Opinion
Their Writing Helped Us Make Sense of a Pandemic That Was Just Beginning. Here’s What They’re Thinking About as We Enter Year 2. By Laura E. Adkins
modern miracle. But basic necessities like mental health care, child care and sick leave have become luxury goods. Jewish community and ritual, a life sustaining force for Jews for thousands of years, has been reduced to uneasy gatherings, Clockwise from top left: Gabrielle standing masked and distanced — Kaplan-Meyer, Rabbi Seth Winberg, alone, together — and computer Rabbi Aaron Brusso, Simone Somekh, Linda S. Haase, Meyer Labin, Sara screens, or selfishly exchanged for Nuss-Galles and Dr. Gary Slutkin public safety. (Courtesy photos) And some, (JTA) — What’s most heartit’s true, have breaking about reading the essays gained new published in March 2020 was that understanding they could have been written today. from this The tired joke is that this month strangest of is March, which is funny because years — about last month was March, too. The the ways we (Getty Images) reality is that half of the country is are all conisolated, half is overwhelmed and nected, perhaps, and the things they half a million are dead. realize they value the most. Those without children or family Have we really learned anything nearby are often bored and lonely. in a year turned upside down? The less fortunate are struggling to I asked those who wrote essays pay for basic necessities, battling for JTA in March of 2020, just as addiction or substance abuse, or are the upsets were beginning in earoverwhelmed with health care nest, to share how their lives and expenses. Those caring for children thinking has changed since then. or the elderly, already a Sisyphean There are moments of grace and task in a society mercilessly resilience, but there’s not a lot to obsessed by productivity, are barely take solace in. hanging on. I mostly feel like crying. Maybe The scientific community has that’s all we can really do. managed to develop four astonishResponses have been lightly editingly effective vaccines, a true ed for length and clarity. “I’m a veteran expert in stopping epidemics. Here’s MARCH CLOSED SALES why Jewish institutions should cancel everything.” 2020 Latter & Blum Elite Award and “This epidemic Top of the Latter Award (Top 30 Company Wide) of COVID-19 in the United States is Michelle Sartor one of the largest REALTOR, ABR preventable failCELL: 504-723-8057 ures in modern hisOFFICE: 504-866-2785 tory.” www.MichelleDSartor.com I’ve been guidAccredited Buyer Representative ing and leading Certified USAA & Navy Fed efforts to control Relocation Specialist
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major epidemics in the U.S. and abroad for over 35 years, much of that time with the World Health Organization. Over those years, I learned that populations do not like to make the changes in their behaviors that are needed to stop an epidemic. These changes may be in sexual behavior (AIDS), contact with sick people (Ebola), or in the case of COVID-19, avoiding gatherings as well as wearing masks, and other inconvenient but lifesaving efforts — changes needed until an epidemic is under control. I was glad to be helpful to the Jewish community, if I was, as well as to other religious communities in the earlier days of the COVID pandemic. However, with the exception of a very few governors, and a very few cities I worked with, denial was way too strong. And I and we failed. This epidemic of COVID-19 in the United States is one of the largest preventable failures in modern history. However, the blame does not go to one political leader alone, but to a culture that is not used to inconvenience or personal sacrifice for the greater good. And also to many of my own scientist and media friends and colleagues where
JEWISH LIGHT
The author’s husband, Fred, left, and son, George (Courtesy of Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer)
communication efforts were not nearly good enough. The focus was rules rather than understanding the virus in the air; bending of a curve and opening up instead of stopping the virus, which other countries successfully did! We’re not out of the woods now. There is still way too much complacency and more preventable death to come if people let their guard down prematurely, before we have control. This denial and inability to wake up to threats is not just about COVID-19 — for the Jewish community as well as the country and beyond — but also about violence and the country’s extremely dangerous political situation. — Dr. Gary Slutkin “I can’t see my son who has See YEAR 2 on Page
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