Since the corona eruption, the community of 300,000 people has suffered a blow • 121 members of the Jewish community in the United Kingdom have died • "Hard sense of uncertainty" • First article in the series

• Haredes at Golders Green in London // Photo: AFP

The hard news landed on a clear day on Passover eve: The Juish Chronicle, the oldest Jewish newspaper in the United Kingdom, founded 179 years ago, began the disbanding and dismissal of its employees due to the devastating consequences of the Corona crisis on the British economy, income from advertising and the collapse of newspapers In isolation and closure days.

Another Jewish newspaper, the Jewish News, is also closing. The two papers were supposed to come together, in an effort to survive the financial difficulties facing the press world anyway, but the union was not signed before the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, and now - unless a last-minute solution - the two Jewish newspapers join the long list of victims of the Corona epidemic.

Even worse is the figure for the rather high number of members of the Jewish community in the United Kingdom who have died from the fatal plague. On the eve of Passover, the burial services of the Jewish community from across the kingdom reported 121 dead from the Corona virus. For a community of 300,000 people, this is a significant blow and a high mortality rate compared to the general population. Like all over the Jewish world, the mass infection with the virus began last Purim holiday, especially among the ultra-Orthodox communities. Unlike other countries, the British government has adopted a scandalous "herd vaccination" policy, which avoids imposing contact and movement restrictions on the general population, resulting in rapid spread of the virus and fairly high death rates.

One day last week, Kadisha in London handled 14 burials, compared to a daily average of only four. British Jewish community leaders have found themselves struggling with the government's emergency government-issued Muslim communities, which has given local health authorities the power to burn the bodies of people who have died from Corona to prevent further contagion, even against the wishes of the deceased and their religious practices. Rapid action by some of Boris Johnson's ministers, including the minister of health who himself was infected with the Corona virus, resulted in the abolition and adherence to the accepted burial practices in Judaism and Islam.

One of the first infections in the virus was the representative of the World Zionist Organization in the United Kingdom, Yitzhak Sonnenshain, who, after two weeks of bed rest in moderate condition (39.5 degrees of fever and difficulty breathing), is currently in recovery. "There is a very harsh feeling of uncertainty among the people here. As a rule, members of the Jewish communities - even the ultra-Orthodox, are disciplined. But after the initial policy of 'Let's catch up with each other and get vaccinated,' people with moderate symptoms now stay home and not come home. Patients, and you don't know if you'll get out alive or dead, "Sunshine says.

He said Jewish communities are very organized, and there are volunteer teams that shop for older community members who cannot leave their homes - including Passover shopping. However, not all Jews are regularly connected to communities and not everyone knows exactly what options are available for help and assistance. The synagogues and community centers were closed. There are communities that have remote activities and connections through the Internet, but there are quite a few people who do not know what to do in the emergency created. Haredi Judaism in Britain has so far lost two of its senior leaders due to the Corona virus - Rabbi Uri Ashkenazi of the Stanislaw Rebbe and Rabbi Yehuda Yaakov Rapson, 73, of Leeds, who was the head of the regional court for the past four decades. In the ultra-Orthodox communities in the US and Israel.

Jake Berger, who is responsible for education and young people at the Axis Council, the representative political body of the Jewish communities, admits that the Corona crisis is a major challenge for the Jewish community. "We are supporting a donation campaign for the three community nursing homes and primary care. We have taken on another worker who will be helping to organize for communities outside of London and need urgent counseling. We encourage community members to volunteer and help their neighbors who belong to the more vulnerable groups in the epidemic. "There is no evidence that the ultra-Orthodox communities have been hurt more than the others from the virus. The virus is hurting everyone. We are not aware of the shortage of kosher products, even during Passover. However, in extreme cases there is less strict adherence to the full kosher rules."