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350 FRUM DOCTORS SIGN LETTER: Prohibition of Minyanim, Simchos, Levayos Must Remain In Place


As physicians who are שומרי תורה ומצוות and on the frontlines of the active COVID-19 pandemic, we implore all fellow Jews to continue strict adherence to isolation guidelines WITHOUT exceptions.

Our Jewish communities require unique consideration and are at higher risk for rapid disease transmission. We live in close knit, multigenerational and interconnected communities with frequent overlapping contact in our religious commitments and in our neighborhoods, shuls, schools, and shops.

הלכה has never looked towards government guidelines alone as a measure for נפשות סכנת. Government guidelines consider political factors, financial impacts, and enforcement capabilities. We do not believe that any of these weigh more heavily than the concept of פיקוח נפש. It is painfully obvious that government guidelines must be tailored to keep our communities safe.

It is our unanimous medical opinion that prematurely loosening the restrictions is highly likely to result in further disease transmission and loss of life, חס ושלום.

We must remind everyone that COVID-19 can be transmitted asymptomatically and that those who have had COVID-19 may be contagious for weeks, even after resolution of all symptoms. In addition, people who have had COVID-19 may NOT be immune. Any outing from the home must be limited to essential needs and performed with the strictest social distancing regulations. The prohibition on all forms of group gatherings including simchos, levayos, and minyanim must remain in place.

Just as we empathize with patients undergoing difficult treatments, we also understand the difficulty that these guidelines impose. These temporary measures are not easy to follow, but are medically necessary and life-saving. In the coming weeks, new information and advancements will become available which we hope will allow for loosening of restrictions, as the concerns for נפש פיקוח allow.

May it be the will of the ריבונו של עולם that our קהילות be spared any further pain and tragedy.

We the undersigned unanimously support the above statements:

COLORADO
Matthew Harris, MD
Shevie Kassai, MD
Michael Milobsky, MD

CONNECTICUT
Anna Bader, MD
Eric Bader, MD
Hiam Naiditch, MD

DC
Moshe Levi, MD

FLORIDA
Yonah Bardos, MD, MBE
Jordan Ditchek, MD
David Eleff, MD
Joshua D. Fox, MD
Suzanne Hagler, MD
Edward Hirsch, MD
David Kay, MD, MPH
Harold Landa, MD
Howard Levine, MD
Jonathan Rosman, MD
Andrew Scheinberg, MD
Carmi Stadlan, MD
Rivka Stone, MD PhD
Neal Weinreb, MD
Jonathan Winograd, DO
Raphael Yechieli, MD

GEORGIA
Moshe Shapiro, MD

ILLINOIS
Jennifer Berkovich, DO
David Grinblatt, MD
Hertzkeh (Jeffrey) Grinblatt, MD
David Marmor, MD
Boruch Zucker, MD

LOUISIANA
Menachem Nagar, MD

MARYLAND
Reuven Abraham, MD
Daniel (Chaim) Ambinder, MD
Levi Atanelov, MD
Itzi (Brian) Barr, MD
Yaniv Berger, DO
Bernhard Birnbaum, MD
Justin Cohen, MD
Hal Crane, MD
Menachem Cooper, MD
Moshay Cooper, MD
Ari Elman, MD
Michael Elman, MD
Dov Frankel, MD
Mordy Gardyn, MD
Daniel Grove, MD
David Hackam, MD
Jonathan Aryeh Henesch, MD
Yoel Jakobovits, MD
Yitzy Kaplowitz, MD
Shalom Kelman, MD
Yosef Levenbrown, DO
Elizabeth Loeb, MD
Judah Minkove, MD
Nicole Minkove, MD
Sam Minkove, MD
Yehuda Mond, MD
Daniel Poliakoff, MD
Elie Portnoy, MD
Aaron Rapoport, MD
Barry Reiner, MD
Chana Richter, MD
Jonathan Ringo, MD
Avi Z. Rosenberg, MD PhD
Josh Rosenbloom, DO
Yonah (Jonah) Rubin, MD
Ron Samet, MD
Netanel Schwob, MD
Dani Sova, MD
Ethan Spiegler, MD
Joshua Steiner, MD
Chana Weinstock Neuberger, MD
Edward Wolf, MD

MASSACHUSETTS
Joshua Brown, MD
Jonathan Ludmir, MD
Miriam Segura-Harrison, MD

MICHIGAN
Gedaliah Cooper, MD
Jay Idler, MD
Marc Murinson, MD
Allen Stawis, MD
Yudi Weiss, MD
Josh Younger, MD

NEW JERSEY
Ronny Chadi, MD
Jonathan Cohen, MD
Shimon Cohen, MD
Moshe Cohn, MD
Isaac Ezon, MD
Alexander Feldman, DO
Shimon Frankel, MD
Dovid Friedman MD
Neal Gittleman, MD
Binyomin Greenberg, MD
Mira Hellmann-Ostrov, MD
Oren Herman, MD
Aton M. Holzer, MD
Jeffrey (Yehuda) Kaminetzky, MD
Baruch Kassover, MD
Abraham Knoll, MD
Philip- Pesach Ledereich, MD
Aliza Leiser, MD
Allen Lempel, MD
Micah May, MD
Nathaniel Montag, DO
Dovid Moradi, MD
Maureen Nemetski, MD, PhD
Dovid Ogun, MD
Hillel Peltz, DO
Steven Reich, MD
Estee Robin, MD
Daniel Roth, MD
Debbie Rybak, MD
Robert Shanik, MD
Aron Schwarcz, MD
Devorah Segal, MD, PhD
Luba Stein, MD
Jack Stroh, MD
Mordechai M. Tarlow, MD
Aleksey Tentler, MD
Miro Ukraincik, MD
Adinah Wieder, MD
Yaacov Zamel, MD

NEW YORK
Baruch Abittan, MD
Chaim S. Abittan, MD
Jenny Apsan, MD
Yakira Abramowitz, DO
Marina Baine, MD, PhD
Charles Bigajer, MD
Elliot Bigajer, DO
Robin Bobo, MD
Raphael Bollag, MD
Shira Burnstein, MD
Ellie Carmody Stone, MD
David Chadow, MD
Hal Chadow, MD
Hymie Chera, MD
David Chabbott, MD
David Diamond, MD
Steven Diamond, MD
Stuart Ditchek, MD
Victor J. Douek, MD
Elizabeth Edelstein, DO
Yoel Ehrenfeld, MD
Solly E. Elmann, MD
Eddie Esses, MD
Gary Esses, MD
Faraj Faour, MD
Sherry Farzan, MD
Benyamin Friedman, MD
Shani Fruchter, DO
Eliyahu Fuchs, MD
Jonathan Garellek, MD
Dov Ginsburg, MD
Karyn Ginsburg, MD
Rabbi Aaron E. Glatt, MD
Joseph E. Glaser, MD
Ari Goldwaser, DO
Yitzchok Greenberg, MD
Dovid Z. Gunsburg, MD
Moshe Gunsburg, MD
Anna Gutman, MD
Dovid Halpern, MD
Joseph Hanono, MD
Albert Harary, MD
Oren Herman, MD
Shari Hirsch, MD
Sandra Hoenig, MD
Judah Horowitz, MD
Hillel N. Isseroff, MD
Abraham Kalikstein, MD
Joseph Kaplovitz, DO
Ron Kastner, MD
David Khaski, MD
Yakov Kiffel, MD
Asaf Klein, MD
David M. Klein, MD
Michael I. Klein, MD
Mark Kirschenbaum, DO
Eric Kupferstein, DO
Aharon Lauterpacht, MD
Lazer Leifer, MD
Eli Levitansky, DO
Miriam R. Lieberman, MD
Hylton Lightman, MD DCH(SA)
Arthur Lowy, MD
Marc Lustig, MD PhD
Larisa Malisova, DO
Benjamin Mann, DO
Shira Marder, MD
Daniel Matalon, MD
Alisa Minkin, MD
Shlomo Minkowitz, MD
Mark Neuman, DO
Sherrie Neustein Orzel, MD
Ilana Pister, MD
Raymond Reich, MD
Sarah Rosanel, MD
Alan Rothberger, MD
Marina Rubin, MD
Gabby Saadia, MD
Tehila Saadia, MD
Joshua Schechter, MD
Alyssa Scheiner, MD
Jonathan Schulhof, MD
Naomi Schwartz, MD
Jacqueline Segelnick, DO
Libbat-Tzion Shaham, MD
Daniel Shtraykher, DO
Hal Sitt, MD
Jimmy Sitt, MD
Mariya Stratilatova, MD
Jeffrey Teitelbaum, MD
Sima Terebelo, MD
David Turner, DO
Joseph Wahba, MD
Shimshon Wiesel, DO
David Zelman, DO
Shimshi Zimmerman, DO
Zvi Zisbrod, MD
Israel Zyskind, MD

OHIO
Akiva Diamond, MD
Michael Grinblatt, MD
Shmuel Margolin, MD
Michael (Meir) Pollack, MD
Michael Silverman, MD
Anya Kleinman, MD

PENNSYLVANIA
Gary Applebaum, MD
Ilana Rachel Baltuch, MD
Charles (Shaya) Barax, MD
Deborah Bernstein, MD
Melissa Bleicher (Malki Dvir), MD
Moshe Chasky, MD
Tami Danilewitz, MD
Robert Den, MD
Daniel Eisenberg, MD
Ian Gleaner, MD
Harold Gordon, MD
Rachel Hachen, MD, MPH
Daniel Hirsch, MD
Tamar Katz, MD
Jack Ludmir, MD
Hillel Maresky, MD
Jeremy A. Mazurek, MD
Shana Miles MD, PhD
Stephen Moster, MD
Rachel. Niknam, MD
Levi Ocken, MD
Andrew J. Paris, MD
Pia S. Pollack, MD
Steven Raikin, MD
Mindy Rosenblum, MD
Aaron M. Rosenthal, DO
Jack Rychik, MD
Yedidya Saiman, MD
Yecheskel Schneider, MD
Elana Den Schwartz, MD
Jonathan Tanner, MD
Ari Weintraub, MD
Elaine Zackai, MD

TENNESSEE
Shimon Harary, MD
Joshua Morris, MD

TEXAS
Julia Grossman, MD

ONTARIO, CA
Ari Greenwald, MD FRCPC-EM

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)



4 Responses

  1. Do these doctors take into consideration factors outside of their specialties, especially the psychological and yes, economic, results of prolonged isolation? Do they take into consideration the difference between crowded cities and spacious small communities?

  2. 1. Many, though not all, scientists believe that when you catch a low dose of corona, i.e., a low viral load, you will survive the disease and you will build antibodies toward it (in case you later catch a major dose of the virus). That being the case, outlawing minyanim, which thereby prevents people from catching a low dose of the virus, may ultimately be putting people at risk when, say in June, they go on a packed subway and catch a high dose of the virus.

    2. There is a chance that next year the virus will morph, or pardon the expression, “evolve” into a more-virulent form. So young people catching it now may offer them some protection (See, Spanish Flu, wikipedia) . But stopping minyanim, even for young and healthy people, will prevent them from catching the relatively-benign Covid-19, subjecting them to a greater chance of them dying from Covid-20.

    3. Attending minyanim, similar to attending mosque or church services, lehavdil, boosts heart health and the immune system (Google it). Those who caught the virus Purim time, needed the psychological, social and immunal benefits that minyanim provide. I fervently believe that many who died did so because their immune system was deactivated when they were expelled from shul. Do the risks of closing shul outweigh the benefits? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. But that question doesn’t seem to have been even considered by the doctors or the rabbanim.

    4. When you close shuls, people develop an exaggerated perception of the lethality of the virus which causes a Nocebo effect. People are dying of fear, a fear propagated by draconian restrictions.

    5. When you bend the curve, you also extend the curve. This means that the elderly or obese (who are indeed rightfully quarantining themselves) will have to quarantine themselves for much longer, in order for the virus to fully flush itself out of the community. During this “cat-and-mouse” game that our community is playing with the virus, the elderly will be forced to continue to miss coronary checkups, dental visits, and cancer screenings. Doctors have argued that this phenomenon may cause more deaths than the virus itself. We owe it to the elderly to make minyanim in order that the virus leave the community (i.e., by developing herd immunity, which will develop as soon as 50-80% of the community catches the virus) as soon as possible.

    6. True, doctors are worried – based on zero observed evidence – that minyanim (even outdoor minyanim!) will cause people to die of coronavirus. But these doctors don’t believe in shomer mitzvah loi yedah davar rah. We do. At this point, it is clear that attending a minyan isn’t schiach hezeika (unless he old or obese; as per serological studies peformed worldwide, it is clear that although it is much more contagious than the flu, coronavirus is not more deadly than the flu). Thus, no one will die from attending a minyan. But many will die, as argued above, when we ban minyanim.

    It’s time to cut it out.

    Are

  3. Is this reasonable?

    I have read that each corona victim would have lived three years had they not contracted the virus, three years that had a low quality of life.

    Car accidents kill 38,000 Americans per year, each person losing on average 45 years of HIGH QUALITY life, a total of 1.7 million years lost due to traffic fatalities. For corona to match that, American would need to lose 570,000 victims (which is impossible, as even countries – i.e., Sweden – with no social distancing have less than a fifth of those number of deaths per capita).

    Why aren’t doctors telling us to stop driving?

  4. I assume that Frum doctors are really and genuinely interested in saving lives, [it seems that the people at the top of the medical system, are clearly not, as is known about any individual doctor or nurse that speaks up about it, gets in trouble] there is a frum doctor that has come up with a cure that has a 96% rate [zelenko] though it seems that he is being bashed for finding an easy way to save lives, and others may be afraid of their jobs or whatever, why don’t these same 350 or more doctors rally together to go against the grain and save lives?!? they can also rally against the maltreatment [or better said – murder – happening in some of the NYC hospitals, whatever the cost is, isn’t it worth it? if you lose your job, start alternative healing, if it gets there or start a lawsuit against the hospitals?!?

    I would be gratified to see a response from the doctors about this and perhaps some of the arguments made in the previous comments

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