Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on October 22, 2021

Rabbi Strauss addresses religious exemptions

As more American employers begin mandating COVID vaccinations for their employees, they are facing an increasing amount of vaccine refusers who base their resistance on religious objections. To be clear: All major religions approve of vaccinations. Some actively encourage them. Even denominations which normally rely on prayer for healing, such as Christian Scientists, dont oppose vaccine mandates.

Yet, religious exemptions have emerged as an easily exploited loophole in vaccination policy.

According to Congregation Beth Yeshurun Senior Rabbi Brian Strauss, there is nothing in Judaism that would justify a genuine religious objection to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Ive had people call me, wanting an excuse for a religion exception to the COVID vaccine and I told them, no, Rabbi Strauss told the JHV. In my eyes, there is no legitimate justification for allowing a religion exemption in Judaism.

The central organizations of the three major streams of Judaism in the U.S. all have released formal statements saying Jews are obliged to take preventative measures against COVID-19, including vaccinations.

The Orthodox Union (OU) and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), representing the Orthodox and Reform communities, called the vaccines a requirement due to the obligation for us to care for our own health and to protect others from harm and illness.

The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly, representing the Conservative movement, ruled that Jewish law obligates Jews to vaccinate themselves and others in their care, with medical guidance, and with vaccines that have a proven and safe track record. However, the individual Conservative rabbi in each congregation is the authority for the interpretation and application of all matters of Halakha.

I know very few people in the Jewish community who are unvaccinated, Rabbi Strauss said.

The Torah teaches us, Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor (Lev. 19:16). This is understood to mean that we must safeguard the health of others.

The rabbis also say, Dont separate yourself from the community. I understand this to mean if you dont take the vaccine, youre allowing the virus to mutate and pass on to others including people who cant get the vaccine. The COVID vaccines have been proven to save lives. If theres something you can take to protect your life, do it! Meet G-d halfway. Take advantage of the miracle of the vaccine.

Vaccine exemption requests, based on a religious objection, rise out of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Section 12 of this federal law protects workers from employment discrimination, based on a number of factors, including religion.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the government enforcement agency, has specified that religious protections under the law apply whether the religious beliefs or practices in question are common or nontraditional, and regardless of whether they are recognized by any organized religion. The test under Title VIIs definition of religion is whether the beliefs are, in the individuals own scheme of things, religious.

The EEOC further states an individuals religious beliefs do not have to be recognized by an organized religion and can be beliefs that are new, uncommon or seem illogical or unreasonable to others. They cannot, however, be based only on social or political beliefs. That leaves it up to employers to distinguish political objections from religious ones. This task is made harder as vaccine-resistant workers are sharing tips online for requesting exemptions on religious grounds.

Others have turned religious exemptions into a business. For a financial donation, the pastor of a Tulsa church will admit you as an online member and put his signature on a religious exemption from vaccine mandates. The entrepreneurial pastor bragged to the Washington Post that some 30,000 people downloaded the religious exemption form he created.

In contrast, Rabbi Strauss has promoted COVID-19 vaccinations in sermons from the bimah. During a Shabbat service in April 2021, he spoke directly to those smart, educated people who refuse to get vaccinated. As a rabbi, he offered some wisdom from the Babylonian Talmud (Avodah Zarah 30b). Our sages teach us, he said, that if there is a barrel of potentially dangerous water and nine people drink from it and are fine, a 10th person should still not drink from it.

Even if you know nine people who have not been vaccinated and have not died from COVID, you, as the 10th person, should still get vaccinated because of the possible danger to your life.

You are not following the values of our religion by allowing yourself to live in such danger, said Rabbi Strauss, Yes, there are millions of people who will never get vaccinated and still not get COVID or not get very sick if they do. But, that still doesnt protect you. If there is something that you can do to protect your life, Judaism says, take advantage of it.

Tonight, the rabbi said in his sermon, let me be clear to those who are refusing to get vaccinated: You are not only putting yourself and your loved ones in danger. You are also putting all of us in danger. You have a responsibility to yourself and you have a responsibility to other people.

On Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Strauss returned to the topic of vaccinations. He urged his congregants to promote vaccines by using less judgement and more dialogue.

We have members who are good people, who are smart and who have their reasons for avoiding vaccination. I know. I have met with several of them, he said. I have learned from our conversations that judging you harshly for your fears wont convince you.

Instead, for all of us who are vaccinated, I think theres a better approach. Our ancient rabbis felt the same and gave us a way to do it.

2,000 years ago, in their great wisdom, the rabbis taught us the concept of judge all people favorably (Avot 1:6). Dont assume that those who have so far refused to get vaccinated are driven by nefarious motives. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise, there will never be any type of positive resolution. The deep divisions will only worsen. There will be no end. I have seen it in my own life as a rabbi.

Rabbi Strauss takeaway: Listen to our unvaccinated loved ones, neighbors and co-workers with respect and good faith.

The only way we have chance to drown out the false conspiracies is to have respectful contact with the skeptical, he told the congregation.

Today, while still encouraging deep listening and respectful dialogue, Rabbi Strauss told the JHV he believes that ethically, one is making a selfish decision by not getting the vaccine.

You are jeopardizing your life and the life of others. Youre doing something against what our tradition stands for: that life is paramount. If you know people who are unvaccinated, talk to them and explain why they should get vaccinated.

As Jews we should be very concerned that misinformation about the vaccines can be so easily disseminated. Its scary when falsehoods about the vaccines can be so easily promoted.

Go here to read the rest:

Rabbi: Get vaccinated, but listen to others with respect - Jewish Herald-Voice

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