do we reconcile this with our own callous behaviour in bringing about the tragedy in the first place?

We turn the world upside down to release our brethren from prison and we move heaven and earth to help them in their hour of need. Would we not wear masks for months on end or desist from shaking hands if we thought that it would release even a single heimishe person from jail? Would we not readily forego huge weddings for a while if we were convinced that it would cure a child from cancer? So why are the lives of hundreds of our brethren so irrelevant that we will not do the least bit to reduce the chances of us infecting one another?

How do we explain that the same communities that have spent a fortune to rescue teenagers from a jail sentence or a bal teshuva murderer from a death sentence, cannot persuade themselves to wear a mask on the chance that 99% of epidemiologists are right? How do we resolve that those same people who on Pesach refrain from the slightest chance of machine matzos, which is prohibited on for some mysterious “undisclosed reason”, have nothing but mockery for measures which at the very least reduce the chances of the spread of the virus — and at the very time that people are dying daily from the pandemic?

How does one explain that the same people who will trust a doctor sufficiently to perform open-heart surgery on them or grant them a dispensation to eat on Yom Kippur cannot persuade themselves to listen to the same doctors in order to protect the lives of others? How do we comprehend that the same leaders who summon gatherings for every imaginary religious transgression, will not set any example or issue guidance when we are experiencing the greatest life and death crisis of the post-war era?

Millions of people, communities and groups across the world are opposed to lockdowns and the fact that many Charedim share those views is hardly news. There are also scientists who have their doubts including the many who signed The Great Barrington Declaration in opposition to lockdowns. However, our communities do not merely oppose lockdowns – we ignore even the least of precautions to protect ourselves from the pandemic. Others who are opposed to lockdowns still believe that it is advisable to regularly wash one’s hands, to minimise large gatherings as far as possible, protect the elderly and assist those who need to protect themselves. It is only in our communities that we have taken an almost unanimous decision that none of it applies to us at all. There is literally no measure, however simple and straightforward, that we will undertake in the universal attempt to try minimise the spread of the virus.

Which begs the question: Why? What is it that drives an entire community to bury its head in the sand and ignore a danger of life for which we have been paying the price week after week?

The Charedi— and more specifically Chasidic — conduct throughout the pandemic has been both unique and almost universal amongst us. We have constantly been making headlines in the national and international press and across the world our conduct has caused shock and outrage. While there have no doubt been many people who have taken a less restrictive approach to the pandemic, nowhere are there entire communities wherever they happen to be living across the world to have collectively decided by their conduct that the pandemic simply does not apply to them.

This is entirely unrelated to politics. It is indeed the case that an overwhelming majority of Chasidim are, or were, Trump supporters and that those on the further political right generally do not take to the coronavirus restrictions kindly. However, this applies more to lockdowns and mandatory masks and similar liberty-limiting measures. There are however no right leaning communities in America acting as if the pandemic does not exist at all and that no action whatsoever is necessary. Our Modern-Orthodox brethren in other neighbourhoods who are just as fanatical Trump supporters still understand, like the overwhelming majority of Americans, that irrespective of politics there are some fundamental measures which must be taken in order to shield from the pandemic.

It is easy to point to mistakes made by politicians in their “outreach” attempts to our community, highlight wrong decisions made in the course of the pandemic and accuse them of hypocrisy in their personal conduct, but there is no sense in blaming others when we are the ones deciding on our own conduct and we are the ones paying the price. The politicians can take care of themselves. Our concern is with our own conduct driven by our own leaders and which seems to be universal amongst Chasidim irrespective of their location or local politics. Be it New York, New Jersey, Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Montreal, London, Antwerp, Melbourne, wherever there is a Chasidic Jewish community there is the same attitude that covid does not apply to us and the same defiant conduct. And also unfortunately the same results: significantly higher infection rates and significantly increased deaths.

There have been attempts to explain the huge weddings held by Chasidic Rebbes with complete disregard for the cost in human life that such weddings have in recent decades become an integral part of Chasidic life and Chasidim simply cannot give up on these irrespective of the cost.

For a start, this is factually incorrect. During the times of the first Satmar Rebbe (d. 1979), who rebuilt Chasidic life in the United States after WWII, there were few such weddings and there are also plenty Chasidic groups which do not celebrate in this manner. Equally, among Chasidim who do hold such weddings, they have become so frequent that they are hardly a novelty and so could easily have been held amongst a more limited crowd. This is quite besides the obscenity of the argument itself that the human death toll we have suffered is a worthwhile price to pay for Chasidic leaders to continue their massive weddings in the face of a raging pandemic.

But assuming the role of devil’s advocate let us for a moment accept that the joy and spiritual uplift experienced by a Chasid at the wedding of his Rebbe’s youngest child or grandchild is simply beyond our comprehension. And let us also concede that such is the experience that sacrificing three or four elderly or other vulnerable people who may well die as a direct result of the mass event is a price worth paying simply because such weddings are almost literally food for the Chasid’s soul.

Yet even if we were to follow this internal Chasidic logic, how are we to explain that these weddings are held without any precautions at all? How do we explain that there is no demand for people to wash their hands before entering the venue, no ban on people who have not had the virus from attending, and no one is ordered to wear a mask? When it suited them, the Rebbes were able to issue orders that were strictly enforced. To prevent evidence of these super-spreading events leaking out, many weddings had absolute bans on photography or videos which were strictly enforced, in one case even scanning those entering the venue with metal detectors. And indeed very few photos or clips leaked out. So why could they not take similar measures to limit the spread of the virus?

Would the supposed spiritual uplift be reduced by taking a few precautions? Does wearing a mask contradict Chasidic life? Would it be so difficult for a Rebbe to inspire his Chasidim to fulfil the religious obligation to protect life?

It may have been easier to justify our conduct had our general disregard for precautionary measures been limited to matters that are supposedly integral to Chasidic life. We could point at our unique lifestyle and that if only the world comprehended our way of life it may also have understood our conduct. But, God in heaven! When most of the world wear masks despite the difficulties and hundreds of millions of people across the world have not hugged their grandchildren for a year, and when most people understand the necessity of washing hands and that in these difficult times it is necessary to adjust and forego some of our comforts, yet we cannot persuade ourselves to do anything at all or even barely acknowledge that we are at risk, what is then our excuse? How do we justify that?

I do not have clear answers to these questions and the following are just a collection of thoughts. While explanations will vary from person to person and place to place, there are some common threads running through this and hopefully the truth lies somewhere in between. Even as a partial explanation, they will provide something of a picture on the driving force for our conduct despite the price we are constantly paying in human life.

1. Lack of foresight – It is unfortunately the case that we tend not to think. We do not carry out a risk assessment prior to holding a mass event with the view of taking a calculated risk, but rather we do not think at all. The potential victims are not in front of our eyes and so we do not think above them. The entire concept of cause and effect and that science can predict certain effects from a particular cause is alien to our mode of thought. We fail to understand that science is a system with its own methods which despite its limitations can accurately predict certain outcomes in the present and in the future. We see this also in our communities in a general neglect of preventative healthcare. We fail to make the connection that an unhealthy lifestyle can be the cause of illness and which preventative action might forestall.

2. Black-and-white thinking – We have a tendency to see things in black-and-white with a difficulty in recognising nuance. If we are aggrieved by lockdowns, we decide that any kind of restriction must be a liberal conspiracy. If we are unhappy with a political decision, we will dismiss anything uttered by any politician. We fail to see the many shades of grey and that even if we are unwilling or unable to accommodate some of the more extreme guidelines, there still remain many simple measures which can be adhered to and for which life must adapt accordingly.

Similarly, if we see others violating guidelines, for example by holding a protest, we take this as an indication that no one is adhering to the restrictions. We fail to consider that others being wrong does not make us right and that there are also degrees in wrongdoing. A minor infraction, for example, because demonstrations were held in open air where many demonstrators wore masks or they are a one off occurrence cannot compare to an official lifestyle choice such as our daily packed synagogues and frequent mass celebrations. Black-and-white thinking blinds us to the shades and degrees of violations and that even if we are relaxed on some points it does not give us a licence to dismiss all the guidelines and entirely ignore the pandemic.

3. To spite – Some of our conduct has been as if to spite, but spite whom? To some of us, because the governor or mayor or some other politician was wrong when demanding extreme precautions, or because they offended our community, or because they may have been hypocritical in their own personal conduct, it arouses in us a feeling of spite. As if these politicians invented the virus and the need for restrictions and because they have occasionally, or even persistently, been wrong we will spite them by defying their measures, notwithstanding that experts across the world have recommended the measures for our own health and safety. And to spite someone or other we will ignore even the most simple and least contentious of the restrictions. Simply put, we are cutting our nose to spite our face.

4. Problems with numbers – We often have difficulties handling numbers and statistics. If we see thousands of people outside our communities who dismiss the health measures we adopt an attitude of, “if they may then so may we“. What we fail to grasp is that the US consists of 330 million people and even if 30 million people ignore the regulations it is still barely 10% of the populations and a small minority of Americans as a whole. If only ten or twenty percent of our communities did not observe the regulations we may indeed have been on the same level as the general public and no doubt this would have been reflected in our death figures. But when in our communities the figure of non-observance is frighteningly close to 100% it makes no sense to point at others. In addition, outside of our communities the vast majority observes at least some of the regulations in recognition that there is a pandemic about and to a greater or lesser degree they try and adapt. Only we appear to be an entire community doing nothing at all.

5. Statistic illiteracy – Often we fail to grasp the concept of statistical chance. The reason for wearing a mask is not to eliminate any chance of catching or transmitting the virus but to reduce those chances. If a person does not observe the regulations it does not inevitably lead to them catching the virus but simply that it increases their chances. But this is something we find difficult to comprehend. When someone who never wears a mask does not get infected we see in it proof that the experts must be wrong. And, conversely, when someone who diligently wears a mask at all times contracts the virus we take it as conclusive evidence that masks are ineffective.

6. Problems with scientific methodology – We sometimes fail to understand that criticism of a theory does not necessarily disprove that theory entirely. Likewise, we lack the insight that any new theory must also resolve criticisms of the theory that preceded it and has supposedly been refuted. For example, we often hear, “Shimon locked himself away for 10 month and still he got the virus!”. We take this as proof that no one understands how the virus operates and so there is nothing to be done and we can therefore dismiss all protective restrictions. We do not appreciate that despite any lockdowns no one is hermetically sealed and the virus can still spread in all kind of manner. So instead we reach for wild theories as if the fact that the virus is spread by human contact is itself open to question and as if the idea that minimising contact between people reduces the chances of spreading the virus is also subject to challenge.

7. Bad leadership - While every individual is ultimately responsible for themselves and we cannot absolve anyone for their own conduct, there is no doubt that the main blame rests with our leadership. It is they who could and should have set an example but failed to do so. This is all the more so in our communities which are tightly controlled by these same leaders. It is also in their buildings and institutions and at their initiative that the largest and most harmful breaches are taking place and with their participation.

Unfortunately, many of our leaders do not think in terms of the general good. In their eyes a celebration in their family is indeed more important than any other concern. It’s not that they think, “Come on let’s kill a few people because my grandchild must get married”. They simply do not think and do not care so long that they get their way.

There were several leaders who were indeed strict at the start of the pandemic. However, at some point they themselves became infected and once they had recovered and so were less at risk they dismissed all the restrictions. By their conduct they showed that irrespective of the wellbeing of their followers they only ever cared for themselves.

There is no question that our leaders could have made a difference. We may find a mask uncomfortable and, and as the British blogger Eli Spitzer has observed, contrary to our own distinct dress code, but such attitudes would have changed quickly had our leaders, both Chasidic Rebbes and lay leaders, led by example. And in respect of other health guidelines, not only did our leadership not set an example but they set the tone by their defiant conduct that they would be the last to accept any restrictions even for the sake of saving lives.

At the start of the pandemic when generally more people wore masks, photographs circulated of unmasked Rebbes surrounded by masked followers. At a large Rebbishe wedding in the Seret-Vizhnitz community in Haifa, the authorities had insisted that masks must be worn and which was complied with – except for the Rebbes on the dais who were all mask-less. The constant message that went out to the public was: masks are for losers and no matter what real leaders do not wear a mask.

8. Weak leadership – Many of our leaders, especially at a local and communal level, simply lack the backbone to take a clear stand. Even where they are convinced that something must be done, they will not go against the popular current that prefers an easy life of lawlessness to restrictions that save lives. It is even more so when they see life in rival Chasidic courts continue unabated and they fear they will be left behind in the weekly pursuit of headlines and publicity.

9. Peer pressure – There is no room for individuality in our communities especially with a leadership that cares only for itself. The general public will try and rationalise their leaders’ conduct with blind loyalty and this in turn discourages an individual from taking a principled stand. It also incites the public mood to militancy against such individuals and to ridicule those who try to be careful. This was evident in public mask-burning and the near-lynching of a journalist. This places too high a price for an individual to pay for acting consciously and with reason.

10. Cognitive dissonance – When taking care is the rational thing to do but peer pressure leads us to behave differently, the mind can often not cope with these contradictions and so devises a range of illogical explanations to rationalise an escape from logic. We see people whom we revere and respect violate even the simplest of health measures despite that it may protect the lives of other people and our brain cannot reconcile their supposed reputation with their reckless conduct. So we come up with convoluted and disingenuous explanations and 150 grounds to purify a rodent.

This cognitive dissonance often leads the same person who ridicules the precautionary guidelines despite the advice of doctors, to declare themselves fully supportive of vaccines because doctors have recommended them. And despite trusting doctors on vaccinations, they will dismiss the same doctors’ recommendations to avoid large, super-spreading gatherings.

11. External orders – Too often we refuse to see a value in something that originates from outside our own communities. We educate our children to be polite to a stranger for the sake of Kiddush Hahsem (sanctifying God’s name) rather than for the inherent value in civil conduct, and we thus waste the opportunity to educate our young to use their brains and to inculcate them with basic rules of civility. Derech Eretz Kodmo LaTorah (civility supersedes Torah) means that decency and morality are values that exist outside the framework of the Torah. But when these basic principles of a shared commonality are uprooted it creates a certain mental block which prevents us accepting any guidance from the outside world and even in these exceptional times.

This in turn gives rise to a cynicism and sarcasm which sees anyone following the safety guidelines as naïve and not shrewd enough to see beyond the dry rules. A popular Chasidic joke doing the rounds illustrates this well: “Corona is like the Egyptian plague of darkness which the Torah tells us was suffered only by the Egyptians while the Children of Israel enjoyed light in their residences. Likewise, while the general public suffers in lockdowns, we dance at weddings every night.

12. Insularity – As a result of our upbringing, many find it difficult to empathise and consider the plight of others. We tend to think our way of life so extraordinary and the hardships entailed by the restrictions so unique to us that it entitles us to ignore the rules because no one can understand us.

But in truth millions of people have had their lives uprooted in all kinds of manner. Many have lost their livelihoods, children have not been to school for almost a year and cannot interact and play with their classmates, university students cannot attend lectures, grandparent have not hugged or seen their grandchildren face to face, people cannot meet up with their friends, young people cannot date or form relationships and numerous couples have postponed their weddings or married with barely a handful of people, all in compliance with the regulations. Likewise, millions of religious people have not taken part in communal prayers and religious ceremonies, social and cultural events and ceremonies have been postponed, many indefinitely, and holidays which may have been years in the planning have been delayed. Wearing a mask and taking simple hygiene measures are also an imposition for everyone, yet most people understand that these are necessary in such times and must be adhered to for one’s own sake and for the sake of others.

Our unique way of life undoubtedly causes difficulties unique to us but then other communities have difficulties which are unique to them. And even if it were true that certain restrictions are a greater imposition on us than on others, then the solution is to find ways to adapt those restrictions to our way of life and our unique requirements. What we fail to take account of is that we are in this together with our non-Jewish neighbours and compatriots and instead we have excepted ourselves entirely and become the only community to reject everything altogether.

13. Permanent state of war – As a community, maintaining a constant state of war with the outside world has become an integral part of who we are and what we stand for. We are constantly on the lookout for new enemies who we believe wish to destroy all that we hold holy and precious. We barely know any longer how to exist as Jews without battling someone or another and anything from the outside can only be a corrupting influence that will tear down the Iron Curtain between us and them. There is a quote from a Charedi leader: “if the government orders us to study Babba Kama, we will opt for Baba Metzia!”. Compliance even with something that is for the sake of our health becomes anathema to us if ordered by someone we have labelled an “enemy”. We so dread anything from the “outside” that we have lost the ability to differentiate between the purpose and effect of what we are told to do. Unfortunately this is all that now stands for our identity. (Adapted from blog by Rabbi Dr Nathan Slifkin.)

14. Bad leadership (2) – We hold to account those who must make decisions in these critical times but applaud those without the courage to take any stance. It is inevitable that those with responsibility for public health who must constantly monitor developments and adapt their decision making will sometimes make wrong decisions, especially with the benefit of hindsight. Leaders cannot know the unknowable and they must use their judgement and reach decisions on the basis of information they have at hand. This, to many of us, is difficult to grasp. We latch on to Doctor Fauci’s original assessment that masks are not necessary but which he later retracted. Yet the leaders who never change their minds are only those who make no decisions and issue no guidelines in the first place.

15. Out of touch with reality – Our communities have been afflicted in recent years with an abundance of superstition and fantasy causing us to abandon rational thinking. Our regular diet of “miracles” and supposed supernatural events which we are now fed almost daily by a variety of organisations and publications has caused us to lose touch with reality. A lack of education also denies us a basic understanding of how our world operates. That there are rules of nature and that scientists study these rules and understand them better, notwithstanding that they sometimes get things wrong. We believe wild conspiracy theories and will accept the words of crooks and quacks against the overwhelming majority of genuine experts. Almost all experts advise that masks can in all likelihood minimise, at least somewhat, the transmission of the virus, yet we readily spit on the risk to human life because we have found a few mavericks who believe the opposite.

16. Fossilised Judaism – Our Yiddishkeit (Jewish life) has become frozen in a certain format and as a community we are unable to adapt to the new situation formed by our exceptional times. We have lost the ability to ask, “and presently what does God demand from you?“ Just like we cannot handle children who temperamentally do not fit into our “normal” system of Yiddiskeit, we also cannot handle temperamental times which do not fit our normal patterns. So long that we follow our habits then all is well and fine. But if something exceptional happens that demands that we recalibrate ourselves and adjust our way of life to the current chaos, we feel cast adrift and become like an actor without a script. We are not trained to think in terms of the will of God neither for exceptional individuals and nor for exceptional times. We have become embedded in our comfort zone and irrespective of the cost we simply cannot depart from it.

These are just some attempts to understand our irrational and reckless behaviour. The coronavirus pandemic will undoubtedly be studied for decades if not centuries to come and our conduct and the awful price we are paying will likewise undoubtedly be closely examined.