The second lockdown imposed over the coronavirus may have been lifted by Israeli society will have to deal with the social devastation it left behind for a long time.
In the post-lockdown reality "Haredi" has become synonymous with "violating Health Ministry directives" and "spreading disease," and with it comes anger, distance, and virulent rhetoric.
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The seculars' anger with the Haredim is understandable. The High Holidays were rife with videos of Haredim flouting public health directives, the religious school system reopened while everyone else's' children have to stay home, and mayors of Haredi cities designated "red" over their high morbidity rate have explicitly said they will not follow authorities' orders when it comes to observing a partial or full lockdown.
The sad part is that over the past few years these two sectors of society – so often at odds – have been experiencing some rapprochement. There has been a slight increase in the number of yeshiva students joining the IDF, many more Haredim have integrated into the workforce, and several ultra-Orthodox charities have made a positive mark on the national agenda.
Then came the second coronavirus outbreak and undid all of that.
Blame is easy to assign. Religious leaders whose rulings went against mph directives, and too many Haredi individuals who don't take the pandemic seriously. But blame it a two-way street. Decision-makers didn't listen to the ultra-Orthodox sector or consider its reservations before hitting it with restrictions that many said were simply not viable considering their lifestyle.
The government, for example, didn't dare impose a lockdown during the summer months so as not to hobble the reeling domestic tourism industry but found no issue in imposing it during the High Holidays.
Has anyone bothered to think about the impact shuttering synagogues has on devout worshippers? Or how realistic it is to close up a family of 10 in a three-bedroom apartment. And the 20 people per wedding limit? For a Haredi family, that doesn't even cover the definition of "immediate family."
A few months from now, a vaccine for the coronavirus will likely become available. The question is, when we finally get COVID-19 under control and perhaps even make it a thing of the past, will we be able to mend the rift the pandemic caused at the core of Israeli society? Unlikely.
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