An Open Letter to Rabbis, School Admins and Boards in NY and NJ
Dear Rabbis of New York, especially in the environs of Rockland, NYC’s boroughs and the Five Towns, as well as Rabbis of New Jersey
Dear School Administrators
Dear Boards of Institutions
Due to the reaction this letter will undoubtedly cause, I can’t sign my name – because people will go after me, my family, my parnasah, and destroy my life. Which is probably the saddest reflection of where we are today. Having an opinion, the following opinion, seems to be a death sentence. (Thank you jewishvaccinestories for giving me a forum)
Congratulations. You’ve done it. You’ve successfully destroyed the souls of countless children. You’ve successfully destroyed the reputations of countless families. You’ve successfully given up freedoms for a false sense of security.
Through not fighting the law against religious exemptions, of which some of you were big champions!, you’ve condemned certainly hundreds and likely thousands, to not be allowed to attend yeshiva.
Why do I blame you? Because most of the people who had religious exemptions from vaccinations had medical reasons to not vaccinate. Because NY state is very strict about what constitutes a medical exemption, they had been advised to just get the religious exemption, because the hoops to go through to get an official “medical exemption” were too much. The truth is that vaccinating these children will only harm them.
Having gone this route of obtaining religious exemptions, your making the draconian rules which barred children from yeshivas, and your support of the NY State law of June 13 (how it got passed is an example of politics at its dirtiest) has only turned people off from Judaism, and turned families away. They will not be vaccinating because you demanded it. They can’t. So they’re either going into hiding, homeschooling, or leaving the state for different pastures. Not that it matters – your vigilance has inspired yeshivas across the country to not accept religious exemptions and to not accept medical exemptions – directly contravening most states’ laws!
In your zeal to fight anti-Semitism, claiming “We are GOOD Jews! We vaccinate! We don’t believe our religion gives an exemption,” all you’ve done is play pawns to the pharmaceutical companies and the CDC who have one goal: vaccination for all, including adults. All this even though they know their vaccines are far from perfect – read the package inserts given to doctors. They are well aware their products cause injuries, they just deny a connection to vaccines the minute a parent says “My child’s injury began immediately (or a day or two) after vaccination.”
There is a halachic argument supporting religious exemptions in Judaism. You have indicated you’re not interested in hearing it. Why? Isn’t Judaism a place where open dialogue happens? How do you make a decision without honestly and openly and deeply exploring a side you don’t know, and clearly don’t even understand?
You probably can't answer that. In your blindness to create “herd immunity,” you have indeed created a herd of sheep who follow Pharma without asking questions, while ignoring the real pain many families have suffered and continued to suffer.
Noone argues that vaccines aren’t effective at stopping symptoms of illness in many/most cases. The concern is the side effects (safety) of vaccines, some of which are devastating in the short term, and some of which can cause chronic, lifelong conditions.
Vaccine preventable diseases are surely not fun. The immunity which follow in their wake, however, are typically lifelong, and much stronger than a vaccine dependent immunity, which is only good for so long, and isn’t even foolproof.
In a first world country, measles is not dangerous. All the fearmongering surrounding it – when many thousands more than you even know got it, but didn’t report to doctors because they didn’t need Child Protective Services at their homes – demonstrates that you respond to fear more than logic. How many measles-caused deaths did you hear about in New York?
Zero. With decent food, clean water, and Vitamin A and Vitamin C, people emerge from measles with lifelong immunity.
You don’t like getting sick? So vaccinate, and you’re protected! Who is stopping anyone? The only reason you demand *everyone* vaccinate is because you don’t believe the vaccines truly work! The idea that you demand other people take a medical intervention when they are perfectly healthy is criminal. The bullying to vaccinate in order to allow people into your shuls and schools is highly unethical. The way some people have been treated and spoken to by some of you (rabbis and school administrators) is deplorable. And the notion that people (=Jews) who are unvaccinated are unhealthy or carrying disease is taken right from the Nazi-playbook.
What is most shocking is that you have accepted that a make-it or break-it deciding factor as to who belongs in the Jewish community is only Jews who are vaccinated. I know you made that one up, because most vaccines have only been around for fewer than 60 years. So enjoy your rebranding of Judaism!
You reap what you sow, I guess. The neshamas of the thousands of children, and thousands of families, are on your heads.
Good luck on Yom Kippur!
Dear School Administrators
Dear Boards of Institutions
Due to the reaction this letter will undoubtedly cause, I can’t sign my name – because people will go after me, my family, my parnasah, and destroy my life. Which is probably the saddest reflection of where we are today. Having an opinion, the following opinion, seems to be a death sentence. (Thank you jewishvaccinestories for giving me a forum)
Congratulations. You’ve done it. You’ve successfully destroyed the souls of countless children. You’ve successfully destroyed the reputations of countless families. You’ve successfully given up freedoms for a false sense of security.
Through not fighting the law against religious exemptions, of which some of you were big champions!, you’ve condemned certainly hundreds and likely thousands, to not be allowed to attend yeshiva.
Why do I blame you? Because most of the people who had religious exemptions from vaccinations had medical reasons to not vaccinate. Because NY state is very strict about what constitutes a medical exemption, they had been advised to just get the religious exemption, because the hoops to go through to get an official “medical exemption” were too much. The truth is that vaccinating these children will only harm them.
Having gone this route of obtaining religious exemptions, your making the draconian rules which barred children from yeshivas, and your support of the NY State law of June 13 (how it got passed is an example of politics at its dirtiest) has only turned people off from Judaism, and turned families away. They will not be vaccinating because you demanded it. They can’t. So they’re either going into hiding, homeschooling, or leaving the state for different pastures. Not that it matters – your vigilance has inspired yeshivas across the country to not accept religious exemptions and to not accept medical exemptions – directly contravening most states’ laws!
In your zeal to fight anti-Semitism, claiming “We are GOOD Jews! We vaccinate! We don’t believe our religion gives an exemption,” all you’ve done is play pawns to the pharmaceutical companies and the CDC who have one goal: vaccination for all, including adults. All this even though they know their vaccines are far from perfect – read the package inserts given to doctors. They are well aware their products cause injuries, they just deny a connection to vaccines the minute a parent says “My child’s injury began immediately (or a day or two) after vaccination.”
There is a halachic argument supporting religious exemptions in Judaism. You have indicated you’re not interested in hearing it. Why? Isn’t Judaism a place where open dialogue happens? How do you make a decision without honestly and openly and deeply exploring a side you don’t know, and clearly don’t even understand?
You probably can't answer that. In your blindness to create “herd immunity,” you have indeed created a herd of sheep who follow Pharma without asking questions, while ignoring the real pain many families have suffered and continued to suffer.
Noone argues that vaccines aren’t effective at stopping symptoms of illness in many/most cases. The concern is the side effects (safety) of vaccines, some of which are devastating in the short term, and some of which can cause chronic, lifelong conditions.
Vaccine preventable diseases are surely not fun. The immunity which follow in their wake, however, are typically lifelong, and much stronger than a vaccine dependent immunity, which is only good for so long, and isn’t even foolproof.
In a first world country, measles is not dangerous. All the fearmongering surrounding it – when many thousands more than you even know got it, but didn’t report to doctors because they didn’t need Child Protective Services at their homes – demonstrates that you respond to fear more than logic. How many measles-caused deaths did you hear about in New York?
Zero. With decent food, clean water, and Vitamin A and Vitamin C, people emerge from measles with lifelong immunity.
You don’t like getting sick? So vaccinate, and you’re protected! Who is stopping anyone? The only reason you demand *everyone* vaccinate is because you don’t believe the vaccines truly work! The idea that you demand other people take a medical intervention when they are perfectly healthy is criminal. The bullying to vaccinate in order to allow people into your shuls and schools is highly unethical. The way some people have been treated and spoken to by some of you (rabbis and school administrators) is deplorable. And the notion that people (=Jews) who are unvaccinated are unhealthy or carrying disease is taken right from the Nazi-playbook.
What is most shocking is that you have accepted that a make-it or break-it deciding factor as to who belongs in the Jewish community is only Jews who are vaccinated. I know you made that one up, because most vaccines have only been around for fewer than 60 years. So enjoy your rebranding of Judaism!
You reap what you sow, I guess. The neshamas of the thousands of children, and thousands of families, are on your heads.
Good luck on Yom Kippur!
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