Yesterday morning I went to a bris. When the baby cries, the window to heaven is open and it’s an opportune time for prayer. And I prayed for the coming year, that worldwise we experience healing, connection, expansion, safety, and to connect with G-d from a place of abundance (versus suffering).
Then I came home, and read an article that a friend and blog reader sent me regarding the opening of schools on September 1. At times like this I have to work hard not to feel despair at the Orwellian reality that has descended on this world, on this country, that saying the things that were written in this article are considered acceptable.
Background: the Green Pass system states the following: those who have gotten the *poke (explantion of why I use this term below), recovered from the virus or get a negative test result can participate in normative life. Anyone else can live on the edges of society, without being able to work, go to school, or whatever else they’re going to include – they started the process by letting those who met the criteria access cultural events, restaurant dining and the like, but are moving on to limiting access to core needs.
The policies and accompanying coercion are being justified as necessary for the health of society. Is it really about that?
People who got the poke can get the virus. People who got the virus can get it again. People who never got the virus can get the virus. We all know this.
If all those people can catch something and potentially spread it to others, why do two of those groups get a Green Pass, and only one group is barred from inclusion? After all, they are all at risk and they can all potentially put others at risk. Why is it safe for someone in the first two categories to mingle, when they are can also be a carrier of the dreaded disease?
From the article: “[Why should] an unvaccinated student who refuses to be tested should come to school and endanger the other children or the teachers?” he asked. “A sick person should remain at home.”
Does anyone else see the logic that is missing from this assumption? Someone who doesn’t want a test or a poke is not ipso facto sick. A healthy person is not endangering anyone, regardless of what medical procedures he does or doesn’t do. The prevailing narrative has become, get the poke and you’re at no risk and you present no risk. This is factually incorrect. Someone who got the poke isn’t ipso facto healthy, and still has the potential to pass a virus along.
From the article: “If a student refuses to be tested, then obviously he has something to hide. He won’t be vaccinated and also won’t be tested? Maybe the parents want to send him to school so that it’ll be easier for them.”
Every parent sends their child to school because it’s easier for them and they think it’s to the child’s benefit. Obviously, if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t do it. Parents are all sending their kids to school for the same reasons. Why is he sowing suspicion of other parents who have a difference of opinion about the desired course of action? Who does that benefit?
When this article was sent to me, it was with the comment, “Serious breakthrough for homeschoolers.”
I don’t see this as a positive breakthrough of anything. This is a breakdown of a democratic society veering right into totalitarianism.
If someone wants to homeschool, I support that. But to leave parents with no choice but to homeschool, in effect forcing children from school, because they don’t want to comply with very questionable policies that are being passed by a few politicians at 2 am when no one can comment or question them? No. I don’t support that and I certainly don’t celebrate that.
(And if you think that the Ministry of Education is going to approve all these parents who have been forced out of school for homeschooling, you’re greatly mistaken. It’s acceptable for them to drop the ball for over a year on the education of the students they are responsible for, but they aren’t going to be quick to pass the ball to someone else to play with. Make no mistake, they aren’t trying to expand educational options to benefit students, but to force parents into a corner.)
Here’s the paradigm that we’ve all grown up with: if you go along with whatever the government tells you, you’re a good and moral person. If you don’t, you deserve to suffer the full weight of the law. And that makes sense to us, because we see the laws that are passed as something that are necessary for the safety of society, that people who break the law are endangering us.
Is there ever a point that a citizen can question the actions that a government is taking? Has it ever happened that a government has taken actions and imposed policies that weren’t for the well-being of the population they were responsible for?
We’re being told these Green Pass policies are for the safety of society, and as is our habit, we agree that going along with the government decisions is good, that it’s all for our benefit. But what if the presumption that we are working from isn’t accurate? What if the Green Pass system isn’t about public safety, but about forcing compliance? They created a carrot to give to those who did what they wanted, which simultaneously created leverage to discriminate against those who didn’t go along with what was originally a voluntary plan. The result is institutionalized medical segregation.
Is there any point that people can be allowed to have a difference of opinion? Because right now a second class citizenry is rapidly being created, where no benefits will be available to them if they don’t act the way the government demands. We’ve seen how that works. World War II. Communist Russia. China. North Korea. There’s a very long list and it always goes the same way.
Please, please think about where this is going. No matter how strongly you may fear the virus and support these policies, can you take a step back and consider what is happening to the lives of those who feel differently?
Stephen Covey writes, before climbing a ladder, make sure it’s leaning on the right wall. What if we’re climbing a ladder of policies and it’s on the wrong wall, taking us all in the wrong direction?
How successful have all the preventative actions taken been until now, to wipe out the virus?
What if we had helped people eat better, think more positively, destress, feel safe and loved, decreased the financial pressures they felt? What if we had supported immune systems in the many, many ways possible? (That would have included mainstream Western medical options.) Should we continue with policies that are creating enormous ongoing stress for everyone, depressing the immune systems of us all? Should fear and dissension be spread rather than a spirit of working together, of valuing the differences, of assuming good intentions?
Could there have been a different way of handling this situation that might have had more positive outcomes?
The definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. That’s what is happening. The policies – masking, pokes, lockdowns, arresting those who didn’t comply – didn’t work. Their conclusion? We didn’t do it seriously enough yet, or to enough people.
A mistaken conclusion is never going to bring you the results you want. Let’s hit the child when he doesn’t do what we want. Oh, he’s crying? Hit him harder, that will teach him a lesson. Mainstream thinking is that upping the ante of consequences will make people do what we want.
They can oppress more and more people, create more fear and anxiety. Meanwhile, everyone who falls into line can virtue signal about how they are good and the others are bad. The bad people don’t deserve the benefits of the good people. Unlike the Jews in the Holocaust or the blacks in the pre-civil rights era who suffered from something they couldn’t change, in this case, it’s okay to persecute people because it’s all their fault, they brought it on themselves by their noncompliance.
Blaming the victims is always an effective strategy.
The above approach was never going to work because that’s not how viruses work. Viruses have a natural life cycle, when they surge and when they seem to be gone. They aren’t. They’re just in the down cycle. They don’t go away, they continually mutate and adapt. They’re here to stay.
And whether we like it or not, the world we lived in is gone. It’s never coming back. Now it’s up to us to think about the world we want to create, and how to participate in that. Do you want a discriminatory medical apartheid system to be part of that world?
Avivah
*I’m using the word ‘poke’ as a replacement to something else that will trigger censorship; all recognized substitutes will similarly trigger. I in no way intend it derisively, it’s simply my attempt to find a way to dialogue about issues of the day.
Most parents don’t want to homeschool, simply because they cannot stand the very idea of spending so much time with their kids. They are dependent on their free babysitters and live for the times when their kids are at the free babysitter’s. They wouldn’t even homeschool if you offered them money for it.
Edited to add parentheses for clarity: Yes (some parents would have a hard time having their children home all day and don’t want to homeschool), and some of those parents are now among those whose children will not be allowed into school. They don’t want to homeschool but that’s the only option they are being told they have.
This is really not nice.
Hi, Bracha, welcome!
Would you care to elaborate on what you’re referring to?
I was referring to Chana’s post. Not all parents who send their kids to school can’t stand spending time with their kids and live for the time their kids are at the “free babysitter.” Differences of opinion are fine, but the derisive tone of this post is disrespectful.
I was a little disappointed that you agreed with it, as I’ve been reading your blog for some time and always found you respectful of others who had opinions different than your own until now.
Thank you for clarifying, Bracha!
I was agreeing that many parents would have a hard time spending all day with their children and don’t want to homeschool them. My perspective is what I said in my post, that parents are sending their children to school because that’s what they feel to be in the best interests of their family.
May Hashem bless you and your family for health and long life.
That’s all I’m going to say about this.
Thank you, Yocheved, and may you and yours be blessed with everything good in the coming year!
Your inability to even call the vaccine by its name already turned me off. Yes, people who have been vaccinated can still get covid, but it’s at a much lower rate than those who are unvaccinated. I’m immuno-compromised. The more people who are vaccinated, the more protected I am (and yes, I’ve had 3 shots, but with my condition that may not protect me).
The difference between the totalitarian regimes and the current situation is that your choices here affect me. This is not the government trying to maintain its power or diminish yours as was the case in the historical governments you mentioned. In this case, they are trying to protect their citizens. And people who do not vaccinate and still go out in public (especially unmasked) make me have to be more and more isolated. It’s selfish.
Lol, your inability to call yourself by your name could turn me off but I accept you’d like your anonymity.
Did you consider I might have a reason for not using the word you want me to use? Are you aware that anyone who says anything about the word you’re upset I’m not using other than it’s amazing and the salvation of mankind and there is no limit to the actions that can be taken to force that on every human on the planet will be censored? Perhaps you didn’t read my recent post when I wrote about the difficulty in saying anything about this situation without being deplatformed, and explained I would have to talk around the issue and use wording that I wouldn’t usually use in order to dialogue. There are those who prefer a world in which only one view is valid and able to be voiced, but that’s not the world I want to live in and I hope that you don’t, either.
We are operating from very different paradigms and understandings of health and statistics, and in person with good will and a desire to truly hear one another this could be further explored. I welcome the differences and would be so willing to have this conversation. I have no desire to convince anyone to think like me. If someone is sincerely interested in why I think the way I do, and what information I’ve based my perspective on, that’s something I might share. While I have a tremendous amount to say about your response, I don’t have a desire to debate. I’m happy to allow you your perspective and would hope you could do the same for others.
I’ll add one thing to think about. It’s frightening to live in a world where it feels unsafe and that everyone around us puts us at risk – and I say that to people on both sides of the opinion aisle. It’s a trap to look to blame others for taking away our health and freedoms, because it disempowers us. How to stay in a place of personal responsibility and empowerment is a huge, huge challenge for all of us during these times. I don’t want to see anyone else as my enemy, and project anger onto others.
Personally, I’ve suffered physically and emotionally from the mask mandate, and it’s made my life much harder. I have a physical reality that makes it very difficult. And it hurts me knowing that with all the suffering I’ve experienced, others might look at me not having a mask over my nose with the blame and hostility that you expressed. I’ve always wanted to be a source of positive energy for others, and that isn’t possible for those who can’t see me anymore because they are focused on the positioning of a tiny piece of fabric. It has never occurred to me to blame people who demand others wear masks for the difficulties I’ve had, and have focused instead on finding ways to live my life in a physically and emotionally healthy way. And yes, I have had to become much more isolated in order to do that.
So the question remains: what should happen to those who don’t do what you do, or disagree with you? What kind of world do you want to live in?
I cannot think of one single decent, logical, scientific reason to not get the vaccine. What do people think will happen if they get the vaccine? Get autism????
Welcome, Lisa!
If you don’t know why others have a different perspective than you, try asking them, with a sincere willingness to listen and understand rather than to debate. It’s amazing how much harmony, good will, and broadened understanding is created when people respectfully communicate, instead of trying to impose their ideas on others.
Avivah, it took courage to write this. I think of John Adams who defended the British soldiers at the ‘Boston Massacre.’ He did this not because he supported their presence or England’s rule but because allowing them to be punished when they weren’t guilty was a dangerous precedent.
Supporting people whose views we disagree with is difficult and necessary for a free society.
Thank you, Susan.
“Supporting people whose views we disagree with is difficult and necessary for a free society.” Yes, exactly. You stated it powerfully and succinctly.
I feel like I fall into a nuanced grey area, one which I don’t populated by many, as far as I have seen.
A place where the virus is REAL. It’s serious, scary and deadly for some (yes, not for most, but many more than just a few). A place where the vaccines have been an amazing life saving miracle for those.
And also, a place which completely disagrees with government overreach, with the lockdowns and restrictions and coercion.
Reconciling these two sides have been a challenge, one which I haven’t managed to fully settle even within myself.
With wishes of good health and happiness in the new year and always! Shana Tova
Those of us in nuanced positions have more trouble reconciling it all, hmm, Kaila? 🙂
I’m finding it challenging to write about anything that touches on this topic, because many people interpret in a black and white way.
You once asked in the comment section about my position on the physical poke (and any other medical choice – there’s more to say about the spiritual and energetic level):
a) When it comes to medical issues of all sorts, informed consent is critical and it’s the responsibility of those servicing the public to be sure the information they give about the benefits and potential side effects is accurate.
b) I trust every person to process the information they are given and make the right decision for himself. To get it or not get it is an individual choice.
Similarly, if someone were trying to make it illegal to get the poke, I would be opposed to that. It is irrelevant what my beliefs and choices are; people need to be allowed to make their own choices.
What my concern is: should something that some people have decided is beneficial be mandated for everyone else? Mandates are what I am talking about and don’t agree with, not the personal choices that individuals make.
Agree completely
These are wise, important words the world needs to know. You are brave to write this. Avivah, can I share what you wrote?
I appreciate you asking, Rachel, many people wouldn’t have that sensitivity. It does take a lot of courage to write about this topic; much, much more than those who agree with the mainstream position can possibly know, and I hope I don’t have cause to regret it. Yes, you’re welcome to share it.
Some of the points you make are, of course, correct. For sure people who have been vaccinated (why do you have to use derisive language if you want to make an intellectual point?) or recovered from covid, can get covid and pass it on. However it is at a far, far lower rate.
The numbers of people who are seriously ill (flooding the hospitals and probably preventing optimal care for others) are disproportionately far greater for those who are unvaccinated. If anything, I would impose bidud (self-quarantine) on those who were vaccinated too if they were in close contact with someone with coronavirus (they are currently exempt).
People can do what they like, but they need to face the consequences if their behavior hurts (or potentially hurts) others. It is not Orwelian or communist to pass laws against people speeding or driving drunk, or to punish them. The whole idea of the covid laws is that people often don’t know they are sick until they have infected others. Therefore, if people choose to behave in a way that greatly increases the likelihood of them getting sick, then the government chooses to keep them away from others.
Thank you for posting under your name, Miriam!
To clarify, I’m not intending to be derisive by using the wording I am, but finding a way to use a word that isn’t going to be censored. I’m not being derisive in the least, so please just mentally replace one word with my choice so that the tone you’re reading is neutral.
I understand your perspective and referenced that in my post. I do have sources of information that show very different results than what you’ve stated, but I’ve stretched my comfort/safety zone writing about this topic online about as far as I can. I really wish it were different.
Would you support people losing their jobs, children not being able to go to schools? What about not being able to buy food, access their bank accounts or get medical care? Should their children be taken away? Is there a limit to how much people can be coerced?
Ksiva v’chasima tova!
Thank you for clarifying about the word usage, I too was surprised because it has a derisive tone.
Maybe a reminder or disclaimer in the beginning of the post explaining would change the tone for some readers.
Thank you for the suggestion, I thought the same thing after seeing both comments reference that.
Avivah, in the most respectful way possible, would you be willing to share your sources of information? I don’t want to debate or challenge you; I’m sincerely interested in hearing this. An immediate family member of mine spent some time in the COVID ward recently with a severe case of COVID, and from conversations with the families of other patients there, it was very clear that nearly all of the seriously ill COVID patients were unvaccinated. I would be very interested in seeing the studies you refer to.
I appreciate and hear your sincerity, Avigayil.
I’m not in a position to directly share links with you. But if you’re truly interested in learning more, there’s a lot of information available. You have to be willing to go beyond the basic news articles, and start reading studies/listening to doctors/scientists who are expressing their serious concerns. Though almost all of them have been censored/blocked, it’s still possible to access the information if you look for it. A lot of people are asking questions, many of whom have taken the intervention. A FB group of over 200,000 people sharing their side effects was taken down without warning a couple of months ago. If people can’t talk about the issues (or even share their personal experience with it), then how are we going to get a full view of what is really happening?
I am always interested in reading more and have access to information, and I am aware first hand of people who have had negative reactions to the vaccine, sometimes even devastating ones. I am not one who says the vaccine is perfect. That said, I have not seen any data disputing the fact that the people who are getting seriously sick from COVID are by and large the ones who are unvaccinated. I have shared my observations over months in the COVID ward in a major Israeli hospital, and I haven’t found any research that contradicts them. Perhaps people are censored on the internet, but nobody in the COVID ward felt any need to hide the truth.
I don’t doubt your observations at all, Avigayil!
A question that I wonder about is, where are those who got the intervention and what is happening to them? Are they all staying healthy and therefore not being hospitalized? That would be amazing if that were the case, it’s what we all hope for. That’s certainly the conclusion we’re being left to draw, but why aren’t we being shown these statistics? Have they experienced side effects, what is the rate of hospitalization, death rate, etc? There’s too much missing information.
I agree with what you wrote 100%. Regardless of how people think about all things related to covid; government mandates should give us all pause. I think the media and the governments have done an amazing job with their narrative and so many people are so so scared. I’m choosing not to vaccinate right now because no-one knows the long term effects of this vaccine, it hasn’t been around long enough to know. In my family, we have all had the virus and have anti-bodies, according to most studies, that is more powerful than the vaccine at this point. Science has been wrong before; I think people are so so scared, they are looking for a life saver here and the vaccine provides that for them. Everything in life is risk/reward. For those in a high-risk group, it might make sense to have the vaccine rather than risk getting really sick from covid but that should remain a personal choice. As you wrote, this is a virus and it will continue to mutate, as we’ve seen in Israel where a very large percentage of the population is vaccinated, and the Delta variant still hit. Kudos to you for standing up for what you believe and writing it so eloquently. Shana Tova to you and your family!
Hi Aviva,
don’t really have much to comment (I already commented once before on your site about the whole sugya of vaccines). Just posting to add that I was told:
those who recovered from covid are very unlikely to catch it a 2nd time. Not sure how accurate that is but if it is accurate, it might be worthwhile of a special green pass?
Shana tova umetukah for all of Am Yisrael
Even if would make sense, I wouldn’t support any special passes.
I don’t want to see a two tiered society created. And I don’t like the idea of treating healthy people who haven’t gotten the virus or poke as if they are sick – kind of like guilty until proven innocent – and there are all kinds of human rights abuses that the pass system can lead to. Lawyers in Israel were up in arms about this due to legal violation of citizens’ rights when the Green Pass first came out and this remains a huge legal and moral concern.
Good for you Avivah for saying the truth and saying it as sensitively as possible. I think calling it a poke is very mild way of saying it. If you heard Dr. Zelenko testify in front of the Bais Din of HaRav Wosner, he called it something much more frightening.
These are the most frightening times of our lives but I”YH these times will lead shortly to Moshiach.
I obviously haven’t performed a study and can’t answer your questions, though I can tell you that at least 80% of the seriously ill patients we met there had taken Zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D at home, and more than 50% had taken it along with other supplements. Some had also taken hydroxychloroquine and a handful had taken ivermectin. That’s the extent of my data. 😉
I agree that we are not being shown all the statistics, which is why I requested that you share your other sources of information which contradict the data in Miriam’s comment.
I really hope I’m not coming across as if I’m trying to challenge or debate you. This just hits close to home for me and I genuinely would like to see as much information as possible on it.
Sorry, I just realized that I misinterpreted your reference to “intervention.” Now I see that you were referring to the vaccine. You can ignore my comment above.
I do believe that by and large vaccinated patients are getting sick but not sick enough to be in the hospital. A kupat cholim nurse told me that nearly all of her recent positive cases were vaccinated, but they range from being completely asymptomatic to feeling like they have a mild flu. The unvaccinated ones are unfortunately the ones who are really suffering.
There are definitely those who experience side effects from the vaccine, but most only last a day or two. I do have one family member who ended up in the PICU after receiving her vaccine due to serious complications, though B”H she has made a full recovery.
I appreciate your sharing your thoughts, Avigayil! I have many related points/thoughts that could be shared, but I’d like to stay on the topic of mandates, and I’d really love to hear more discussion on that.
However, I realize that it’s hard for people to talk about the necessity or value of mandates without talking about the benefits/costs of the thing being mandated!
I apologize if it seems like I was trying to steer the discussion off course. I was just hoping you could post links to a couple of studies that support the contradictory data. I understand that you prefer not to and that’s fine.
No, not at all! I appreciate all comments! I wanted to explain why I wasn’t responding to your points.
Actually, if you’ve read my blog for a long time, you know that I prefer to share the studies and then make reference to/discuss them. I’d love to share information, and there’s so much available that I don’t know where to begin, honestly- but I can’t do so publicly.
Ksiva v’chasima tova!
Avivah, wow. Thank you, kesiva vachasima tova, may you and your family be blessed. And may we daven for all of klal yisroel’s redemption in every aspect.
Your respect is incredible. The delicate wording and handling – is impressive. I am quite sure it is not easy to balance that.
Thank You! – welcome and thank you! (I deleted the second part of your message that was personal to me.)
Hi Avivah –
Thank you for writing this. As usual, you leave me with so much food for thought! I share your concern over government mandates related to the virus. I have become increasingly concerned as time has passed. I took the first two “pokes”, but felt I had no choice because I could not visit my mom in her assisted living facility without proof of 2. I am forever grateful that I did this, as it enabled me to see her before she passed away. And I might have taken them anyway, but I had wanted to wait for more research to come in. I did subsequently get corona and I was very sick for 3 weeks and have still not completely recovered – though, Baruch Hashem, I was not hospitalized. None of my children are vaccinated, though 3 have had corona, and I am very concerned about how the corona restrictions may affect many facets of their young adult lives, and of course the lives of so many others. It is deeply disturbing to me.
hi avivah! I’m been following your blog quietly for a few years, and I find it interesting -when I feel like we’re on the same page, and when I don’t. I really admire your courage to raise the issues that you’ve raised about this. you speak for a lot of people out there. I feel that there are two ‘extremes’ or yetzer hara’s about this – one comes from a very natural, human feeling of invincibility -i’ll be fine, it’s a hoax, there’s no real danger. the counterbalance to that is humility, to admit our vulnerability – not always a comfortable thing to do. the other extreme also comes from a very natural human urge to feel in control. if I get this poke, and everyone else does, or can be forced to, and masks, etc etc- then finally we’ll be safe. it’s completely in our control, and it’s just a matter of enforcing, or forcing regulations. this also has counterbalances – surrender, vulnerability, there is so much in the world that is not in our hands. again humility, emuna. I personally feel that keeping these two middos in check allows me to respect those who view the situation differently, and also help me from veering to extremes. yes, corona has caused, and will likely continue to cause, a lot of tragic suffering. at the same time, the science, data and the history of medicine give us a perspective that is a lot more nuanced and ‘grey’ than the conventional ministry of health narratives (around the world) would lead us to believe. that space to acknowledge the limits to our knowledge and control, can create a space to respect and understand those who take a different position than us. I admire how respectful you are at all times on this site, especially with this issue. you role-model maturity and general good middos in how you deal with others.
Your post makes it seem that students who are not vaccinated and did not take a corona test (i.e., do not have a green pass) are not allowed into school. This is factually incorrect. Parents were requested to give their children home corona tests (only before the first day of school), but by law students were not prevented from going to school even if they did not take a test.
(Personally, I cannot understand why a parent would refuse to have their child take a one time corona test before starting school as a simple “ve’ahavta le’reiacha kamocha”, even if they do not believe that covid is a real problem, but that is irrelevant to the legal facts.)
I didn’t comment on corona testing for students at all, as I was commenting on the quotes in the article linked. There are many things that can be inferred by what I did or didn’t say, that I could write more about and didn’t – it’s a huge, huge issue with many things to talk about – but I’d rather people focus on what I actually wrote. While I appreciate you sharing your perspective, I’d love to see comments on what the post topic is – not do you think everyone should voluntarily fall in line with mandates, but should medical procedures be imposed on a person who doesn’t think them to be in his best interest?
Your article specifically states “Anyone else can live on the edges of society, without being able to work, go to school” and then you go on to talk about homeschooling, again implying that people against government covid policies will need this option.
I was simply pointing out that this (in my reading at least) is a misinterpretation of legal policy.
I am happy to engage in a discussion of what should or should not be allowed in a democratic society, but feel uncomfortable doing so when the facts of the matter are not precise enough.
Have a happy and healthy new year.
Thank you for pointing that out, Sara! I usually reread what someone is responding to before responding in turn, something I neglected to do this time due to being so busy right before Rosh Hashana. I apologize for the oversight.
I wrote this before the school year began and wasn’t aware that students would be able to attend school without meeting one of the three criteria that I mentioned. That’s important to know. I appreciate the additional detail that you shared, thank you!
Just found this in my inbox (I’d missed it before!) and want to say how refreshing it was to read this Avivah. And isn’t it interesting that as the truth comes out more and more, we’re seeing that those who got the poke are still getting the virus, being hospitalized, and dying–even those with multiple boosters! And the side effects, risks, people dying from myocarditis and other post-shot problems is growing all of the time. It’s very sad for so many who blindly took the experimental shot before we knew more.
Kelly