The Haredi community in Israel follows strict Jewish religious law, as opposed to modern values and practices. They tend to set themselves apart from the rest of society, and cluster in suburban communities where they may continue their traditional lifestyle. We already know COVID-19 is a sociable disease we share across our breath. But why do the Haredim have more infections?
Is It a Testament to a Different Approach?
The Times of Israel published an article on October 18, 2021, regarding the Haredim incurring double the average Israeli rate of infections. This means almost one-in-three Haredis has experienced COVID-19. Although of course some may have been unaware of this.
The Haredim community has a high vaccination rate, according to Times of Israel. Their reporter, Nathan Jeffay suggests the high infection rate may imply ‘a failure to control behavior to fight the virus’. Alex Weinreb, research director at the Taub Center for Israel Studies supports this opinion.
‘This is shocking,’ he told Nathan Jeffay. ‘It’s testament to a very different approach to mitigating and minimizing the spread of the virus. Compared to that in the rest of Israel where the average rate is lower’. But this does not fully answer the fundamental question.
Why Do the Haredim Have More COVID-19 Infections?
Alex Weinreb of Taun Center has investigated this phenomenon, although we could not find an English-language version of his report. Times of Israel advises some Haredi communities have actively resisted lock down restrictions. However, others claim the higher infection rate is the result of population density, and economic deprivation.
But Alex Weinreb is still convinced close social mingling is the root cause. He has factored out the impact of those other factors, and says the only play a small part. In fact, he goes as far as saying, ‘This points to the notion that there is something in the behavioral realm that explains infection levels. Not population density and factors like that.’
However, Eran Segal, a computational biologist from the Weizmann Institute of Science is not convinced. ‘I can’t verify that conclusion’ he says, noting Haredi society has a high proportion of unvaccinated pre-teens. ‘And there are also big families in the Haredim, so more interactions in households,’ he explains. Therefore, behavior is not necessarily the reason why the Haredim have more COVID infections.
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Preview Image: Going to Synagogue for Shabbat
