Rabbis implore government to reverse collective worship ban

In their letter to the Prime Minister, Rabbi Mirvis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, England and Wales’ most senior Catholic Vincent Nichols and Muslim, Hindu and Sikh leaders expressed strong disagreement with the decision to suspend public worship.

“We have had reaffirmed, through the bitter experience of the last six months, the critical role that faith plays in moments of tremendous crisis and we believe public worship is essential,” they wrote. They had demonstrated that religious buildings could be made safe from Covid transmission.

“Given the significant work we have already done, we consider there to be now no scientific justification for the wholesale suspension of public worship.”

The leaders also stressed the importance of communal prayer for “sustaining the wellbeing” of faith workers and volunteers engaged in the care of others.

The rabbinical head of the Federation of Synagogues, Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman, also lobbied Mr Jenrick with its president Andrew Cohen. In a joint letter, they wrote they were not aware of “recorded cases of people contracting the virus from socially-distanced communal prayer services”.  

Synagogues could continue as places of communal prayer, they argued, “without introducing any significant risk in transmission of the virus by continuing to require congregants to wash their hands upon entering the premises, sit apart from each other and wear face masks”. 

They added: “Our lifestyle and daily activities revolve around communal prayer. In addition, it has been widely recognised that particularly in times of crises, communal prayer can provide a source of hope, inspiration and unity of purpose, all of which are prerequisites for the positive spirit, mental wellbeing and sense of ‘we’ll get through this together’ that are essential for the nation to survive this crisis.”  

UOHC president Binyomin Stern said it was “painful and distressing… to hear communal prayer spoken of as non-essential”. 

Some couples would be devastated at the prospect of having to postpone their wedding for a second time, he said. 

Orthodox couples could not “live together until a marriage ceremony has taken place”, he pointed out. “Once a couple has committed to a marriage date, there are deeply held religious views about the importance of not postponing.” 

He added: “Of course we recognise that now is not the time for parties or celebrations which allow the virus to spread among participants. In contrast, the core wedding ceremony can be carried out very safely.”  

Following the announcement of the lockdown on Saturday evening, Faith Minister Lord Greenhalgh held a virtual meeting with Jewish community representatives on Monday as part of a series of discussions with faith groups. 

He was asked by the Board of Deputies if data existed showing that places of worship had contributed to the spread of the virus. “If they do not, there may be a case to allow them to open sooner rather than later,” a Board spokesman said. 

The Chief Rabbi — who confirmed on Sunday that shuls under his authority would close during the lockdown — continued to press the government for a change of heart.  

It is understood he presented various proposals to allow some form of minyanim, particularly for the benefit of mourners. One option would be for a family to hold a shivah in a synagogue where Kaddish could be recited after the memorial prayer. 

Senior United Synagogue ministers including Rabbi Harvey Belovski of Golders Green and Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet of Mill Hill also appealed to their MPs. 

Rabbi Belovski told his MP Mike Freer: “The role of public worship in terms of people’s wellbeing cannot be overestimated. For many, it is a lifeline.” 

The president of the Manchester Jewish Representative Council, Russell Conn, signed a joint statement with leaders of other religious groups calling on the government to rethink its decision. 

“Obviously it’s a great concern,” he told the JC. 

“It means we are basically having to go back into our own homes and [have] solitary prayer, which is in no way ideal. 

“For those who had sadly lost people in the middle of the year and were getting some comfort from being able to go to synagogue and say Kaddish, they’re back to where they were in March, April and May.” 

During the first lockdown, places of worship were allowed to reopen for private prayer in June and the following month for collective services, as long as social distancing was maintained. 

The Chief Rabbi, however, has decided against allowing synagogues to remain open under the current lockdown rules in case people were tempted to pray together. 

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the government recognised that places of worship brought “huge solace and comfort to people”, which is why they would remain open. “Communal worship will, however, not be possible until December 2.

“The government doesn’t take imposing further restrictions lightly but this action is vital in tackling the spread of the virus. We continue to work closely with senior faith leaders.”