Dear Kehillah,
Boruch Hashem, our kehillah in Lakewood, NJ has seen a tremendous reduction in COVID-19 new illnesses in the last 2 weeks, thanks to the dedication of the community to maintain social distancing.
The poskim have permitted outdoor minyanim with strict adherence to social distancing and a limit of no more than ten people.
However, do not be fooled into thinking that this pandemic is over. We still do not have any definitive treatments or cure for this disease. People are still getting sick and are at risk of getting sick. It is still unclear whether having had the disease or even having antibodies will protect someone from getting sick again. Please maintain caution by avoiding congregating together in any social groups and children from separate households should absolutely not play together. We need to prevent a resurgence of infections in our community and it is the achrayus of each individual to do their share to protect others and save lives.
Lakewood Township has many different communities. Right now, the curve of infection in some Lakewood Township communities is behind our frum community by several weeks and the rates of new infection and spread of disease is still high. No one should have their cleaning help come back into their homes at this time due to persistent rates of infection in other communities in Lakewood.
We pray for the recovery of those seriously ill patients still in the hospital and for Hashem to bring us a complete yeshuah to this mageifah soon.
Reuven Shanik, MD
Neal Gittleman, MD
Miro Ukraincik, MD
Howard Lebowitz, MD
Micah May, MD
Lawrence Shoner, MD
Dovid Ogun, MD
Allen Lempel, MD
Yaacov Zamel, MD
Hillel Peltz, DO
Binyomin Greenberg, MD
Elchonon Glantz, MD
Clara Surowitz, MD
Jonathan Cohen, MD
Dovid Friedman, MD
Daniel Roth, MD
Jeffrey Kaminetsky, MD
Thanks Doctors, for coming across with a unified message. A unified message can make all the difference.
I think this maybe more controversial to the women then the outdoor minyanim,
Just curious. Not questioning the letter. Why are obstetricians and ophthalmologists etc signing this letter. They have no in depth training in infectious disease. CDC and front line doctors should be the ones leading and guiding.
Let’s not water down a critical letter with just throwing names on there. Might as well throw also throw in people who have dedicated themselves to reading up and delving into this disease.
What is one supposed to do if they are an essential worker and need to bring in outside help for childcare?
Ridiculous what’s going on. Many of my neighbors had cleaning help for weeks already while nobody was davening with minyan. Some people don’t get it
You have no idea why people NEED cleaning help or any other help.
Only lazy people have cleaning ladies all year long. Before Yom Tov or before making a major simcha, then it’s okay. Otherwise, stop being a spoiled baby, roll up your sleeves/housecoat, and do some housework for once in your life.
Let’s see if all the “minyan mosrim” will now let their cleaning ladies go???? Of course not that’s ESSENTIAL!
Actually, it is very likely that it’s not the “social distancing” that worked in our community, but that our community might have reached very close to the herd immunity level. How else do you explain continuing(albeit reduced) coronavirus deaths by the goyishe population, and almost no new coronavirus deaths by the frum oilom in the past couple if weeks – the frum community is not more careful with “social distancing” after all. So stop patting yourself on the back, my dear “experts” – you caused frum community corona epidemic when you okayed the mega-barweddings with guests from New Rochelle back in February/early March, and all of your shul closings are too late to fix the damage you have caused. Saying stupid things like antibodies don’t equal immunity, doesn’t improve your reputation either – the fact is, that antibodies do equal immunity by 99.99% of the population, providing a herd immunity effect on the macro level, at least for this particular virus mutation, until some new strain comes out, which is impossible to prevent with the current “social distancing” methods anyway.
The only good thing in this letter is discouraging cleaning ladies. I understand getting one for a few hours a week(when covid19 is over, obviously), but lots of frum women are completely addicted: they must think that they are some aristocracy with maids or something. Forget 30 hors a week cleaning ladies, and teach the kids to clean up after themselves – reserve cleaning ladies for times when absolutely necessary. Your kids won’t grow up useless brats with inflated opinion of themselves.
I would like to see a statement that ALL these doctors have not had cleaning help themselves
I’m married to my cleaning lady
How many of these doctors have 10 + kids home all day
Lol. I hope you pitch in every now and then. I learnt that the hard way.