►‘Milestone’ as week passes with no Covid-19 deaths

V THERE HAVE been no new reports of Jewish funerals linked to Covid-19 over the past week for the first time since March 23, the Board of Deputies has confirmed.

Working with the Jewish community’s burial boards, regional Jewish communities and the Jewish Small Communities Network it reported no change from the week before on the total of 508 Jewish funerals carried out where the deceased had contracted Covid-19.

While urging caution, Board President Marie van der Zyl said this was a “welcome milestone for the community.

“The figure comes with the important caveat that smaller communities do not report to the Board of Deputies on a weekly basis, and so there may have been Covid-19 funerals held in the wider community. Any such reports will come in in the weeks ahead. However,

the trend is clear, for now.

“This should strengthen our resolve to continue to take handwashing seriously and follow social distancing guidance strictly. Our community has suffered disproportionately from the pandemic, and we must not slip back. Our thoughts continue to be with those who have lost loved ones, and those who survived but must now live with the effects of this terrible disease.”

The Board is liaising with seven of the largest denominational burial boards to collate an indicator of deaths where Covid-19 was a factor. These are: The Adath Yisroel Burial Society, the Federation of Synagogues Burial Society, the Joint Jewish Burial Board, Liberal Judaism, the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi Community, the United Synagogue Burial Society and the Western Charitable Foundation.

For the first time since March 23, there were no reported funerals linked to Covid-19 last week. This is, of course, good news. But it is news that should be treated with caution, because the least appropriate response would be to behave as if this somehow indicated that the threat from coronavirus had lifted. And yet one only has to visit a kosher shop or walk around a Jewish neighbourhood to see that some in our community are behaving as if all is now well. In some parks and streets, social distancing appears to be an alien concept. Masks are legally required in shops — but there are people walking around the aisles blithely ignoring this. It is an act of pure selfishness. They may have no regard for their own safety but masks are primarily about protecting others, especially the most vulnerable to infection. The best measure we have indicates that 508 Jews have died from Covid-19. Our community has suffered disproportionately. The people who refuse to behave responsibly dishonour their memory — and should have future deaths on their consciences.