The Tehran Jewish Tribunal has taken exceptional steps due to the Corona epidemic • Among other things, it was decided to cancel Taanit Esther and to avoid going to the synagogue

While Iran suffers from the rapid spread of the Corona virus in the country, the Tehran Jewish Tribunal responds to the epidemic, stating that the risk of infection with the virus rejects the Esther Taanit, the Megillah legend with the majority and even the custom of weapons of Torah scrolls.

Photo: Ruptly

Corona's disease is spreading in the Islamic Republic of Iran at a record pace and the death toll in the country from Corona is already 92 in the 2,922 patients diagnosed. The infection rate in Iran is the highest in the world, with a record number of 586 new patients a day, and is even higher than the rate of infection in China, the country where the disease began, and its neighboring South Korea, which also suffered severely from the virus. Among others, some of the regime's officials were infected, including ministers and MPs, and some of them even died of complications.

After state religious authorities announced the cancellation of Friday prayers all over Iran in the coming week in response to the spread of the virus, the "High Court of Justice for Iranian Jews," one of the religious institutions of Tehran Jews, also responded to the danger and issued a call yesterday for city Jews to take steps Prevent: Avoid fasting in Taanit Esther next week and avoid issuing a Torah scroll in Taanit's guiding prayer to prevent synagogue members from kissing the book and infecting each other with illness. Instead of fasting, the tribunal recommended many charitable giving. In addition, the Tehran Jewish Tribunal recommended that the scroll be limited to reduce the risk of infection, and even note that it is possible to go through the obligation to read the scroll by listening to the direct broadcast of the reading even without actually going to the synagogue.

"Iran's opposition officials claim that the official death toll provided by the government is biased and the real mortality rates are much higher," explains Dr. Tamar Eilam Gindin, an Iranian expert from Shelem Academic Center and Aids Center's concern for Jews, "and so, while young Muslims are licking their cries to mosques That they are not afraid of the Corona, the Jews are careful and even refrain from publishing Torah scrolls because of the fear of contagion following the kiss of the book. "

Synagogues in the city of Tehran, such as the Mula Hanina synagogue, have already adopted the tribunal's call and distributed it to the Jews of their community - hoping that the upcoming Purim will pass peace on the Jews of Iran-Peres, the country where the scroll story took place thousands of years ago.