Israel: Top ultra-Orthodox rabbis issue recommendation to get COVID-19 vaccine
'Anyone who can get vaccinated should do so,' three prominent rabbis say in joint statement
Three prominent ulta-Orthodox rabbis, Chaim Kanievsky, Gershon Edelstein and Shalom Cohen, have recommended their communities in Israel to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Hebrew media reported on Wednesday.
Spiritual leaders have sought medical advice on this from Rabbi Elimelech Firer, who heads a major medical charity.
The opinion was released on Tuesday on behalf of Kanievsky, Edelstein and Shalom, who stated that "anyone who can get vaccinated should do so," saying the vaccine has been demonstrated to be safe.
Firer specified that people with allergies should consult their doctor before getting the jab and warned against vaccinating children under 16 years of age, as the vaccine has not yet been tested on them.
The medical opinion was published in major religious newspapers on Wednesday, with the aim of reaching as many members of the Orthodox community as possible.
Kanievsky -- who himself recovered from the coronavirus -- and Edelstein are the leaders of the Lithuanian (non-Hasidic) sector of ultra-Orthodoxy, while Cohen represents the main Sephardic authority in the community. He is also a member of the religious council that advises Shas party.
Israel is preparing to launch a mass vaccination campaign next week, but public health officials are concerned about the reluctance of the population to the vaccine, mainly among ultra-Orthodox communities.
Senior Israeli health officials on Tuesday held a meeting with rabbis in the primarily ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak in an effort to convince them to publicly support the immunization campaign.