Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

November 4, 2020

Why Ultra-Orthodox Jews Need to Reckon with Their Own Success

“You are no longer oppressed. And that is a good thing.”

While there is little doubt that New York state’s governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City’s mayor Bill de Blasio have singled out Orthodox enclaves in their enforcement of social-distancing regulations, the fact remains that some of these communities have at times taken insufficient measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic. A similar situation exists in Israel, where prominent ḥaredi rabbis have persisted in keeping schools and synagogues open against government advice. To Shmuel Rosner, the problem lies in the very virtues that have led Ḥaredim to flourish:

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