Rabbi insists Charedi adherence to social distancing rules ‘extremely high’
Rabbi Avroham Pinter made his comments after police were called to break up an outdoor prayer meeting
A leading Charedi rabbi in north London has said the city’s strictly Orthodox community is no worse than any other for adhering to social distancing rules, despite police being called to break up outdoor prayer meetings.
Rabbi Avroham Pinter, the principal of a large Charedi school in Stamford Hill and a trustee of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, argued that strictly Orthodox Jews were, if anything, better at staying indoors than other communities.
“When doing essential shopping on Stamford Hill I noticed that the number of people from the Charedi community was low, much less than that of any other community,” he said, speaking to Jewish News.
Police were called earlier after photos of Orthodox men in an outdoor minyan were posted on social media, despite Jewish doctors having warned the Charedi community not to gather.
The number of Orthodox Jews obeying the social distancing rules was “extremely high,” said Pinter, but there were “those who are ignoring it are a very small minority who, for unknown reasons, choose to put themselves and others at risk”.
However, he added: “This is very similar to the situation in the general public. The police have to encourage and remind people of the importance of adhering to the rules. These percentages are approximately the same.”
He said: “I would like to reiterate that, both from a common law perspective as well as a Halachic (Jewish religious law) perspective, public health must be taken most seriously and all the guidelines must be strictly adhered to.”
Police confirmed they had “become aware of small number of religious meetings in Stamford Hill” after more than a dozen men were seen standing close to one another outside a synagogue.
A police spokesperson said officers “engaged with the community and are encouraging them to follow the government’s very clear instruction to stay at home… This precludes gatherings of more than two people and includes places of worship.”
Jewish doctors last week warned against outdoor minyanim, adding that “a disproportionate number of the Jewish community” had been infected by the novel coronavirus.
In Israel 50 percent of cases have so far come from the Charedi community, despite Charedi Jews comprising only ten percent of Israel’s population. Prominent Charedi Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky urged followers to pray alone and not attend a minyan.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
