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Moshe-Mordechai van Zuiden
Psychology, Medicine, Science, Politics, Oppression, Integrity, Philosophy, Jews -- For those who like their news and truths frank and sharp

Why I don’t go to shul yet

US President Trump wants the State Governors to order Christians, Jews, and Muslims to return to our houses of prayer already. If they’re smart, they’d agree. They should say: “The Atheist president wants you to congregate and pray already. I won’t stop you.” Just yes him. Every smart USer knows how to behave. Until the CDC says so, they’ll stay put.

In Israel, politics also has won over health consideration. Although the first wave was considerably often contracted by men in shul and at Purim gatherings, people forget quickly but should wait to return. (The Rabbi most responsible for leading thousands to disobey health officials had the brazenness not only to not apologize but also blame the exit from our Houses of prayer on those who talk on their mobiles in shul.)

Now, these are the current Israeli guidelines for praying inside together:

  • Divide every two worshipers by an empty seat between them. (Never mind that’s 80 cm, not 2 m. Two meters between the rows will make most of the synagogue empty but won’t be kept either.)
  • You have to bring your own Siddur and Chumash and whatever else you plan to read – no one may use the shul’s
  • The shul must be disinfected every night.
  • You can’t invite guests. Only the regulars may come in.
  • If you’re sick, you can’t go and entry to the synagogue will require checking everyone’s temperature, and on Shabbat with that new thermometer that’s allowed on Shabbat.
  • Everyone who goes into a synagogue must be listed, with their ID or phone number. On Shabbat – pre-registration.
  • And no one from a high-risk group are allowed in even after the shuls are reopened.
  • Only up to 50 people in the building.
  • Masks must be worn.
  • An appointed person will be tasked with ensuring that the guidelines are followed.

It doesn’t say: don’t kiss the Torah. In my shul, that needs stating. They’d even pick up the cloth of the scroll (that everyone touches) and kiss it.

And it doesn’t say: don’t kiss anything or anybody or shake hands. How many would assume that facemasks are enough protection?

It should also stipulate that a bottle with alcohol gel is inside the shul to use in case you touched something not your own.

It doesn’t say that a sign should be put up stating ‘If you don’t obey health demands, you’re cool or brave but rather stupid and a sucker.’

If the rules were kept (see below), I’d also not go yet. There are so many problems. For instance, people opening windows because they fear that in closed spaces, the virus lingers in the air. I think that means that after gatherings the place should be aired. But during services, the windows should be as if sealed. Rapid airflow of a draft would give the spittle particles a higher velocity so that a two-meter distance wouldn’t suffice.

After Shabbat, I called the Saxton of my shul to ask how it’s going.

People don’t sign up ahead of time. Temperatures aren’t checked. Shabbat Guests participate. Many still use the Prayerbooks and Bibles of the shul. Some don’t have masks on. (We can’t force them.) The Gazzan and Baal Koray certainly don’t wear a mask when they officiate. (The louder one talks or sings, the further not only one’s voice but also one’s spittle carries.) When the aircon is too cold, they open the windows.

On top of this, I’m pretty sure that these Israelis don’t know what is two meters. One-and-a-half is almost two and one is almost one-and-a-half and 80 cm is close to that. They do split up the congregants into 25 each. But I know the size of our shul. Upstairs and downstairs are each about 60 m2. Each person needs an area with a radius of one meter which is 3.1 m2 except people sitting against the wall — they only need half: 1.6 m2, and those in the corner needing 0.8 m2. That means that ideally — but no one is measuring — it could not fit in more than 18 people — if they would stay put because that would leave no space to move! And the 25 reported are not even certain because they are sloppy counters.

I was contemplating going to the service of Pentecost at 4:30 AM but dozens will learn and eat through the night and it will be packed. Maybe next Shabbat, the earliest service, 12 people. Patience is a good thing.

When in doubt, cut it out. I’m 66 and healthy. I have a 5% chance to die from COVID-19 if I have no hidden underlying disease, once infected. If I had a 5% chance of being shot to death for leaving my house, I would not. Besides, 20% have a long and terrible sickbed. I’m curious if there’ll be a second wave, but I’m not putting my body on the line.

On May 27, the Israeli corona unity government loosened restriction to:

  • Up to 70 total participants in a single space; up to 100 participants in two separate rooms but within the same complex.
  • In prayer houses where chairs are placed, consistent worshipers can sit down, but at least one chair must separate individuals.
  • No communal books, literature or other spiritual items; only those appointed can use communal sacred items.
  • Good hygiene should be stressed among participants and masks should be worn.
  • Someone must be put in charge of ensuring that coronavirus restrictions are maintained.

For me, that’s insufficient. I refuse to be the authorities’ guinea pig.

About the Author
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
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