‘Painful’ lockdown from virus marks Yom Kippur in Israel
JERUSALEM — The solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which annually sees Israeli life grind to a halt, began at sundown Sunday in a nation already under a sweeping coronavirus lockdown.
Every year, businesses shut down, roads empty out and even radio and TV stations go silent as the faithful fast for 25 hours and hold intensive prayers of atonement on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The more secular-minded can be seen riding bikes or even picnicking on deserted highways.
But this year all nonessential businesses have already been forced to close, and Israelis have been ordered to stay within about 1,000 yards of their homes throughout the High Holidays, which began last week with the Jewish New Year.
It’s the second nationwide lockdown since the pandemic began, an attempt to contain one of the most severe outbreaks in the world. Israel, with a population of just 9 million, is reporting more than 7,000 new cases a day, raising fears its hospitals could be overwhelmed.
A lockdown last spring largely succeeded in containing the outbreak, with new daily cases dropping to around a dozen in May. Authorities then reopened schools and businesses quickly, leading to a surge in cases even as the economy struggled to recover. An emergency government formed in May to manage the crisis has been plagued by infighting, adding to the public sense of despair.
In a message to the nation, Israel’s figurehead president, Reuven Rivlin, called on people to light a candle in memory of the more than 1,400 Israelis who have died from COVID-19.
As part of the latest lockdown, Israelis can only pray
in open areas close to home, with gatherings limited to 20 people. However, synagogues will be allowed to open for limited prayers with social distancing on Yom Kippur despite warnings from health experts that it could lead to further transmission.
In a videotaped statement Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged mistakes have been made by decision makers. But he urged people to avoid going into synagogues on Yom Kippur and to pray outdoors.
Israel’s politically influential ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, which has suffered from high rates of infection, is opposed to restrictions on prayers, viewing it as a form of discrimination by mostly secular authorities, especially while demonstrations continue.
Hagai Levine, a professor of epidemiology and a member of the expert panel advising the government, said the number of people taking part in protests is only about 1% of those attending prayers in synagogues, and that the risk of transmission in closed spaces is “much, much, much higher.”
But he said there is some danger in attending any mass gathering, even outdoors.
“If you go outside and you are very close to someone
else, you speak with someone else, you shout, you eat together, clearly there is a risk,” he said.
David Stav, the chief rabbi of the city of Shoham and the head of Tzohar, an organization of rabbis that works to bridge gaps in Israeli Jewish society, supports the restrictions and wishes they were tighter. But he says the closure of synagogues during Yom Kippur is still “very painful for most Israelis,” even those who don’t attend regularly.
“Almost everybody goes at least once a year, and this once a year that was supposed to be on Sunday night will not happen this year,” he said, referring to the limitations on group prayer. “It’s quite dramatic for Israelis, for all types of Israelis, secular and observant.”
Jewish communities across the U.S. also celebrated the holiest day on their calendar within the limitations of the coronavirus.
Temple Emanu-El, a reform congregation in New York City, planned virtual services for Sunday and Monday. Rabbi Joshua Davidson said in a statement they were providing online services to remind the community “that we can connect to our faith and protect each other and our health at the same time.”