Promoting a Culturally Adapted Policy for Dealing with the COVID-19 Crisis among the Haredi Population in Israel

COVID-19 has caused high morbidity and mortality in Israel but, as in other countries, not all groups were equally affected. Haredi Jews (often called ultra-Orthodox), a religious minority, were disproportionately harmed by the pandemic. This group has distinctive cultural, lifestyle, and demographic characteristics, which may be related to these higher COVID-19 rates and call for policies specifcally adapted for this community. While the Haredi focus on communal activities such as prayer services and lifecycle events that are normally associated with improved health because of increased amounts of social and religious capital, during the period since the outbreak, these communal activities have sometimes caused harm through greater exposure to the virus and leading to higher COVID-19 rates during the first wave in Israel.

In response, Israel`s Ministry of Health (MoH) as well as municipalities, took steps to try to prevent morbidity and improve care in the Haredi population by means of

cooperation with both the leadership and members of the Haredi community in Jerusalem and elsewhere. Within the framework for the above, they developed a detailed plan relating to synagogues and strengthening mutual trust in order to increase adherence to government regulations and recommendations. The case study presented is based on the unique perspective of the two people who worked in the Israeli MoH and led the initiative as well as a review of relevant government documents and statistics. It discusses to what extent the initiative seemed to have been successful through increased adherence to government guidelines, including vaccination. It also discusses what lessons can be learned not only for Haredim but for other religious and/or minority groups in Israel and elsewhere where focused collaborations between the government and other closed sectors of society may be challenging.