A wave of measles cases has been traced to unvaccinated ultra-Orthodox children, who usually live in insular communities. When extended families get together during Passover, the chance for the disease to spread increases.
A Jewish man and two women push strollers as they cross a street in a Jewish quarter in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. By Sarah Pulliam Bailey Sarah Pulliam Bailey Reporter covering religion Email Bio Follow April 19 at 8:25 AM NEW YORK — In the days leading up to Passover, ultra-Orthodox Jewish families maneuvered strollers through kosher markets in Brooklyn’s Borough Park neighborhood to prepare for the holiday by buying unleavened bread and wine for the Seder.
Jonathan Leener, an Orthodox rabbi, said many members of his community who live in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, where 228 measles cases have been confirmed, are embarrassed by the attention drawn to the smaller ultra-Orthodox communities, which are generally stricter in their dress and observance.
The debate among rabbis isn’t about whether to vaccinate or not — most rabbis and leaders here encourage families to vaccinate their children. However, there is disagreement among some ultra-Orthodox Jews, including parents, over issues like the government’s authority in mandating vaccinations and whether Orthodox schools should ban unvaccinated students.
Rabbis are in a difficult position, Heilman said, facing the dilemma of having to tell their congregations that city officials are being truthful on vaccines but not in other areas. Nobody has died from measles in the United States since 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but some children in New York City have been admitted to the intensive care unit during this outbreak.
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