By Yanky Goldman*
I can yet recall the days when I knew what it felt like having human dignity. Sure, things were far from perfect and you faced your own set of struggles.
I could ponder this country’s virtue of being one in which your own destiny is largely in your own hands. You may critique political winds that you may feel strip you of portions of it, but by and large when you looked into the mirror you knew that the person looking back at you was the most dominant determinant of your destiny.
But then came the lockdowns. It came with overwhelming challenges to survive. I needn’t expound as we’ve all lived it and know.
But the mandatory placing of masks on our [formerly own] faces outside of clinical settings is the day that human dignity died. The state asserted ownership over your body, let alone executing its claim on the portion of the body that is its crown. The body’s ventilation unit must be draped by a flimsy device.
One may get a temporary respite when they know they aren’t breathing their offending air near enough to others to constitute a rational threat to another’s wellbeing, even if an active carrier of the virus.
But then, all too often, quickly arrives the reminder via snide remarks, piercing gazes and spontaneous meltdowns, reminding you that your body was nationalized and is now communal property.
The feeling of contemplating my existence with only memories of when I held autonomy over my own body leaves me gravely dispirited. And there is no end in sight. Though the death rate is already long flat and virtually akin to a typical year, these mandates have no end in sight.
And the shul where I go to energize my spiritual feeling of connection is where I no longer feel welcome. Sure, nobody has disinvited me from shul, but the conditions to enter is so oppressive that I feel like I’m entering anything but a sanctuary.
I suffer through the prayers to ensure my local minyan survives but I feel that I’m casting aside my emotional wellbeing every time I go into shul. This is very unfortunate.
I understand that many locales have guidelines that leave them fearing they’d be shut or fined heavily if they don’t employ masking protocols. But too many congregations exceed mandates and become petty enforcers of how high up the face the mask reaches.
Community leaders and Rabbis must work on a concrete set of goals to phase out the masking. Perhaps having a stringent section and a more liberal section free of enforcement. This I believe must be done sooner rather than later. Too many people are deteriorating spiritually and psychologically and the gravity of oppression is taking a large toll.
* Knowing the passions running so high on these issues and wishing to protect my family from being demonized, I’ve elected not to put my real name to this email
the mortality rate is super low. masks do not prevent you from getting it. people who are high risk are also in high risk of getting the flu, but you don’t see people going kookoo during flu season!
Corrrection: plenty of us (everyone I know) of my senior age group and with my health conditions also go cuckoo during the flu season, which can kill and has killed people of my age. Apparently you don’t know that.
So Every flu season we should be masked too? That’s why people distrust government. They bait you to cede an inch then they take a mile.
Corona kills at 5 times the rate of the regular flu. It also has left many people I know with continuing severe symptoms, even after they have recovered and already have antibodies. It’s just not worth it to get corona, so let’s do all we can to make sure other people don’t get it, right.
Not anymore. The covid19 death rate flattened. There are actually more people in recent weeks dying from Flu than dying from corona.
statistically in rebounded. so that is probably a short terms trend
It’s just not worth it to get corona = then treat yourself with preventative medicine, don’t rely on everyone else wearing a mask. It’s a well known lie that masks will protect you from a virus. It never has and never will and that data was out long before covid.
Please it’s so important to prevent yourself from catching this virus. Please consider taking hydroxychloriquine and zinc as prevention. Extremely safe and effective according to many many doctors. Masks won’t help you. They were NEVER used as a virus spread prevention up until now for good reason.
yet I dont know anyone losing their life to the Flu and many losing to COVID. Dr keep your opinion to yourself
they are losing lives because they stupidly go to the hospital, where the doctors cant handle so many people, and put their patients on respirators like a bunch of dummies, since respirators do not let the lungs heal. either way, a mageifa (if you can call covid that, it really isnt halachikally) mutates and gets less virulent over time so now for sure people should take a chill pill. and, by the way, the Chesed L’avrohom (The Chida’s zt”lforefather) said the the shiur for following precautions of a mageifa is three days. zehu! after that, everyone continues vaiter in their… Read more »
“The virus mutates and gets less virulent over time”???
Quite the opposite.
Mutation is the virus changing and therefore becoming more difficult to fight, since even if your body fought off the original strain, it cannot fight off the new mutated strain.
Mutation is the virus becoming stronger.
Mutation means change. could become stronger or weaker. In our case, this second wave of corona virus is obviously because the virus mutated.
We are not listening to the doctors and government because we care about what they say, we are following their directives only because (Hashem and) OUR Rabbonim told us too. The moment the Rabbonim tell us to stop listening, we can stop in an instant. We never signed a long term allegiance to the government, we have a long-term allegiance to our Rabbonim. We can choose to dump the advice of any doctor and any government at any time. Choosing to listen to them on Sunday does not force me to choose to listen to them on Monday.
Kudos to collive for putting this out!
Pleasantly surprised. There are two sides of every coin.
The government isn’t out to get you and own your body be sensitive to one another wear a mask when indoors and in the proximity of less than six feet from others
Uhh u seem a little naive. Just a little.
Uhh u seem a little conspiratorial. Just a little.
Unless anyone is a MD they should the comments to not wear a mask hold no water period!
I believe it was my great grandparents who said “The government isn’t out to get you” in Poland in 1938.
You can be sensitive to others while wearing your thinking cap and questioning things. Don’t be a sheep.
There’s a lot of bad this year everywhere. but anyone using their thinking cap knows that the levels of anti-semitism don’t reach the levels of Europe 1938 or the levels of USA 1938 (unless Q reported something recently that I don’t know what (sarcasm))
warning signs are clear. We dont need a copy paste of then to see danger looming.
SHEEPLE wake up!
Breathe in, breathe out ×10
why do you equate everything you dont comprehend to being antisemitic?
i dont love the way the NY politicians addressed the jewish community but that is very different
It isn’t very different. It is the politicians and media brainwashing you to believe that masks and social isolation will keep you safe. The same politicians who forced nursing homes to accept covid positive patients which directly killed thousands of vulnerable seniors. Wake up!
Kudos.
Really, COL?
You could have just signed it “anonymous.” Now I will be harassed and demonized. My poor children.
Let’s just talk subjectively (i.e., not about whether masks work but about why people do or do not wear them): Those who wear masks believe they are potentially saving others’ lives. They are upset when people don’t wear them because they feel that that concern is not reciprocated and that the person who doesn’t wear a mask doesn’t really care about endangering others. Those who don’t wear masks won’t do so because it “cast[s aside their emotional well-being”; that it impinges on their dignity by covering g their “crown” and for some other reasons I didn’t clearly understand. Now please… Read more »
Many people don’t wear masks because it is hard for them to do so. I know many people with asthma or other breathing problems. Wearing a mask makes it worse for them.
People also don’t like being forced to wear masks.
Originally Dr. Fauci said that masks don’t work at all, and that people shouldn’t wear them. He later changed due to political pressure.
The WHO recently said that lockdowns don’t work.
Stop being a fool.
Bc the virus is new, of course no one knows anything and things will be changing..
That’s a lie. Fauci knows good and well how a virus works and that masks don’t. This is not a conspiracy theory and has nothing to do with the type of virus. He also knew that hydroxychloriquine works very well to prevent vulnerable people from becoming seriously ill from all corona viruses by treating early within the first few days of symptoms. He was in charge of the NIH when they themselves published a study proving it in 2005.
if too hard stay home or wear a visor. i know ppl who have asthma and have no problems with a mask. Get one that is more comfortable
This is extremely dangerous rhetoric. Masks are not oppression. Wearing a mask is not indignity.
So many member of our community died as a result of Coronavirus. Please grow up and start thinking about other people, rather than just how a mask could in some bizarre way affect your dignity.
masks are not saving anyone, if you are gonna get it you are going to get it and a flimsy mask will not prevent that.
They don’t guarantee protection but they still decrease the chance of spread. It’s obvious. If a carrier coughs or sneezes without a mask, they spit hundreds of contagious droplets into the air. With a mask is not perfect but amount of vile droplets shot into the air is much much less, obviously.
Even if the carrier doesn’t wear the mask over his nose, he is still tremendously decreasing the viral droplets leaving from his mouth through coughing sneezing and even talking.
B”H Would rather see an article by a rav. When the Rebbe emphasized in sicha 5752 braishis that we must follow the law of the land for our bodies, but not for our neshomo when it comes to Torah and mitzvohs, does this include an epidemic (Yes, there are people dying in NY who recently got the virus) where doctors say covering the mouth and nose help prevent the spread ? Are people lacking in bitachon if they wear masks or distance ? Yes, there needs to be guidelines followed from a rav, based on virus doctor specialists, to keep… Read more »
The rabbonim have said over and over that at this time we must listen to the Dr’s.
Many doctors say the masks dont work, and even cause harm, and this confirms what I feel when I wear one.
This group is comprised of a number of medical professionals. I am curious to know if this group which has been giving directives to our community since day one has said anything to back your comments up? If not than please list your doctors who have stated ‘masks dont help’ Meanwhile we have had plenty of people here in Crown Heights who have died from this disease. If the majority of medical professionals and our government health agencies (we have to have some baselines to go by) say to wear a mask to protect ourselves and others, is it really… Read more »
Rabbonem have spoken. Distance when possible, and wear a mask!!
First world problems. May this be your biggest tzarah amen!
I hope the author of this article is being facetious. I hope that he is trying to illustrate that masks aren’t a big deal and he is using sarcasm to illustrate his message. However, I am not certain of this and I will argue with the face value of the article: If you indeed face emotional and spiritual difficulties as a result of wearing a mask in Shul, you are likely Patur from tefilla b’tzibur. Just as one is exempt from traveling 12 miles to shul due to difficulty, you are also patur from going to Shul if it will… Read more »
THANK YOU
A vaccine for covid? Please explain to me how that’s going to work when we already see clearly that antibodies do not prevent someone from getting covid again? That’s how vaccines work, but if the antibodies don’t protect you then how will a vaccine work? The flu vaccine is a joke. Covid vaccine will at best be on par with the flu vaccine, ie useless. Do people not see this simple fact? The govt tells us that life cannot resume until a vaccine comes to market, and they know fully well that there is no vaccine for this virus… What… Read more »
Oh seriously??? You have to wear a mask in shul and feel deprived of your rights. What about me? I feel deprived of my health because you walk next to me on the street and breathe on me without a mask. My mask protects you…you spread your germs on me. Grow up and be responsible. Teach that to your kids please. Wear a mask and wash your hands. Because I don’t believe that those who do not wear masks wash their hands.
You should stay home instead of locking us all because you are going kookoo
The Rabbonim said wear masks so why are you telling him to stay home. You are kookoo for not wearing a mask and thinking that you can get away with it. The law says wear masks, halacha says wear a mask. And you are criticizing others who don’t want people breathing on them with no masks??
Stay home if you feel you’re in danger. Other people don’t think they are causing you any damage and won’t opress themselves for no reason. If you feel that other people are a threat to you, that’s your problem, not theirs.
I’m confused, since when did being selfish equate to being oppressed hahaha. Do you think ppl who wear masks actually love it and enjoy it and it is their greatest joy? It’s not comfortable for us either- but it’s not oppression lol
U really gotta stay home, if ur that scared
If you are that scared of the virus you should stay home, and limit your exposure to the public. It’s like driving in the wrong side of the lane and complaining about everyone else.
First masks only help a bit if you have it not to spread second being exposed is only for 10 minutes when you walk outside they is no reason for anyone to wear a mask even if you were tested positive there’s a reason Trump doesn’t wear a mask most of the time so just distance yourself a bit if you’re shared it wear a gas mask and goggles!
You are more than welcome here in Crown Heights. No one will judge you. You can enter without a mask.
I do think some people think its a must not just politically but also because of safety. I think though its the politicians that confused them and convinced them this. Boruch Hashem it doesn’t seem like there was any spike (definitely not of deaths) after Rosh hoshono in 770 etc (even being very full and mostly without masks). I would only say that regards to chilul Hashem (which is very important), when you go to certain places, or you’re in a public place with no social distancing you should wear a mask. But as this article mentioned, the effect this… Read more »
No uptick. No nothing. Ok so you were worried, now you see your fears were unfounded. Let go and let g-d. Why live I this agonizing fear? What’s worse?
Ya know the deaths take times to rise?
The reason there isn’t an uptick in ch is Bec more than 60% have antibodies
Finally an article on col which represents the many ppl who agree with this but are afraid of being DEMONIZED ppl looking for a fight and use covid as an excuse
There is growing evidence that while mask are not perfect they lower the viral load that is transmitted and a lower viral load results in milder covid infections.
You don’t like the mask, go for a walk in the park far away from other people.
Low mortality? Even killing one person counts. You are obligated to be even mechalel Shabbos for potentially saving one life.
You can’t stand mask in the shul? Daven at home.
There are halachos for this situation: Sakanta Chamira Mi’isura.
It’s a bad situation but your reasoning is selfish.
You should never walk unmasked again as it’s unknown what contagious bacteria or viruses lurk within you. Especially flu season.
As we all know, in Japan and other Asian countries everybody wears a mask during the flu season, when they get the slightest sniffle they put that mask on. It’s part of their culture. And they have much lower rates of Covid than many other countries.I know it seems strange to many Americans.
Yes, I think it’s also strange for a lot of Americans to think about others and put others first in their culture. Same thing with have free healthcare, most American ppl I’ve spoke to think that have free healthcare is socialist and that the government will start controlling everything and the next step would be communism. But like, free healthcare is simple having healthcare for free. It’s a beautiful and easy thing that works much better and is cheaper even if you pay through more taxes, than the mess of the american healthcare system. They can’t comprehend a works outside… Read more »
show us the data!!!
It boggles my mind! You guys have the worst outbreak in the world by any measure, and instead of being like any other civilized country (and a number of uncivilized ones as well) and listening to the scientists, you go ahead and whine about your “freedom” (to die I guess?)
It boggles the mind! You guys are the ones who put a man on the moon and sequenced the human genome and now you’re basically seen as the flat earthers of the world!
Interestingly, the states in America that have the highest death rates are the ones who went into lockdowns, and a big percentage being older people in nursing homes. Mind you, run by Democrats.
Mind you those same states also have a lot of idiots there not wearing masks and not giving a care in the world to the fact that there’s a global! The high cases in those states have nothing to do with it… And also every state locked down at different times while they were still open to travel without quarantine so how would lockdowns help if everyone is busy roasting between states and getting their houses of worship opened up because of protests (ahem, I’m looking at you, ny)
I’m sorry, you Americans have no idea what a lockdown is. None of your states had a proper lockdown.
There was no enforcement of quarantine for people traveling, or even for people who tested positive. No meaningful contact tracing. You guys closed a few bars and called that a lockdown.
And even those puny restrictions were lifted way too early!
I don’t know enough about your politics to know which states are run by who, but your country is run a by a Republican president who’s running it into the ground. It’s a shame, really…
I had to post to agree. Yidden in America always thought they were exceptional. While we had security guards at schools and shuls, you said “never in America”. When we had to work hard to give chinuch and to be visibly different, you had it all. And now? Now you are happy to kill each other by arguing about masks, and politics. The rest of the world (and yes, frum communities) didn’t make this political. We saw this for what it is – an opportunity to help other Yidden. This is the end of frumkheit in the US as you… Read more »
America has one of the highest death rates for a very simple reason, the number is inacurate, because hospitals were incentified to lie about who died from covid, as opposed to people who died, and also happened to test positive for covid, because they were given extra money for any deaths that were classified as a covid death
I’m sorry, if you believe all hospitals are in on some conspiracy to raise covid death numbers (including hospitals in red states), and not one of the people involved in certifying deaths would speak up I have a bridge to sell you.
A brief look at the excess death rate in the US (the number of people dying more than an avarage year) highly suggests that, if anything, covid deaths are being UNDERREPORTED:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2771761
Demonize the government officials for trying to minimize the spread of covid but surely take their unemployment, stimulus money, etc…
Put on a mask and care about another Jew.
Ahavas Yisroel. Read Chassidus.
Cuomo? De Blasio? 99 percent of the democratic body? 50% of republicans, CDC, the WHO? The UN? The EU? Please. They ruined the economy and killed 1000s for a plague that should have been treated with a cheap, yes, unfortunately cheap combination of treatments with 99.99% success. Hydroxycloroquine and zinc etc. Now if they give whatever money, take it obviously. 50% of it went into their pockets as it is.
Hydroxycloroquine and zinc have been proven again and again to not help at all. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2022926?query=featured_home
In israel 2000 people who went to private healthcare in the hareidi sector were given hydroxychloroquine. Only 15 needed the hospital and only 3 died. Compared to those who didnt take hydroxychloroquine around 30 people die every day in israel.
Very funny, the test didn’t give zinc! The whole point of the hydroxichloroquine was to allow the zinc to penetrate…. Obviously they didn’t show any good results without it in this study you quote
#1 we wanted hcq work but it was proven to not help at all even if taken in the way Dr zelenko decided #2 if it really worked and the government was fixing that because it’s “unfortunately a cheap drug” then don’t you think the government could change the pricing for it to demand more money for it and then they could announce it officially as a cure and make billions of dollars? Why would they keep it a secret if worked? They could definitely make lots of money if it did and upcharge the price just like all the… Read more »
Hydroxychloroquine does work when given early like tamiflu works only for flu when given early. Pres trump was given hydroxy chloroquine according to inside sources
Unless you are a qualified epidimiologist who specializes in disease then not only are you wrong but you are also using post-hoc rationalization. Pony up with your peer reviewed, evidence based data to back up your “claim”. Oh, and stop relying on Twitter for your information. No wonder we have a problem…
Dr Harvey Risch has the top credentials to speak with credibility. Listen to him about medical matters and not to the lying, thieving politicians and media.
Has the experience of your “body being nationalized” as you call it made you more sympathetic to so-called pro-choice arguments?
🙌🏼
Once a woman is pregnant, the baby inside deserves protection from intentional killing or harming of the child that she’s hosting within. A woman can drink bleach if she chooses to, it’s a free country, however when she’s pregnant she sacrifices that freedom for 9.5 months.
I always loved living in Crown Heights. I took pride in my community….not anymore.
I am embarrassed to be a part of a community where the norm is flaunting the fact that we don’t follow the law and protocol. Go to Park Slope, go to Manhattan…everyone is wearing masks even while jogging and bikeriding. And here people are squished together with no masks.
No one cares that they can be infecting others. It is each person for themselves…their own comfort and their own pleasure and enjoyment.
It is with the deepest personal pain, that I agree with you. There is no way I can defend our crazy actions, not listening to the rabbonim, not listening to the doctors. I am so ashamed. That photo of selichos squashed into 770 like sardines with no masks, was in the New York Times. I tried not to cry. What will people think of Chabad shluchim out there, if they find out how CH is behaving at home?
Shame on you for trivializing the seriousness.
You poor feeling about your chin won’t bring back the many we lost to this virus nor will it save others.
Suck it up, be a man, where a mask to help others and stop being such a self centered baby.
You’ll get your “freedom” back soon enough after a vaccine – until then spare the world your pity party or daven at he in your sanctuary.
I think by now it’s clear that some people think wearing masks are very important and some people think they are useless or even harmful.
Everyone can stop trying to convince everyone else. Its tiresome and annoying.
Most people want to do the right thing and if they arent sure, they can ask their mashpia, doctor, rav etc
We dont need vigilante mask police, endless opeds and countless snide remarks.
Live and let live and unless you are a community leader, stop worrying so much about how others are behaving and focus on yourself.
Throughout the entire country people go to shul wearing a mask, for some reason New Yorkers resist. I fail to understand it. Have people in CH forgotten what April looked like? 50 people dead in 6 weeks!!!! Does anyone think that the government has some sort of gain from you wearing a mask? What in the world would a state or city government have to gain from shutting business and losing massive amounts of tax revenue??? No your body is not your own to do as you please. You live in a society and a community and you have to… Read more »
Are you not aware of the recent resurgence of Covid in frum communities in Brooklyn which fail to follow social distancing and mask guidelines??
This is not only dangerous and a gross disregard of Crown Heights’ doctors’ advice, it’s tangible fodder for the growing number of anti-semites who are sick of the Jews putting everyone else at risk…
You should be ashamed for writing/posting this article!
The mask nonsense has been going on far too long. No one owes you protection from a virus. Yes people shouldnt sneeze or cough all over each other but i dont owe you protection from micro particles. If you want to symbolically wear a mask to make like you are somehow protecting me even thu you arent sick, go ahead. Its a free country. Dont ask me to feed into your March 2020 fears when its oct 2020 and almost no one is dying outside of normal rates. Ps there’s a laundry list of medical reasons why someone would not… Read more »
I’m proud of Crown Heights. At the height of the pandemic, we stayed home. Pesach not a soul was in the streets. The shuls were shut. No one was opening any indoor shuls illegally. I’m proud of Crown Heights. Like the Jewish people in 1945, who, despite their suffering, moved on and built their futures, we have moved on. Whilst others are still living in corona (largely because it gives many who live in purposeful lives a sense of purpose, and largely because they aren’t using their minds and following the money hungry government like sheep), we have moved on.… Read more »
What is the cure? How many studies have shown it works? The only cure right now is masks and social distance, and it’s cheaper than drugs.
Is 50+ studies on early use of hydroxychloriquine not enough for you?
Or do they no longer count because the media is against it
Now we know who’s really religious, and who’s so yeshut they can’t recognize a mask, even if controversial, is a mitzvah, simply being that the majority in the medical field believe it critical.
Unfortunately, for many in the frum community, conservative political views have supplanted Jewish views. The healthcare community — and now apparently even the Rabbonim, are all operators of the Deep State, wresting control of individual liberty.
For some people, the “Rebbe“ MahaRUSH has become more influential than the Rebbe Maharash.
Sad!
Ya! They force us to wear masks to cover our face and they force us to wear pants to cover our bottoms. And they give us dirty looks if we come to shul without masks or pants!
Are they more makpid on the masks or the pants?! Need to know their priorities!
your comments are the best
Welcome to being part of the human race! Where one must think of themselves as part of a whole to succeed at not being called selfish and obnoxious. There’s an idea called doing something for the greater good. This is not communism and it’s completely disrespectful to describe it as such. There are laws put in place in every state and country which are there to protect us and those around us. Just a be a decent human and follow the scientific advice that is there for us and be a mentch and stop trying to argue everything that comes… Read more »
Get rid of the masks if. You’re outdoors and socially distant
I didn’t read all the comments but as far as I know you don’t need any masks, any lockdown—nothing!
Hydroxychloroquine!, etc.
Dr. Zev Zelenko & Dr. Brian Tyson
Investigate!
Every sentence begins with the word ” I ”
Speaks volumes.
This virus is an unknown…it enters through the membranes in the nose & eyes
It leaves catastrophic after effects r/l
That is one of the reasons for wearing a mask
They do feel invasive…they are uncomfortable
Other countries have huge spikes again.iyH
HaShem will end it soon
Here’s the deal- Do. Something. For. Others. I don’t want your cold or flu either! More awareness of how germs work was needed anyway! If you are in middle of being actively sick, with a cold/flu/virus/strep etc. something contagious, stay home! Or keep your kid home. If it’s flu or cold season and you are with a bunch of ppl indoors and you have a runny nose, a bit of congestion, mild symptoms that might turn into something … keep your hands away from your nose, mouth, don’t sneeze or cough on people, wearing a mask def. helps, keep a… Read more »
The country is averaging 700 deaths per day. Current projections have us looking at 2,300 deaths per day by mid January. Today, the US reported 69,100 new cases (the highest since July). All projections show NYC case counts on the rise, with high anticipated death counts going into the winter.
Unfortunately, odds are, no one will have to prove this to you. COVID is really not something that we need to debate. The ones who are wrong about it tend to simply die.
It’s not just those who are wrong who are getting very sick and sometimes dying. Many people have jobs where social distancing is harder or impossible, particular in health care or care for the sick and infirm, or people who work in stores and there are customers without masks. How about EMT’s and fire fighters. We must all do our part to wear masks and socially distance to keep the numbers and spread down for those who are busy working to help others rather than spending time on social media. We can’t let our hospitals and morgues get over-run again.… Read more »
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=lh5xC73G7YI
Thank you for stating the obvious truth and thank you COL for posting it!
The petty mask REFUSERS in shul.
Most Rabbonim who are endorsing mask wearing are doing so out of complying with the ‘laws’ and regulations not because they believe in it themselves?
How do I know? Because I work in healthcare and aside for when I’m in direct contact with patients who have Covid conditions, the main reason I wear a mask is because I will lose my job if I don’t.
Fear mongering- that’s what the left is all about. #Trump2020
many right leaning Doctors encouraging masks. Stop parroting trumps talking point
Just watching from afar in California, I saw tragic effects of covid in crown heights and yet you’re still trying to avoid wearing masks indoors? I watch simchas and gatherings on social media of hundreds of frum people (usually young) indoors in new york with no masks or social distancing. It’s painful to watch the carelessness & a chillul Hashem in my opinion
Alright people, all of you talking about masks being the only cure.
Do you know that covid has been over in Sweden for months?
They did not lock down. They did not social distance. They did not mandate masks.
Guess what. They are back to normal life.
You can make all the rude comments and thumbs down that you want, but facts don’t care about your feelings.
Swededn had much higher mortality than some of its neighbors. An although Sweden didn’t have lock downs, they limited the number of people who could congregate in one place and had good social distancing; something that is not happening in CH.
COVID is not over in Sweden. As of this week, Sweden’s per capita death rate stands at 58.4 per 100,000 people. 12th highest in the world.
What were those facts that don’t care about your feelings, again?
Sweden is no reversing course on all of those measures because the situation there has spiraling of control. But carry on.
Dr. Afshine Emrani MD posted on his Facebook yesterday the death rate of covid19 in Sweden vs. czech republic. The death rate is totally flat in sweden. If they chose to reverse course that’s unfortunate and I’d love to see the evidence beyond just taking your word for it.
Make a kiddish Hashem by standing up for the freedom of this great nation and making sure masks don’t get anywhere near your face!
If I don’t believe in gravity, can I insist that it’s my right to let go of my baby mid-air? Can I have enough bitachon that the little one will remain floating? After all, gravity is probably just a deep-state conspiracy, too. It’s like sheidim — if you don’t believe in it, it can’t hurt you.
As someone who has contracted COVID three times this articles hurts me. It’s hurts me bad. I too thought this whole mask thing was a conspiracy plot in order to take away our freedom of religion, to control us, to take away the pintele yid that burns within us. However. Then I got Covid. Then I got it again. And then I got it again. Covid taught me. Covid changed me. I will never walk outside without a mask. I will never put down the Democratic Party for saying we should wear masks. I am upset at Trump for downplaying… Read more »
I just don’t understand. Why don’t you demand preventative treatment from your doctor instead of relying helplessly on someone else to stay safe and healthy? Hundreds and thousands of people who took hydroxychloriquine and zinc in advance didn’t get sick because it works to block the virus from replicating. Far more proven and effective than masks according to the doctors that had the courage to not let blackmail stop them from saving the lives of their patients
I wonder which university the author graduated? Google University? Are you smarted than the doctore, rabbonim? How are you so sure that the masks dont help at all? comparing it to the flu? How many ppl perished from the flu and how many ppl from COVID (from your aquaintances)? your statements are very insensitive to ppl who have loved ones and friends struggling with COVID! Even if the numbers are fllattening in Jewish Law we go after numbers not statistics. I guess the author is so self centered that some on losing their life is worth his comfort. Lastly to… Read more »
Two members of my family passed away from COVID. Please wear a mask.
B”H
I find it ironic that the author belittles the wearing of masks while hiding behind the the mask of anonymity. We do not know who the author is. Why does the fear of “protecting his family from being demonized” legitimize “wearing the mask” of anonymity but fear of dying, or causing others to die from the Coronavirus, ch”v, does not legitimize wearing a mask?
You ask about your human dignity by, nebach, having to wear a mask – but forget the humanity dignity of those at risk.
We go to ekvelt to do a tova for a yid begashmiyus, let alone beruchnius, yet find it hard to literally save the lives of members of our own community by simply wearing a mask here.
Wearing a mask is the physical materialization of our morning Hareini Mekabel. Put on a mask? You’re saying I love you to zknei anash or an immunocompromised child. This is our alef beis,
What’s more important for preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission: Ventilation or distancing? Consider: Outdoor transmission is extremely rare, even when people do not practice distancing While indoor transmission in situations where people *do* practice distancing is quite common (SWINKLES)… suggesting transmission is aerosol driven maybe? And not projectile droplets? Projectiles should travel same indoor or out. But aerosols would quickly disperse outside… but concentrate indoors….