Just two weeks ago, the ultra-Orthodox town of Kiryat Yearim, often known as Telzstone, had the highest rate of coronavirus infections per capita in the country, and almost one third of its population was under quarantine on the orders of the Health Ministry. Today, although the town’s residents are all confined to their homes because of the blanket Health Ministry instructions, just 100 people are officially quarantined, and there has only been on new case reported in the city over the last seven days. How exactly did Telzstone go from being a coronavirus epicenter to a beacon for how to deal with the epidemic in such a short period of time? Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Mayor Yitzhak Ravitz outlined the principle components of his town’s strategy to defeat the invisible, deadly invader that infiltrated his community. Specifically, the mayor said that a watertight lockdown, the closing of all communal buildings and events, and a massive public diplomacy campaign to convince the residents of the necessity of the lockdown, were what had stemmed the spread of Covid-19 in the tight-knit town. “We had a very big outbreak, we had the highest rate of infections, but thank God, and with God’s help, the outbreak has been stopped,” said Ravitz. It was in particular the events over the recent Purim holiday that spurred Ravitz and the local municipal authority to take drastic action, and the steps they took anticipated the steps that the government took in the following weeks. It is believed that several infections took place as a result of large, festive meals held in the town, as is traditional over Purim, and in light of these events Ravitz decided to shut the town down. Four synagogues were immediately shut after Purim and prayer services in others reduced to a maximum of ten men, and shortly thereafter the rest of Telzstone’s 22 synagogues were also closed. “This was the hardest thing to do, instead of opening synagogues with joy I had to close and lock a syangoue with a metal chain, it reminded me of darker times in the history of the JEwish people,” said Ravitz. “But I knew that this was a mitzvah, a religious commandment to ‘greatly protect yourself’, and knew it had to be done.” The one supermarket in the town was also closed down completely and municipal workers and volunteers were instead drafted in to take grocery orders over the phone from residents, collect them from the supermarket and a temporary distribution center, and deliver it to people’s homes. In addition, municipal employees, including Ravitz himself, engaged in an “aggressive public diplomacy campaign” in which all householders were contacted by phone and it the necessity of the severity of the lockdown explained. One problem that has been frequently cited regarding the lockdown conditions and the ultra-Orthodox community is that families are frequently large living in small apartments, making prolonged confinement to the home extremely difficult. In addition, ultra-Orthodox families do not keep televisions in their homes and many do not have internet, meaning that the entertainment options for children are extremely limited. Ravitz said that the municipal authority has frequently distributed children’s workbooks with different activities to all households, in order to help keep children busy. The municipal authority has also developed a phone line which people can call and listen to various forms of entertainment and educational content. Ahead of Passover and its intermediary days which are often spent enjoying time outdoors with families, the Telzstone municipality will distribute DVD’s for those with computers and audio CDs with more content to keep children entertained over the holiday. Food for Passover and other requirements will also be distributed. Ravitz says that the efforts against the epidemic have cost the Telztone municipal authority hundreds of thousands of shekels, but insisted that this was the price which must be paid to keep residents safe. For the Passover Seder when families traditionally gather together, Ravitz is adamant that no one will be going to their friends or relatives for the celebration. “We are at war right now against a bitter and cruel enemy, and we need to use all means at our disposal to defeat this foe,” he said.
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