There's a teacher on CNN who says her belief in Judaism prevents her from being vaccinated

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Then why did Jonas Salk invent a vaccine for polio? She couldn't point to anything in Jewish law or tradition. She only said God "told" her not to get vaccinated.

SMDH

[malaise]

1. There is a serious problem

M$Greedia believes it is competing with social media and should allow every moron with likes to have their moment on TV.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. It's crazy.

The highest value in Judaism as in any religion I'm aware of is the preciousness of life. Even Othodox Jews are allowed to violate the dietary laws if the alternative is starving.

[sakabatou]

31. Yep. If your choice is eating pork or starving, it's okay to break kashrut.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

32. It's about doing the most to please God at the moment. Starving to death isn't pleasing God.

[Chautauquas]

4. I hope it also prevents her from having a job

NO sympathy for idiots like her.

[moriah]

5. Was this just now?

I'll see if I can find a video that will have the full clip, cuz I wanna hear why she's saying this.

Now, I'm not Jewish. I only have surface knowledge of the beliefs and traditions.

But I'm unaware of any law in the Torah that would prohibit vaccination. In fact, as far as I know, almost every single law in the Torah that must be observed are thrown aside if necessary to save a life/save lives in general. The laws given by the God of Israel were to live by, not to die by (again, to the best of my knowledge).

So I would think it would be a good deed to get vaccinated, at least to most of the Jewish population in America if they were going by that law to save lives.

I want to know just what her twist is that says she can't, or if she's just a nutjob.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. In the last fifteen minutes or so

[Caliman73]

9. You would think that if there was something in Judaic Law or Tradition...

That at least a Rabbi or some scholar would come out to discuss it.

Instead one random person comes out and they give her the full weight of one of the staple networks in cable news to present her "side".

This is what is wrong with media today.

[Mossfern]

11. You are absolutely correct

I am Jewish - it's more of a sin not to be vaccinated.
Life over law - always.

[moriah]

23. Thanks for confirming that understandng.

I have very dear friends who are Jewish (friends of my deceased mother who have sorta "adopted" me ever since, and live down the street) so I am learning more about the customs (especially now with all the holidays at the start of the year). I think they'd classify themselves as "very Reform", tho, so I know they aren't representative of every branch of Judaism.

And they were able to get their shots earlier than me per our state's guidelines, so are getting their booster now.

Still, because I am curious about everyone's faith, I do kinda want to know what "law" she thinks getting the vaccine is breaking. Given that many groups have large celebrations when someone gets married, and especially the issues w/ trying to reduce mass gatherings affecting specific Jewish communities (which could feel like religious persecution, and there's been too much of that already in history), I don't want to just dismiss her until I know where she's coming from (basically nutjob or not).

I'll search the CNN recorded livestream and find it eventually, but until then.... I just don't get it.

[stillcool]

7. and that rates an appearance on CNN

nothing going on in this country, except anti-mask performers. CNN must have a real nose for Republican shit.

[pwb]

8. The Media is scraping the bottom of the barrel for crazies,

way to keep the danger going CNN. One person is not news.

[Vinca]

10. After I saw an interview with a nurse on CNN earlier today, it became crystal clear their

opposition had absolutely nothing to do with the vaccine or the science. It has to do with being told they have to get it. They'd rather die in protest rather than obey an order from a school board or government entity or employer. I only hope they stay away from other people and hospitals while they do their dying.

[Mariana]

21. No, that's not it.

That may be their current bullshit excuse, but it's crap. They didn't run out to get vaccinated when it was optional, did they? What was their excuse then?

[NightWatcher]

12. Thats not religion. If god is talking to you its mental illness and I believe the institutionalized

need the vaccine due to their close quarters confinement.

[traitorsgalore]

17. I agree. That "teacher" needs mental health intervention, not TV time as if valid

CNN, like most other "news" give these mentally ill people validity when they should be recommending immediate help, as they would with someone who is suicidal. I'm serious too, not just reacting to the TV exploitation of people.

[frazzled]

13. Try again

Jews have the highest vaccination rates and lowest hesitancy of any religious faction:

As public health experts fret over a stalling COVID-19 vaccine campaign in the U.S., a new survey suggests they don’t have to worry about American Jews.

Jews have the lowest levels of vaccine “hesitancy” of any religious group in the country, according to a report released Tuesday by the Public Religion Research Institute, with 85% vaccinated or planning to get the shot — compared to 71% of all Americans.

https://forward.com/news/473643/jews-accept-covid-vaccine-religious-groups-survey/

Even the super Orthodox rabbis have urged their members to get vaccinated, so I don't think there's a religious objection:

As cases and deaths from the Delta variant continue to rise in parts of the country, rabbis in Baltimore, Maryland, and New York’s Long Island released video messages calling on unvaccinated community members to take the shot.

“You haven’t lived through enough?” asked Rabbi Yaakov Bender, head of Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, before adding a sentence in Yiddish. Far Rockaway, which is home to a large Orthodox community, has one of the lowest rates of vaccination in New York City. “We in the community have to realize that if 99% of doctors say to take the shot, you take the shot. What are we, playing games?”

https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/coronavirus/orthodox-rabbis-urge-jews-to-take-covid-vaccine-ahead-of-rosh-hashanah-678604

&t=13s

[DemocratSinceBirth]

27. You are allowed to violate the dietary laws if the choice is eating non-kosher food or dying.

[MontanaMama]

14. And CNN gives her a GD platform.

Ridiculous.

[Runningdawg]

15. Wisdom from Susan B Anthony

“I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.”

[HoosierDebbie]

16. I saw this segment.

I saw this segment with a teacher who is barely holding back her tears because she is going to miss her students and doesn't think any replacement for her could do as good a job as she does. She faces termination for refusing the vaccine. She doesn't want to get the vaccine because she has deep religious views against doing so. However, she can't state any religious tenet backing this up. I must admit that I ended up screaming some epithets toward this stupid, stupid woman. I think her students will be much better off without her!

[MineralMan]

18. So, Israel isn't vaccinating its citizens?

I hadn't heard that, somehow....

Stupid teacher. No apple for you.

[Aristus]

19. And a Talmudic scholar would say you are full of shit.

Whatever interpretation one does of the Torah as am objection to the influence of 'foreign blood' or what have you, the Talmud makes it clear that the preservation of life overrides all religious proscriptions.

[unblock]

20. I know a Jewish diabetic who, as a child, refused insulin when she found out it was from pigs

The parents got her rabbi to tell her that Jewish law says health comes first, take the insulin.

Obviously there are different flavors of every religion, but the idea that anything in Jewish law overrides health considerations is not at all standard Judaism.

[rso]

22. RSO

I also saw the clip, a totally illogical and clueless anti-vaxxer, and though the CNN anchor was diplomatic and polite, she nonetheless did push back against the deluded teacher.

[Klaralven]

24. How Israel Persuaded Reluctant Ultra-Orthodox Jews To Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/22/988812635/how-israel-persuaded-reluctant-ultra-orthodox-jews-to-get-vaccinated-against-cov

But we don't have the authority of the Israeli rabbinate in the US.

[hlthe2b]

25. So, then, "God" pledges to smite her by "telling her not to be vaccinated?"

[Trueblue1968]

26. GOD didn't tell her anything. She is manufacturing this so she doesn't get vaccinated.

[TreasonousBastard]

28. Jewish law, and most authorities, say get vaccinated. But...

as with most religions, some sects don't agree. Crown Heights and Rockland County have large Ultra-Orthodox populations with anti-vax rabbis calling the shots. It was a big problem a while back with a measles outbreak, and now with Covid. It's a lot of work trying to bring them around.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

29. Where in the Talmud or Torah does it say "thou shall not get vaccinated"?

[TreasonousBastard]

33. Nowhere that I know of. Ask in Crown Heights.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

34. Fundamentalists are scary to me, regardless of their religion.

[TreasonousBastard]

36. Me too. When fundies get hold of a religion, peace and love go out the window.

[sakabatou]

37. True.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

38. A few years back I was at this town center in Woodland Hills.

And these two men in Orthodox garb were handing out pamphlets and trying to find Jews to pray for a sick rebbe. They asked if I was Jewish and I told them my mom was but I was raised in a secular household. According to Jewish law I am. Anyway they put the Tefillin on me and prayed. If I helped the rebbe that's good.

[sakabatou]

39. I remember being prayed over while I was in the hospital.

I only remember the last two or three days of my stay due to my injury. If it made those praying over me feel better, that's fine, but I found it ridiculous.

[sakabatou]

35. Nowhere. They should know by now that life trumps your personal beliefs.

If you're starving, it's okay to eat pork.

If there's a disease running rampant, it's okay to get vaccinated.

[karynnj]

30. Apparently, my conservative Rabbi and Cantor were wrong to initiate calls to elders as they became

Eligible to get vaccines. Volunteers called everyone to let them know and volunteer help to anyone not comfortable with the state's online and phone sign ups.

[Maru Kitteh]

40. Yeah, that was some lazy shit. She also admitted to having

had many other vaccinations.

Easier to see through than a glacial lake. Had exactly JACK to do with her "faith." Has way more to do with TikTok.