Don’t ignore the importance of religion as part of our health care during the pandemic
17/12/2020 05:45:58 PM
Published Dec 17 in the Toronto Star:
Karl Marx famously described religion as an opiate of the masses. In comparing religion to a potentially lethal medication, he meant to denigrate and bury religion; we should rather elevate and praise it.
Religious institutions place the health and well-being of our communities, first and foremost. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have relied upon the advice of local medical experts with real time knowledge. Here in Toronto, we closed our synagogue building before the provincial lockdown in March. To our thinking, government policy reflects the minimum civic and health standards to achieve its goals. We have made our own decisions - often involving greater precautions than officially mandated. Our synagogue’s medical committee created and implemented strict rules regarding registration for service participation, masking, sanitizing and physical distancing. We have abided by these precautions throughout the crises, and have - thank God - experienced no virus spread within our walls...