NEW YORK (VINnews) — Following Torah Umesorah’s directive that Jewish schools should remain open in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Stuart H. Ditchek of New York shares his perspective.
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A statement written by Dr. Ditchek reads as follows:
As most of you are aware I called for a community wide meeting and invited all of the major school representatives and leaders. The meeting which I moderated was well attended both in person as well as through a video conference. I specifically invited the Torah U’Mesorah leadership, who did not attend but listened in by phone. I felt that it was imperative to include that group as they have policy capability to a large number of orthodox yeshivas.
I asked the group to bring the information back to the rabbinical authorities who guide these decisions and request that my appeal to close ALL schools immediately be considered. I specified to them that Daas Torah must lead us but that they need all of the very critical facts in order to make a proper decision. I offered to meet with any and all rabbis in order to address the specifics of the data. I was not called after that only to see yesterday that Torah U’Mesorah has decided to follow the New York City Board of Education and leave schools open.
Many of you have seen the statement on-line. I emphasized that Mayor DeBlasio and the Department of Education have political and economic considerations that we do not have in our communities. Today, Chancellor Richard Carranza stated that closing schools will take away the ability for lower income students to access school hot lunches. Mayor DeBlasio has made similar statements as well as voiced concerns that parents will not be able to go to work and this is a factor in his decision. This is a colossal error that is ignoring the data that was presented to us and those at the federal level.
Today, Dr. Anthony Fauci a major White House advisor and NIH director specifically referenced the data that was presented about slowing down this very fast moving pandemic which threaten millions at this point. Dr. Carter Mecher and Dr. Jay Schnitzer used data from Dr. James Lawler ,all leading pandemic experts and presented live at our community meeting. Today, the New York Times published a very extensive article quoting those specific experts and their data. Dr. Fauci said in a live interview this morning that the measures being advised to slow this pandemic down must be implemented. Our recommendations reflect the exact data of these experts and includes the four measures listed below. Many of the schools that attended in fact have closed, many have not.
I told the leader from Torah U’Mesorah last night in a late phone call that the his Vaad MUST revisit the decision to leave their yeshivas open immediately as we are losing time every day. The number of cases are far greater than being quoted as we only know of those who test positive. I have personally declined testing for over 200 requests in the previous few days as I have little access to any available tests. There simply are no rapid kits yet and approvals by the health department are limited to those who most need confirmation when having respiratory difficulties. There are like very large multiples out there already in the community. According to the experts, this will quickly spiral to demands for ICU beds that we simply cannot handle in certain scenarios.
If we implement these measures immediately, we have a chance at slowing this but it must be a broad implementation not just a few people. The Bergen County Orthodox community was asked by the three local hospitals to take draconian measures closing schools, shuls and all public gatherings. This is a perfect example of communities properly working with medical leadership to slow a pandemic. We need to cooperate with hospital systems and help slow this down now. It is the only way to save many lives and allow seniors and those most at-risk to get the care they need when the infection peaks.
It is my opinion and those of the experts that I have consulted that ALL children stay home and follow the four guidelines below. Do not send you children to school at this point. Sometimes we must act as a community to influence others in a positive way. Our actions as a community will be quickly adopted by others and likely will influence The NYC Department of Education’s determinations. I myself did not allow my grandchildren to continue going to school as of today. I urge you to do the same.
If you are sick, stay home (home isolation)
If someone in your household is sick, stay home (home quarantine)
School and daycare closures immediately before further spread (social distancing)
Social distancing in the community and in the workplace (= avoiding socially dense situations); switch to telecommuting
Click here for the New York Times article today quoting our experts is linked below.
Stuart H. Ditchek, MD,FAAP
If schools could stay open to provide lunch, they should stay open to learn Torah.
No need to be more Catholic than the Pope.
Sorry. Dr. Ditchek is not Daas Torah
At least all preschools shoud be closed. I would like to invite Torah Umesorah to come observe what happens in preschools. Most pre schoolers have no idea of hygiene. They do not wash hands after using the bathroom unless a teacher is watching and usually no one is watching. I am a therapist and have worked in a number of schools. It is the rare teacher who actually watches and makes the children wash their hands. preschoolers have no compunction mouthing toys and doing so one after another. They cough and sneeze without covering their mouths and noses. I know many people reading this are saying not true for me, but it really is for about 90% of preschoolers.
Very interesting that he keeps quoting The NY Times. As a medical professional we should be taking advice from him, but we can’t lose ourselves. Hashem wants a world as the Gemara says where we will come to shul and praise Hashem. Otherwise there is no world. The Torah has always been magin on klal yisroel. With all due respect With proper precautions Torah needs to continue
Circle dumb post
But I guess you are more informed them the good doctor who has saved countless young frum lives other the being a pediatrician he is also an infection desease specialist
And your credentials are …, big mouth with no knowledge
Well then this so-called doctor should follow his own brilliant advice and shut down HIS own office. This guy has no problem demanding others lose their parnasa, but he himself thinks he’s better then you & me.
Then practice careful hygiene in schools. Notice that the panic mongers all have safe jobs. Very soon they’ll call for all businesses to shut down throwing millions out of work. Unless they’re offering good ideas, they should all just act responsible shut the heck up already. This is a media crazed driven world now, and they all want their 15 minutes at our expense.
I’m going with Daas Torah. As my Rabbeim always told me, scientists including doctors, all deny G-d and try to tear people away from Yiddishkeit. Who are you going to listen to? A Doctor who’s an expert in infectious diseases, or a Talmud Chacham that finished Shas multiple times?
Dr Ditchek is a very good dr. Not daas Torah. Rabbis are daas Torah but they are not doctors. By the way, WHO is daas Torah today? Who I’m Bklyn? Who in 5-Towns? Who in EY? Who in Philly? Who are we suppose to listen to if THEY THEMSELVES don’t have a real understanding of what’s going on!
I’m a frum guy but I don’t think that a situation like this we should be asking Rabbonim. This is a medical question about something that is new and unchartered. I don’t think that telling me what they did hundreds of years ago during the Black Plague or during Dovid Hamelechs times or whenever in past history is relevant to how we are to conduct ourselves today MEDICALLY. If you want to tell me to daven more or learn more or more tehilim then fine BUT IF THE GOVT TELLS US TO DO ALL THAT AT HOME THEN THATS WHAT WE SHOULD DO.
All of these facts and statistics leave out one factor: GOD!
We will not outsmart Him. We will not help Him. He is in charge. And He clearly wants us to follow our Rabbis. In Israel, both Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and Reb Gershon Eidelstein ruled Yeshivos must stay open. They are well aware of the facts and dangers. Hishtadlus and Bitachon is a very complicated issue; how much is appropriate and how much is too much.
If we trust our Rabbis and listen to them, we will be safe. If we question them, and rely on doctors, then we are in trouble. God is in control here!
uhhhh the government isn’t shutting schools…..
In crown heights they are providing online school for the community
I suggest all the schools get on board
Are they waiting for a child or parent to become deathly ill? I don’ understand this!!!! Torah Umesorah will have blood on their hands! the yeshivas will have blood on their hands!! In this society, where parents have no voice, it is their responsibility to make safe choices for the children. The same sedrah will come around next year. They need to establish online learning or conference calls for those who don’t use the internet. Wake up!!
Yidden are למעלה מן הטבע. Our secret is תורה ותפילה. If you want to circumvent דעת תורה and listen to this guy go ahead. I’d prefer to count on our own special connection.
רבות מחשבות בלב איש, ועצת ה’ היא תקום
השתלות is important, but at the expense of תורה…?
We must listen to our Gedolim.
They and only they will decide.
Just one little tiny point.
We have now been living through a few years during which the media lied as a steady diet. They have completely lost their credibility. This current story may be the story of the boy who cried wolf, and therefore some are suggesting that just this time we should accept their word. I do believe that there is something going on, but you can be sure that whatever is the truth the media will not report it as it is truly but they will certainly change things to fit their agendas. They are sure do so because they are certified chronic liars, so whatever the truth is, they will certainly not just report it as is but will lie and change the story to an unknown degree. So what you are hearing in the news is mix of an underlying true story to which every chronic liar in the public eye has had their go at reporting. This equals a story in which we can’t know the real truth. So what do we do? Some say the narrative doesn’t add up with the so called facts that have been reported. In last year’s flu season it has been estimated that there were 35,000 deaths in the US caused by the flu. That is in spite of the fact that we have a vaccine for that. In this season which is still in the middle, we have around 22,000 deaths so far from the flu in the US. These numbers are for the US alone. This new Corona virus has been estimated to have caused only 5,800 deaths world wide this year. This includes China and Italy. Don’t forget this was spreading for a while unchecked as nobody yet began taking precautions. It has spread completely out of control in several countries but still the death toll isn’t so relatively high as it’s much lower than the flu. So I’m not sure whether we are correct to understand that this is more lethal than the common flu.
There is no good solution. In the non jewish world the kids will (hopefully) stay home and watch movies, videos and play with their gameboys. When they get bored of that G-D forbid the crime rate will skyrocket. No one even mentions this. Our community has been trying very hard to keep this stuff out of our homes. I hope and pray this is not the bal duvers way of getting a foothold. There are just so many days a parent can listen to their children moan “I’m so bored”. Be vigilant. On a positive note, I heard someone say in shul. Hashem is ready to bring Moshiach. Imagine if Moshiach shows up suddenly on Erev Pesach and says “No hotels this year go to Yerushalayim” Hashem is shutting down the hotels now. No surprises. We are all tamai. Quarantine is a necessity to purify. This is just a practice run.
In the first part of the 20th century, Daas Torah told the Yidden in Europe to stay and Daven and Learn more and all will turn out well. Since the Gedolim were so right in their decision (give or take 6 million Yidden), maybe I’m a “Kanoi”, but I’m following the Gedolim and not the Atheist scientists who are trying to use the virus to destroy Yiddishkeit.
you all need to stay and BANGHA ALL DAY
darwin awards for all those idiots who choose Daas Toireh over professionals who really know what they are talking about, please
Here is your Daas Toireh:
When the danger of war became real and immediate, Rabbi Yoel did his best to equip himself and his closest circle with certificates or visas that would facilitate their escape to Palestine or the United States. At the same time, he thwarted all attempts at cooperation between the heads of the Orthodox communities and the Zionist organizations, which could have helped to rescue them. He failed to set a personal example and rejected his associates’ advice to prepare a hiding place or attempt to cross the border to Romania. Had he done so, some of his Hasidim may have done the same and thus survived.
When put to the test, he chose to save himself clandestinely after his own congregation had already been incarcerated in ghettos and to abandon his followers in the time of their harshest adversity. His conduct stands in stark contrast to that of other rabbis in his vicinity, many of whom rejected pleas to save themselves and accompanied their congregations to the transport trains, the extermination camps, and in some cases even into the gas chambers.
We will not listen to these secular atheists and agnostics.
Fact is non of these secular anti Torah individuals have a problem supporting gay activity despite the diseases and high suicide rate it causes. They don’t have a problem murdering babies through abortions on demand. They don’t even have a problem with young people smoking pot. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
As a physician I’m hearing frightening things from colleagues in Italy. Due to lack of resources, they’re letting people over 65 die without even attempting to treat. People in their 30s and 40s are dying. The sevara here is why be smarter than the DOE. First, we take pikuach nefesh more seriously. Secondly, since when does “daas Torah” rely on the onion of the DOE. It’s not like they listened to the DOH when it came to metziza.
As a physician I’m hearing frightening things from colleagues in Italy. Due to lack of resources, they’re letting people over 65 die without even attempting to treat. People in their 30s and 40s are dying. The sevara here is why be smarter than the DOE. First, we take pikuach nefesh more seriously. Secondly, since when does “daas Torah” rely on the onion of the DOE. It’s not like they listened to the DOH when it came to metziza.
We need to be smart for ourselves. Don’t forget there were people who claimed “Daas Torah”, who told Jews to stay in Europe before the Holocaust.
What Gadol is familiar with all the factors that this horrible virus presents? Daas Torah’s position is that for Safek Pikuach Nefesh, we do all we can to prevent tragedy. Are all those that posted that we should not close schools saying that there is no health risk, or that there is a health risk and the Rabbonim are telling us to relay on a Nes to save us. Isn’t Daas Torah that אין סומכין על הנס? By the way, when it comes to medical and political situations, how is Dass Torah’s track record?
This Dr., as good as he is a pediatrician, is not an infectious disease specialist. I personally know one of the infectious disease doctors that TU consulted with. He is renowned not only in the Jewish world, but highly respected in the world of medicine and academia.
He advised that schools only close down when there are suspected or confirmed cases of corona in the school itself. He did, however, recommend that shuls in neighborhoods with confirmed cases close down.
rely – not relay
Mike you are correct except he’s an infectious specialist as well unlike you he’s saved countless lives same as dr Rabbi Aaron Glatt one of the top infectious disease specialist in the world and yes he’s a possaik as well
He is older. He should self-quarantine himself. Kids should be in school. UK medical experts are doing this.
There will be frum fatalities, that number can be mitigated by taking drastic measures. If those measures are not taken, there will be more hospitalizations and fatalities than there needs to be. TU will have blood on its hands. Time to stfu and listen to those that actually know what they are talking about when it comes to medicine. People here keep comparing this to the flu but its not. No-one alive has ever seen a pandemic like this in their lifetime. Italy is literally sending patients that are older home to die so that they can focus their efforts on younger patients. I am dreading the call I will inevitably get to go in and help fight this. I will be on the front lines exposing myself and my family and the rabbis from TU will hole themselves up in their studies and continue to say everything is fine until their friends and relatives are affected.
At the end of the day, any measure we take before before the fact will seem like overkill, all measures taken after the fact will appear inadequate.
I guess this quack, Ditcheck, knows better than Mayor DeBlasio. The Mayor said he is NOT closing down the public schools. The Mayor & Governor are in close contact with the top health professionals in this field. This little quack has an old ax to grind with Rabbonim, going back many years. This little baal habas with an agenda should be shunned and ignored.
We davven 3 times a day for Ata Chonen Lsdam Daaas. Not Daas Torah.
People need to use their own brains. Daas Torah is when you have a halachik question; not health questions.
Daas Torah asked the experts should Jews leave Europe. That turned out well!
I have a simple suggestion-all those that believe that the schools be closed, should keep their kids home regardless of Daas Torah.
Actually since you do strongly believe that they should not be going to school, you are “mechuyev” to keep your kids home. Start IMMEDIATELY
Nassau County just mandated a two-week closure for every school in the county. Public, private, yeshivas, parochial, everything. “School facilities will be closed for instruction but administrator and teachers can still use school buildings for distance based learning as well as distribution of grab and go lunches.” Something to consider.
4th year medical student
By closing all schools we are opening a huge new Pandora’s box of perils of which we don’t begin to fathom the extent:
Crime
Parent’s unable to go to work
Poverty
Hunger
How many lives will be be lost and/ or destroyed? We can’t only look at one aspect of an action we take. Yes closing schools will minimize spread of Corona, but what will happen at the other end? It may be even more deadly and damaging. I think that is probably the case. But therefore this can’t sustain for very long because of the above perils being realized and also there isn’t a reserve of money and food huge enough to take care of the whole world for any extended period of time. So instead of finding this out in hindsight, why don’t we think up front about a feasible plan?
“Daas Torah” should not be considered in matters of life and death and in matters of medicine.
“Daas Torah” told the Jews to stay in Europe in the 30s, and is telling packed Yeshivas in Israel to stay open today.
This is the same Tora Umesora that forged a letter with 100 rabbis giving a molestor in Florida a clean bill of health. Was charged by the judge to pay advocates legal bills
I wrote an entire dvar torah, and vinnews decided to not let it through, but they let another comment through, which is pure pritzus.
When i commented for it to be removed, they just let the comment get added on to the pritzus post, not taking it down.
Let me ask you, why not one mention of mashiach? geulah?
Don’t worry about Torah Umesorah and its view of Daas Torah. As long as TU and its followers continue to ignore the medical consensus, based on non-medical considerations, they likely won’t be around much longer anyway.
Shulchan Aruch and Mishna Berura clearly state in Hilchos Refua BShabbos that if there is a difference of opinion between a doctor and the Rabbanam, be more cautious and go by the words of the doctor and violate Shabbos
Doctor
When the doctor says operate and the rebbe says don’t. Here is what Rabbi Avigdor Miller ztl answered. It depends who is the doctor and depends who is the rabbi. If the Rimnitzer rebbe said don’t operate,you don’t operate.
Keeping kids home will cause more spread of the virus.
ARCHIE says Paranoia: Tell that to rebbetzin Fruend-YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Reb Avrohom Shiya Freund Z”L from the Satmar community in Williamsburg. He was 63.
Sources tell YWN that R’ Shiya was Niftar in his sleep early Friday morning.
Although it has not been confirmed as, he showed and displayed all signs and symptoms of the coronavirus.
The Levaya was expected to be held on Friday
Archy says Paranoia:Meanwhile, New Jersey has 427 cases, and YWN has confirmed that there are dozens of cases already testing positive in Lakewood. One person was in serious condition. A name for Tehillim was not available.
YWN has confirmation of at least 4 Roshei Yeshiva from different Yeshivos that have tested positive, and at least 10 different Rabbeiyim that have tested positive. The bochirm have all been notified.
Yes Trump owns it, just like his casinos he has mismanaged this epidemic!!!!
Archy Says paranoia:Rosh Yeshiva and the Av Beis Din of the Eidah Chareidis, Hagaon HaRav Moshe Sternbuch announced on Thursday that it is a matter of Pikuah Nefesh, and people must distance themselves from others. “It is Pikuach Nefesh, one must listen to the instructions of their doctors. If Chas Vesholom people don’t listen now, there is a serious worry that the doctors will no longer be able to save anyone. Torah learning should be done only in small groups inside people’s homes and while people are sitting far away from one another.”
HaRav Shternbuch also instructed that all Shuls and Yeshivos be closed, as well as minyanim that take place in bomb shelters or basements or any other place that isn’t ventilated well.
This is from a Gadol, and I ain’t NO Satmar