London Haredim roll up sleeves to fight COVID
As people across England huddled indoors amid freezing temperatures and a national lockdown, nearly 300 elderly adults from the Haredi Jewish community, often called the ultra-Orthodox, lined up outside a health center in northeast London to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on February 13.
In hopes of breaking down barriers that sometimes isolate the Haredim from wider society, community leaders organized the pop-up vaccination event for Saturday night to coincide with the end of the sabbath. They believed this was the best time to attract the faithful because it would fit perfectly into post-service schedules—and people would be more relaxed since no one was working.
Many Haredim shun the internet and were slow to realize the dangers of COVID-19. Their community has experienced some of London’s highest infection rates. Many fell ill last March after the Jewish festival of Purim, a day of feasting and merriment.
