By Ronn Torossian
COVID remains a global healthcare pandemic. It’s a worldwide problem and continues to wreak havoc on the world. Further complicating the ability to move forth is those who don’t receive the vaccine.
Wrongly, however yesterday on “CBS This Morning” Dr. Anthony Fauci was discussing herd immunity and said we had over 90% immunity to measles but New York City had “Hassidic Jewish people” who were the cause of the outbreak, by choosing not to vaccinate.
Notably, he did not mention the New York Times headline which said only 28 percent of young blacks in NYC are vaccinated or multiple studies which show that the biggest vaccine hesitancy is among African-Americans (a much larger population than “Hasidic Jews.”)
VIDEO:
In a time of rising antisemitism in America, one wonders why the need for a leading government official to point the finger at a specific sub-culture of a religious group? The reality is that countless leading Rabbis have discussed the necessity for religious Jews to get vaccinated, including proclaiming religious rulings.
In May, as Forbes reported there were extensive efforts to educate Hasidic Jews on the importance of the vaccine. Chabad.org, the official site of the largest Jewish organization in the world writes quite clearly “Guarding your own health doesn’t only make sense, it’s actually a mitzvah. That means that even if you don’t want to do it, for whatever reason, you are still obligated to do so,” and “Assuming that vaccinating when there is a high risk of catching a disease is similar to fleeing from an epidemic, then it’s mandatory for you to do it, and others can be compelled to do so as well.”
It is wrong on national TV to condemn “Hasidic Jews” and if Dr. Fauci did it with any other race or religion there would be a major uproar. If he singled out African-Americans there would be outrage – Fauci should apologize.
Ronn Torossian is a Public Relations executive.
His comments were actually correct. Not nice to hear, but many in Williamsburg brag about not getting the measles vaccine. I have heard of people making measles parties trying to get kids to catch it.
He’s stating facts of the past.
This article is flawed in that it supposes that because African Americans are the most reluctant group to take the covid vaccine, they are probably the most hesitant to take measles vaccines, the vaccine fouci was discussing. Fauci didn’t mention Hassidic reluctance toward the covid vaccine, since that wasn’t the topic being discussed. So the parallel the author makes is incorrect. Additionally, it is true that Hasidic Jews are least likely in NYC to get the measles vaccine, so Fauci was probably right in saying that the Hasidic Jews were largely responsible for the lack of measles heard immunity in… Read more »
All he said was that in those areas that did not vaccinate, there were outbreaks. That is factually. Not anti semitic.
Listen again he said specifically Hasidic Jews
Yes, those Hassidic Jews in Williamsburg and borough park had considerable measles outbreaks.
If he just said “in the new york city area” you would be right but he also singled out “the hasidic Jewish people” he should have kept it at the area not at the type of people.
The outbreaks he’s talking about WERE in the Jewish community. I’m sorry you’re in denial about it, but that’s what happened. They were not in the entirety of NYC.
Yes, African Americans have a very low rate of vaccination. BUT – there isn’t an ‘African American’ community or enclave where there are masses of African americans.
There are, however, very visible communities of specific people – like hasidic Jews.
So let’s just hear what’s important, and not get so bent out of shape whenever there seems to be the slightest hint of criticism. Especially when it’s true!
When there is crime in the black community, we say so, Because it is so. anything other than that is politically correct and not factual.
The same thing here , when the Measles outbreak was due to one community you mention the community, just like when there is crime you say that it is majority black and you don’t say it’s the entirety of nyc
I’m sorry. When there was an outbreak of measels a few years ago, it predominantly was in the Hassidic neighborhoods if Williamsburg and borough park.
Are you aware that 96% of the community are vaccinated and measles still got around? The same happened with mumps. Both of my boys were vaccinated and had a bad case of mumps. Turns out, merck knew that their vaccine was ineffective. But the CDC kept saying that we dont vaccinate. The media and Jews like you kept repeating it.
Lets see wht happens if u say crime rate is high bcuz of a *certain* community people(hint: non white) isn’t tht factually correct…
You don’t seem to be a fan of that attitude when it comes to crime, so don’t be a hypocrite when it comes to vaccines
His points regarding Covid are 100% accurate. He brings proof and numbers that suggest that Chassidic Jews are far from the only one’s hesitant to vaccinate. Singling out one group is never the right thing to do. If he singled out African Americans he would have been heavily criticized.
Blacks are 78% unvaccinated
Good for them. Wise decision.
Simply not true. Go check your facts
stop lying they are 30 percent vaccinated against covid
how much moor so by other vaccines
https://www.fox8live.com/2021/08/04/vaccination-rates-african-americans-still-lag-la-covid19-task-force-works-improve-numbers/
One group isn’t in a rush to vaccinate and the other group holds events with anti vax speakers
And so?
Do we live in china or the USA?
Has the constitution and bill of rights been cancelled?
Are you sure you want to give up your personal medical decisions to some lying bureaucrat with a fancy Dr title in front of his name?
You can bc it’s a free country but I sure won’t. And no it’s not a vaccine, does not provide immunity or prevent transmission. Just claims to reduce severe disease and that too has been shown to not be the case either. Poison
I didn’t catch your name, or your title, or your area of medical/scientific expertise.
Please identify yourself with the above, and then make comments about what you are expert in.
since the us is a free century Dr. Fauci has the freedom of speech
Does the virus understand not to infect those who simply are not in a rush to get vaccinated?
Does it understand that it must infect only those who have speakers who point out problems with the vaccines?
Since when do we must submit to a brand new medical treatment we think is dangerous to our health?
Nuremberg code anyone?
To even put this era of trying to fight this pandemic in the same sentence of holocuast reference – how dare you???
Try to say that to someone with a number on their arm!!
Actually….you’re probably someone who would actually do that, so I take that back…DON’T ever say that to someone who’s a survivor. Please. Maybe you’ll have that tiny, tiny bit of humanity in your warped, stupid, selfish mind!
Woah! The Nuremberg code was established after the Holocaust to protect the INDIVIDUALS right for medical autonomy ay free of any coercion. Any gvt mandates or ‘consequences’ for declining the shot is a violation of those codes
When we have a brand new disease. We should be thankful that there is a vaccine. And I’ll take the third shot as soon as I’m eligible. It’s worth it to me even if the severity is only reduced by 20%. I know only 1 person who possibly died from the shot. His life was hanging by a thread anyway. But I know lots of people who definitely died from covid, some of whom were healthy before. May we merit seeing the end of the pandemic and a healthy 2022.
I agree with you to an extent. Nevertheless, what he said was true
It is so much easier to say boohoo anti-semitism….then to make a cheshbon hanefesh. dr. fauci is a leading expert on infectious diseases that actually went to school and studied…..unlike our communities he doesn’t get his opinions from emotions, superstition, and most of all (understandably) our history of annihilation etc, or….stupid conspiracy theories. which is Avodah Zorah Mamesh!
So stop the fear mongering BS have a little bitul and listen to what the Doctor’s say.
If you have a need to make a Hungarian kokash cake, do not get the recipe from the Japanese.
And if 100% of the population were to get vaccinated, will there be no more covid? Are people who are vaccinated immune from caching and spreading covid? Do we see country’s like Israel who have highly vaccinated populations have lower covid cases? The answer is … No. What is happening is: vaccinated people are still caching and spreading covid ( if it lowers the damage of the virus is another story) You will need a 3rd dose, and then a 4th dose… and so on. you will still see lockdowns. You will still see travel restrictions. Don’t blame unvaccinated people… Read more »
Read some history! Don’t vomit out your stupidities out of complete and utter ignorance!
Israel has far, far fewer severe COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Vaccines work!
I always thought Jews were pro-life.
Can you show in what way he’s “leading”? Has he been right about a single thing the entire past 20 months (when he’s not contradicting himself every few minutes)? Indeed, did he do anything right about AIDS in the 1980s?
It’s funny, you know. When anyone had anything positive to say about Trump (or even just to point out that something he said was being misquoted), there were screams of “avodah zarah” from various parties. This, even though none of those people ever said that we should trust implicitly every single thing he says.
Yet now those same types are claiming that whatever Fauci says must be true, and that to disagree with him is “avodah zarah mamesh.” Hmm…
Went to school to made his decisions… huh? Stand to gain politically and financially… yes!
Many people with their comments on this site proudly say they are anti vaxxers with all kinds of weird theories… everyone else is watching and is not impressed
We don’t care. My body my choice. Is fitting in and being accepted your only moral compass? I graduated high school many years ago. Enjoy
“My body my choice”, wow sounds straight out of the leftist secular playbook.
Just know that’s the pro abortion slogan
So the point of the op ed was to say that nuh-uh, chassidic Jews do believe in vaccines. And here comes all the ignorant trolls to say that actually they do not believe in vaccines! And those posts get all the likes! So it is true that on the whole chassidic Jews do not support vaccines (if you count the ones on COL as representative).
Studies have shown: he is a goy. which means, in his DNA he’s anti semitic against yidden. Maybe he can come up with a vaccine against it? And maybe 1,2,3 shots that go along with that? Thanks!
Can you show me the gene that says that if you are a non Jew you are automatically anti semetic?
Eisav sonei es Yaakov. Past down for all generations just like we are all children of yaakov avinu.
This comment is just a statement of facts – there were measles outbreaks specifically in the Jewish community in NYC due to low vaccination rates in those communities specifically. If you don’t want that to be a fact that can be cited, I have great news: you can help by vaccinating your children for measles! The number you have cited for the black population is for the covid vaccine which is not even what he was discussing. But again, if you don’t want frum Jews to be factually cited as having low covid vaccine rates, great news, you can help… Read more »
How many deaths resulted from the outbreak of measles several years ago and how many deaths resulted because of people that already had covid and decided not to take the vaccine
I hear your point about covid. But please do yourself a favor and go look up how many deaths there were from the measles outbreak.
I agree. I do not think there were.many deaths. Mostly just kids being sterile and not able to have kids of their own.
Wrong. 96% of the community is vaccinated. Higher than most communities. The vax was ineffective. Hmmm. Much like the covid vax.
If this community got vaccinated then maybe he wouldn’t need to call us out for being uneducated and selfish.
Uh no
Bc if everyone gets the clotshot we will have many more unnecessary injuries and death from the injection in addition to those from covid. At least that’s what the data shows so far. We’ll see more in a couple of months/years
This is blatantly false. Don’t be part of the misinformation spread, please.
I’d rather be selfish, uneducated and alive then selfless, educated and dead (or severely injured). Fauci wants to eliminate the control group of unvaccinated.
Sorry.
That’s why you’d never be a volunteer in a disaster area, that’s for sure. It’s why you’d never ever become a firefighter – ‘those’ kinds of people aren’t your kind of person.
Selfish and alive.
Exactly the most important values to have as a Jew.
I sure pray to G0d you’re never drafted into the IDF – you’d put all the soldiers with you at risk. Because you’d rather be selfish and alive.
This community recovered from covid at more than 70% by April of 2020 and have had natural immunity since then. Many of the elderly and compromised who did not get covid got the vaccine. Your comment under the circumstances is ignorant and mean spirited. Not constructive at all.
In respects to measles, I think our community is mostly vaccinated. Our doctors strongly came out and supported vaccination when there was the out breaks in other communities.
A true haman. We do not agree and will not comply and are under no moral obligation to sacrifice our health and lives for a fleeting acceptance by Dr fauci. Two words. Get lost!
And no these clotshots are not the solution to covid and never were. They are downright dangerous. Typical gaslighting and shaming. Our leaders are jelly fish, no backbone or vision. So sad.
Mordechai Hatzadik was not anonymous anonymous
Mordechai hatzaddik didn’t find some heter to bow down to haman either. He also did not pander to haman begging for approval and to be accepted in his good graces. He certainly didn’t command the yidden to obey haman for the health and safety. Did he?
You are the one shaming our leaders and the doctors in our community who will actually be there for you when your life is in danger.
New York State Department of Health board voted unanimously Thursday to implement emergency authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all health care workers in the state, while also removing a planned religious exemption as an alternative to vaccination.
What’s amazing is that most of the people here openly admit that they won’t take the vaccine, but if someone points that out, they’re automatically anti semetic.
It’s so old and predictable. Cry more.
Collive commenters: I won’t take the vaccine!
Fauci: Chassidic Jews are vaccine hesitant.
Collive commenters: THAT’S ANTI SEMETIC!
Aw poor Dr flip flop fauci. Meet the stiff neck people who will not bow or bend. Back when we left Egypt G-d not only took us out of Egypt but also took the slave mentality out of us. We question we think and if something doesn’t sit right we’ll fight. We do not worship government but G-d almighty alone. Good luck trying to control us. We will outlast you by far like we have done through the centuries. Most of us recognize our enemies even when they pretend to be our saviors. (Except our weak leaders but wtv that’s… Read more »
conspiracy theories are indeed idol worship. they spread fear and lies it’s what cost us 40 years in the desert.
daas Torah. is the word of G-D.
If you are a chosen prophet of Hashem (or YouTube) send me a link so I could subscribe to your prophecies until then we will follow the opinions Rabbonim and Drs give us based on venishmartem.
Are indeed idol worship, as well as Loshon Hara.
The self styled prophets are the ones making horrible predictions for what will happen to to Chassidish community if they do not take an unproven treatment that even the CDC, refuses to endorse.
Daas Torah it’s not. Since when did a rov ever attempt to decide for everyone to take a medical treatment in history up until covid? It’s one thing for them to paskin which treatment you want for yourself is permitted or forbidden according to halacha. The difference may be subtle but very important. And that’s besides for the numerous mainstream highly experienced doctors warning against the mRNA vaccine and the lack of long term safety studies.
People this is a fight for our very existence. Do not give in or give up. Dr fauci wants to play G-d and control everything we do.
There are plenty of Christians that don’t vaccinate for religious beliefs.
Every few years, there is an outbreak of measles at an “X-tian Science Church” college in the S. Louis area. (That denomination doesn’t vax against anything!) But oh, no — gotta single out the one time Jews got the measles. Can you say “double standard”? This is a blood libel! Two reasons no one mentions about frum folks and the COVID jab: 1– Most frummies had COVID early om and therefore have excellent antibodies. These people should not be treated lije the other unvaxxed people who never had COVID. 2– Out of all other demographic groups, frum families have a… Read more »
Anybody says anything against jews is a anti semite? He is singling out us is true Calling us anti vaxers is false.It is just we are waiting for the studys of long term effects. The more the goverment forces vaccines on us,the more we will not trust it or them!!!! On the other hand we did not take the vaccines,so he is singling us out! The more you use identity politics calling them antisemites and ignoring the problems,You are fighting freedom of speech! You Do not be like when the democrats use identity politics. If we real research and it… Read more »
Do we relay need a Disease like Polio to come back to realize why vaccines are important,
It seems like because it is such a distant memory for so many, that they forget how miraculous most vaccines are.
We should be looking at them like truly life saving medications, (imagine that they came out with a vaccine for cancer, I don’t know one cancer survivor or family member, that wouldn’t take it).
FLATBUSH ANTI VAXXER NYC DOH CONTINUES THE LYING AND BLAME SHIFTING FOR MEASLES OUTBREAK THAT THEY AMPLIFIED Dr Demetre Daskalakis testified today at an NYC Department of Health Board meeting. Here is how the good doctor describes himself on his twitter site Demetre Daskalakis @DrDemetre QUEER HEALTH WARRIOR+ UNDETECTABLES WISDOM SPREADER + DEPUTY COMMISSIONER DISEASE CONTROL-NYC DOHMH.I describe him as a liar and a fraud together with his colleagues in the DOH and here is what I tweeted to them earlier “You are liars and frauds.The Measles outbreak was made worse by your December order expelling thousands of healthy unvaccinated unexposed children… Read more »
Had he condemned the Black community than BLM would burn his house down and he would run for his life to some far away island. He knows it so he keeps his racist mouth shut. But Jews are not blacks. He knows that too so he has no fear.
Even assuming it were true that Chasidim have a higher percentage of people who refuse to vaccinate are there really no larger and better examples of groups who did not vaccinate with dire results? Because if there aren’t then you would need to study if perhaps there other factors causing the higher infection rates among Chasidim before assuming that is due to lack of vaccination. And if there are why were they singled out if not anti-Semitism? Why not give bigger and better examples that more people can relate to?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/nyregion/measles-rockland-county.html?module=inline
Those who in general do not vaccinate and have not vaccinated in the past their children for commonly known diseases such as measles smallpox etc I think these people are putting other children’s lives at risk and I don’t agree with them I have vaccinated all up my children and I have taken all the vaccines in the past however when it comes to the covid virus I have not taken the vaccine I do not trust the speed in which this thing was developed and I am questioning now the incredibly high numbers of critically ill patients in the… Read more »
Did anyone listen to the whole thing before commenting? The conversation was about how high does vaccination rates need to be before we have herd immunity. Last year on this site all the chachomim were trying to convince people that 60-70% of CHers got covid so the community is safe b/c of herd immunity. Dr. F. point was he thinks (a broad estimate on his part which he conceded to) is 92-93% need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. He brought an example of the measles outbreak (in which the communities are largely vaccinated but not over 90%) to… Read more »
FACTS DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS
I don’t agree with ANY group not getting vaccinated for childhood diseases. Having said that, I think Fauci felt quite safe pointing a finger at a Chassidic community and declaring them responsible for an outbreak of measles. The reason for this is because the Amen corner of “Anything those ‘Chassids’ do is B-A-D is large enough and hateful enough for him to have assumed there wouldn’t be much protest to the remark. He could just as easily have said “We have seen enclaves of people who did not get vaccinated against measles end up with disastrous results,” and made his… Read more »
94% of Chasidic Jews are vaccinate against measles. What Fauci said is not true.
More and more studies are showing that people with antibodies are better protected from COVID than those who take the shot. It is for that reason that many of us are not taking the shot. We already had COVID. And what is not fair, is that you can prove you were vaccinated with a card and be allowed to enter certain areas, but if you prove that you have antibodies, it’s not good enough. I smell a rat…