Shalva Zalfreund, a’h, a kindergarten teacher and resident of Petach Tikvah passed away on Friday at the age of 64 after contracting the coronavirus in her classroom.
A week after she was diagnosed with the virus and two weeks before her death, Zalfreund wrote a letter to the parents of the children she taught saying that she caught the virus at the kindergarten. “You surely saw what I wrote in the past requesting that everyone act with responsibility since I’m at high-risk. And what I feared – happened!”
“The authorities know with certainty about families who violated quarantine instructions or disregarded the municipality’s instructions not to send children [to school] who have a family member in quarantine at home.”
“Unfortunately, some decided to send their children to kindergarten out of the sense of Israeli ‘trust’ while disregarding the important value of ‘mutual responsibility’ and ‘You shall not stand by [the shedding of] of your neighbor’s blood,'” Zalfreind wrote. “It doesn’t matter anymore for me who I caught the virus from and who violated quarantine. I experienced open miracles and the fact that I’m writing to you right now cannot be taken for granted.”
“But I’m simply begging and requesting for the grandparents, neighbors and elderly relatives who surround us and don’t deserve to die!- even if they have underlying health conditions.”
“I’m not chalilah blaming anyone!…The hand of Hashem caused these circumstances to come about and the hand of Hashem saved me from the difficult situation I was in.”
“It’s true that quarantining a small child is not a pleasant experience but it’s over in a maximum of two weeks. It’s possible to find many reasons and excuses why we’re not obligated to stay in quarantine. And it’s possible in one moment to share in the saving of life, to educate our children in mutual responsibility, in respect of others and the preservation of life.”
“The loss of someone close to you or the knowledge that someone became ill due to you is much much harder than a two-week quarantine.”
“It may be difficult to read these words but they are written with my heart’s blood and with the tefillah that I’ll soon be zocheh to emerge from these yissurim that I received with love from Hashem Yisbarach.”
“If there is one person who will read these words and understand the consequences of the obligation of quarantine, that will be my s’char.”
“I truly love each one of you. A big hug to the children.”
Zalfreund is survived by two sons and four daughters. Her husband, Rav Alexander Yaakov Hakohen Zalfreund, z’l, was niftar five years ago in a car accident. Yehi Zichra Baruch.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Why are people in EY still dying of COVID-19? We know so much about COVID already – no one should be dying. THere’s Dr Zelenkos protocol, or quercitin and zinc, ginger juice, various cocktails for nebulizing, vitamins… etc.
Additionally, if people are high risk, they must stay home if they are not doing these things….
I am not judging this woman or her family. If you know people in EY please make sure they are constantly checking o2 levels, and know what to do as a preventitive and to kill the virus.
I feel very bad that this kindergarten teacher passed away from the virus. Her family should have a nechama.
But!!! There is no way for anyone to know where she got the virus from. Did she stay 24 hours in the classroom that it can be blamed on the parents of a student of hers? Last article on Yeshivaworld blamed the death of a 98 year old on another individual who came to shul who according to the account, actually knew he was sick with the virus. mamash motzei shem ra. Says who?
If someone feels they are especially at risk, then they themselves must quarantine themselves.
If they don’t, then that is a risk they are taking upon themselves. Sorry. It is wrong to blame others, especially when it is impossible to know from where and from whom it was caught from.
ברוך דיין האמת ,תהי נשמתה עדן
By the way the Zelfriend are ben acher ben from the heelger Shach (kohen Gaddal) zy’a
I agree fully with flowers. Coronavirus is so contagious and there is still so much we don’t understand about how it spreads. The family should have a nechama and should have no more sorrow.