According to the figures released by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday, a quarter of the Israelis infected with the coronavirus contracted it by going to synagogue.
According to the data: 24% of patients were contaminated while going to the places of prayer, while 5% caught the virus in yeshivot (centers of Talmudic studies). Other contamination hotspots include hotels (15% of infections), restaurants (12%) and supermarkets (7%).
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In light of these figures, pressure has increased on the Chief Rabbinate of Israel to ban prayers in the country's synagogues.
At present, the Chief Rabbinate has prohibited gatherings of more than ten people in places of worship while stressing that the faithful should keep a distance of two meters between them and that confined areas should be ventilated.
Several prominent rabbinical figures, including the religious-Zionist Tzohar Rabbinical Organization and Itim religious services advisory group, have declared themselves in favor of the total shuttering of places of worship – believing that the protection of public health is an obligation.
Director of the Itim religious services advisory group Rabbi Seth Farber stressed that Judaism places the duty to save lives above all other commandments.
Faced with the spread of the pandemic, certain synagogues in the country have started to organize online services via the Zoom platform.
The Chief Rabbinate has called for a day of fasting and prayer on Wednesday, March 25.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS
