Haredim trust rabbis more than state on COVID- 19
Ultra- Orthodox understand dangers of virus, but place more importance on community values – IDI
The ultra- Orthodox sector is far more trusting of its rabbis than the government and state institutions despite understanding the dangers posed by COVID- 19, a study has shown.
Dr. Shuki Friedman, the director of the Center for Religion and State at the Israel Democracy Institute, which commissioned the survey, said the findings demonstrated that the community’s behavior during the crisis came about not because they don’t understand the serious threat that COVID19 poses, but because they have made a conscious choice to put community values first.
“The ultra- Orthodox fully understand the gravity of the pandemic and its perils. Their behavior throughout these months has not stemmed from a lack of understanding of the threat, but rather, from conscious choices deeply rooted in community values,” said Friedman.
The study surveyed 860 men and women in the major sectors of the ultra- Orthodox community, hassidic, Ashkenazi non- hassidic and Sephardi, and showed that the sector has very little faith in the country’s national institutions.
Three- quarters of those polled said they had “absolutely no” or “very little” confidence in the Health Ministry’s efforts to combat coronavirus and 42% of hassidic respondents said they had “absolutely no” confidence in the ministry.
The hassidic community has in general been the least willing to adhere to government COVID- 19 regulations.
The study also showed that the ultra- Orthodox community had little trust in the Finance Ministry and in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the crisis, and absolutely no confidence in the police, with 87% saying they did not trust its operations during the health crisis.
When asked what considerations had guided decisionmakers in the campaign against coronavirus, 60% said it was only or mostly political concerns, compared to 34%, who agreed that they were led by health related considerations.
By comparison, those with the highest confidence in the ultra- Orthodox population were the rabbinic leadership, with 90% of respondents saying they trust rabbis’ decisions during the pandemic and in evaluating the risks posed by COVID- 19.
Among those polled, 61% said they trusted rabbis the most, followed by medical experts, who were trusted by only 22% of respondents, followed by “God” on 4.5% and the prime minister and his advisers on a mere 2.6%.
When asked whether it was necessary to include rabbis when setting COVID- 19 policy, 92.9% said it was necessary.
But the survey did show that the general ultra- Orthodox population has great concern for the health risks posed by the disease, with 78% saying they believe COVID- 19 presents a mortal danger.
The leading rabbis in the hassidic and Ashkenazi non- hassidic communities have, however, frequently issued instructions to their communities that violate the government’s health regulations.
This has included endorsing mass prayers and celebrations, indoor prayer services and blanket school attendance, despite government orders to the contrary.
But the ultra- Orthodox population does not believe that such activities have had anything to with the high rates of COVID- 19 infection in the sector.
Instead, a majority of 58% believe that the main cause is the high population density in ultra- Orthodox cities and neighborhoods, while 12% of respondents who said the high infection rate was due to the “lack of consideration for the ultra- Orthodox way of life by those who issued the instructions.”
By comparison, just 2.2% of respondents said the main cause of high ultra- Orthodox infection rate was due to “rabbis’ instructions to continue normal life.” Only 4.4% said it was due to “the ultra- Orthodox community’s failure to comply with the government’s instructions,” and 1.9% said it was because of a “lack of enforcement of the directives in the ultra- Orthodox sector.”
Indeed, 81% said they follow Health Ministry guidelines to a great extent or very great extent.
The survey also showed resentment at the government regulations, with 81% saying the fact that synagogue services were banned while political demonstrations were allowed was proof that there is discrimination against the ultra- Orthodox sector.
“Most of the ultra- Orthodox have little, and sometimes very little, trust in the state institutions charged with dealing with the pandemic,” said Friedman.
“The lack of trust in the key agencies in charge of responding to the pandemic has evoked strong suspicion of the considerations that decision- makers take into account when formulating policy,” he continued, noting the belief expressed in the survey that the main driving factor in COVID- 19 policy making is political and the widespread belief that the ultra- Orthodox has been discriminated against during this crisis.