They are already making that kind of choice for themselves by not enlisting.

With God’s help, Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan 5780

When children and teenagers are stuck at home with nothing to do, they start “climbing the walls” from boredom. Spending long hours in front of a computer also causes emotional harm, but as time drags on, that too gets unbearable.

So they go to friends and go wild at parties, or just roam the streets, go on trips and to the beach—and the contagion runs rampant.

Not for nothing did the “second wave” of corona begin in the wake of the summer vacation. According to publications of the Central Bureau of Statistics, from August onward there has been excess mortality. That is to say, the irresponsibility that began in July started “bearing fruit” in August, and we are still suffering its results to this day.

True, there is also room for infection in an educational institution, but there there are also conditions for supervision that greatly reduce the chances of infection. Teachers can enforce mask-wearing, division into small groups, distancing between students, and ventilation of the classrooms, and that is far better than children and teenagers spending long periods without any supervision.

This is also the view of the Minister of Education, Major General (res.) Yoav Gallant, that the education system should be opened immediately, and that closing it entirely was a mistake. But unlike Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, Gallant does not have the power and courage to stop the “lockdown-phile” madness.

In my humble opinion, not only should the education system be opened, but a “long activity day” should be instituted in the schools, and the teaching staff should be reinforced with manpower that does not require professional training, so that they can keep the children and teenagers constructively occupied under supervision and with caution.

Likewise, public transportation should be reinforced, since the children and teenagers as well as most of the Haredi public use it, and the number of lines should be doubled so that distance between passengers will be maintained on every bus.

And of course, it is vital to open the economy while maintaining the necessary restrictions, preventing crowding, ensuring ventilation, and wearing masks. People who are unemployed and economically crushed also lose physical resilience against illness. A healthy soul contributes to a healthy body!

With wishes for a healthy winter, S.Tz.

In paragraph 1, lines 1–2
… from boredom. Also …

In paragraph 4, lines 1–2
… conditions for supervision that reduce …

Now I see that the Rabbi is in favor of a health dictatorship.
The new Haredi trembles before the word of the prophets of the Ministry of Health.

And see also the articles: “Rabbi Shai Piron: Our children are sinking into themselves” and “Outline for returning the education system according to Rabbi Shai Piron,” both on Arutz 7, about the necessity of opening the education system and a proposed outline for a safe and effective return to studies, from someone who served as Minister of Education.

Best regards, S.Tz.

By the way, my daughter is a homeroom teacher in a middle school, and she says that “distance learning” is not an effective solution. A considerable portion of the students do not take part in it, and the rest of the girls are fed up with it too and want to return to school.