Wise responses

This column last week floated the idea that technology could be used as a means of mitigating some of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It is a sign of how fast things are changing, and how severe the impact is, that one of our suggestions – that communal Seders might employ video links – now seems so very outdated in its caution. This week Sephardi rabbis in Israel said that video-conferencing during the Seder will be permissible (so long as computers are turned on before the holiday sets in). The Israeli Sephardi chief rabbi has already mandated the use of mobile phones on Shabbat so updates on dealing with the pandemic can be received. Here, attendance at everything from bris to burial is being forbidden as we adapt to the new world of social distancing. Orthodox authorities are proving sensible and wise in their rulings, understanding of course that the preservation of life is central to Judaism. The various Beth Din have, for example, relaxed some of the Pesach certification rules.

There remain, astonishingly, fools who have refused to change their behaviour. As Rabbi Moshe Freedman rightly says, those attending private minyanim are “idol worshippers” - and he will no longer call them to read Torah in his synagogue. But such selfishness is thankfully the preserve of a small minority. Overwhelmingly the response across our community has been to do exactly what the government has asked and what our religious leaders have supported. And there have been any number of volunteering efforts, from organised groups to informal individual ideas. As the crisis deepens, this will be an ever more important development.