Observant Jews should not rush to pray in minyans now that the government has eased some of the restrictions put in place to contain the coronavirus epidemic, and should pray in groups only if Health Ministry guidelines about social distancing are observed, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel David Lau cautioned on Sunday.
Lau spoke after an announcement that the cabinet had approved group prayer for up to 19 participants.
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In an open letter, Lau wrote that anyone praying in a minyan – a quorum of 10 – must wear a mask and that participants must stand at least two meters (six feet) apart.
"Anyone who is organizing a minyan must know that he has the responsibility to make sure that we do not, heaven forbid, endanger lives," Lau wrote.
"He must know that in circumstances in which he cannot conduct prayers appropriately [in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines], it would be better for people to pray on balconies or in their homes. Anyone who joins a minyan also bears the responsibility to make sure that everyone follows the instructions, and if he sees that people are not being careful and taking precautions he must not participate in the prayers, which would entail committing a violation in order to carry out a commandment," the rabbi explained.
A number of other ultra-Orthodox rabbis have also cautioned the public about the health risks posed by group prayer.
Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, president of the United Torah Judaism party's Council of Torah Sages, wrote a strongly-worded open letter in which he urged the public to be very careful when participating in a minyan and, like Lau, said it would be better to pray alone when social distancing regulations could not be observed.
"Even now that the authorities have allowed limited prayer minyans in open space, every person must take pains to follow distancing guidelines and not, in any circumstances, participate in a minyan that does not uphold them," Edelstein wrote.
