In divided Israel, desert town models a united front against virus
| TEL AVIV, Israel
When Israel reimposed a lockdown ahead of the Jewish new year last month to rein in a runaway second wave of COVID-19, the government made a controversial exception 鈥� allowing large groups of worshippers to congregate inside synagogues for High Holy Day services against the advice of public health experts.
But in the tiny desert hamlet of Yeruham, which had become a pandemic hotspot following a party thrown by high schoolers, Mayor Tal Ohana opted for stricter limitations, teaming up with the town鈥檚 chief rabbi in an appeal to the religious community to shutter synagogues and move services outside.
The outreach was one piece of a homegrown public health operation spearheaded by Ms. Ohana that successfully stemmed an outbreak in just a few weeks, turning a small town into a model for the rest of the country.
Why We Wrote This
The U.S. isn鈥檛 the only country where politics has weakened the battle against the coronavirus. In Israel, one struggle has been to enlist the religious community. A small-town mayor is being praised for her example.
鈥淭he mayor and I spoke personally with all of the rabbis, prayer leaders, and congregants. Our message to them was that we don鈥檛 want to prohibit prayers, we are just moving prayers to another place,鈥� says Yeruham Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Shalev. 鈥淚鈥檓 not interested in the guidelines. I care about saving lives 鈥� that is a religious imperative that takes precedence over everything else.鈥�
Yeruham鈥檚 cooperation on worship stands out as a rare bright spot at a time Israel鈥檚 social fabric is being strained by the politicization of the pandemic. The story of a boot-strapped contact-tracing operation helmed by the 36-year old mayor is the mirror opposite of that of a national government accused of mismanagement and a sluggish response even as the leaders themselves violated the rules.
鈥淲e took responsibility from the get go,鈥� Ms. Ohana says, explaining why local authorities can do better in reining in community spread, where outsiders from the national government are at a disadvantage. 鈥淚 realized we needed to manage on our own. There鈥檚 a lot of local wisdom and nuance, that one who isn鈥檛 familiar wouldn鈥檛 understand.鈥�
Beyond Ms. Ohana鈥檚 remote Negev town of fewer than 11,000, Israel鈥檚 pandemic malaise plays out nightly on two fronts.
Mass protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his corruption trial and his handling of the coronavirus have turned into violent clashes with police trying to enforce lockdown restrictions on demonstrations. Protesters accuse the government of exploiting the pandemic to crush democratic dissent, while Mr. Netanyahu has accused them of spreading the virus.
Worsening divides
On the other front, police have used force to attempt to crack down on mass gatherings in cloistered ultra-Orthodox communities that have flouted lockdown restrictions. That defiance comes even though the coalition government, bowing to the influence of religious parties, made an exception to a 10-person limit on indoor gatherings, allowing synagogues to be subdivided into 鈥渃apsules鈥� of 10 to 25 worshippers separated by plastic dividers.
鈥淧olitical and social divides have worsened, most of all the divide between the ultra-Orthodox and everyone else on the other side,鈥� says Yossi Klein Halevi, an Israeli American author.
鈥淯ltra-Orthodox separatism is a problem for Israeli society in normal times, it becomes an acute danger in a time of medical crisis,鈥� adds Mr. Klein Halevi, a fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, a Jewish research and education institute based in Jerusalem.
鈥淭he other divide in Israeli society is over Netanyahu himself,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ne side sees him as indispensable, the only one who can keep them safe, while the other side sees him as a danger. The corona crisis has intensified the rage of the latter group, who accuse the prime minister of playing with the lives of Israelis for his own political needs.鈥�
The government has been widely criticized for reopening the economy and schools too quickly, dropping the ball on scaling up contact tracing, tolerating lockdown violations by its own members, and letting political considerations delay implementation of a plan by public health experts for selective closures and restrictions instead of a nationwide shutdown. Mr. Netanyahu鈥檚 Likud party has accordingly plummeted in the polls in recent months.
Fasting in 100-degree heat
Rising frustration with the government along with the mutual recriminations among the country鈥檚 various political tribes made it more difficult ahead of the recent lockdown to get buy-in from local residents, says Yeruham鈥檚 Rabbi Shalev.
鈥淲e are in an emergency,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 as if all of Israel is together on a ship at sea. And one person wants to drill a hole in their cabin, but it endangers everyone. There is a feeling among the public that if my neighbor is drilling a hole, then it鈥檚 OK for me to do it as well. And that鈥檚 a very big danger.鈥�
While Mayor Ohana road-tripped to army bases to borrow camouflage netting to create shade for outdoor worship on Rosh Hashana, the new year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Rabbi Shalev gave out guidelines on adjusting the timing and duration of services to avoid prayer and fasting in 100-degree heat.
Though there was ample debate over how to modify the solemn services for outdoors, the experience of worshipping in the public space was hailed as uplifting and inclusive.
鈥淭ogetherness is a very good word for it. It was an even bigger opportunity for neighbors to be part of it, and it was more accessible for women,鈥� says Rabbi Yonatan Wolff, a yeshiva teacher in the town, referring to the gender separation in Orthodox synagogues. 鈥淚t was a nice way to compromise and have a special prayer atmosphere.鈥�
Media celebrities
Yeruham, normally known as a dusty, lower socioeconomic 鈥渄evelopment town鈥� of immigrants, and Mayor Ohana have become celebrities in the Israeli media. The national government and big cities have taken notice as well. Prime Minister Netanyahu held a Zoom meeting Wednesday with Israeli mayors to discuss improving coordination.
鈥淗e has centralized management of the pandemic, and now that it鈥檚 not working he convened mayors and said let me give you more power,鈥� says Tal Schneider, a columnist for the financial daily Globes who profiled Ms. Ohana. 鈥淚t鈥檚 too little too late.鈥�
Israel has gone from crushing the curve of the coronavirus outbreak in the spring to having one of the highest rates of infection and new deaths per capita in the fall. When Israel imposed its first lockdown in March, about 60% of Israelis thought the restrictions were appropriate, while only 32% thought the same about the restrictions that took effect Sept. 18, by the Israel Democracy Institute.
Ultra-Orthodox individuals accounted for 40% of new coronavirus cases in late September, stoking criticism that authorities have permitted ultra-Orthodox cities and neighborhoods to operate as autonomous entities.聽聽
Ms. Ohana also spearheaded outreach to Yeruham鈥檚 ultra-Orthodox community, which makes up a little less than 10% of the city鈥檚 population. She credits rabbis with enforcing quarantines through communal sanctions and says parents agreed to get tests for kids returning from religious boarding schools in hot spots. 鈥淭hey did things that were out of the ordinary,鈥� she says.
From the high school students who sparked Yeruham鈥檚 September outbreak, Mayor Ohana required a dose of community service: staffing the town鈥檚 contact-tracing operation and outreach to the city鈥檚 older adults.
Taking a cue from Yeruham, Tel Aviv this week announced its own contact tracing and outreach operation. Asked by a public television reporter for some advice to encourage a frustrated country, Ms. Ohana鈥檚 advice was surprisingly simple.
鈥淓nough of the infighting. Everyone does to the best of their ability,鈥� she said. 鈥淟isten to the experts. Every guideline is etched in blood. If we all have faith, and take personal responsibility, everything will work out.鈥�
